Radiohead – The King Of Limbs

If, for 37 minutes you can put aside the supposed fact that Radiohead are 'meant' to be a Rock band, you will get on much, much better with this album.
Overall the album has a very warm, cosy feel to it; achieved by programmed clicks, pops and claustrophobic synth and guitar sounds. Alot of the sounds achieved in tracks will sound familiar: The broken record drumbeat in the opener 'Bloom' for example is very similar to that heard in Jonny Greenwoods 'Nudnik Headache' from Bodysong. 'Feral' seems to lie somewhere between 'Pulk/Pull revolving doors' and 'idioteque' in of both tempo and texture. While the albums most syrupy, laid back track 'Codex' makes use of slow, chordal piano playing not dissimilar to 'Pyramid song' yet incorporating the subtle constant bass kick found in ambient techno. In short, Radiohead have finally embraced the sound Amnesiac nodded at and In Rainbows shook hands with.

It's true, it's not a ground breaking album. And no, it's not a complete departure from previous efforts. But does it need to be? After 7 relatively diverse albums, one would imagine the band would be allowed to release an album of songs the band simply want to play. An album of the music they like to listen to themselves, but stamped with their own unique trademarks.
That said, it still fills out the bands Discography very nicely: lying at the ambient electronica end of their personal spectrum.

Rating wise, The King of Limbs could sit at the 4 to 4.5 out of 5 mark. Why? Because it is without a doubt a genuinely pleasant listen - and possibly the bands most accessible album in recent times.
In other words: short and sweet.