[EXCLUSIVE] Radiohead: The King Of Limbs

This is what you're getting yourself into if you keep reading...

This may be the most anticipated album release in two years. Period. With Radiohead, quality is certain and experimentation is inevitable. Although experimentation exists before quality and may define its' boundaries, Radiohead has the unique ability to define quality before implementing experimentation. Prediction or just a lucky guess? I'll side with the skill of prediction for numerous reasons.

Ok Computer may be my favorite album, not just my favorite Radiohead album, but my favorite of all time. Now over a decade old (released in '97), this album was heralded as one of the top ten albums of the 1990's. It's influence and experimentation was novel for the period, yet the quality was immediately accepted, and not because of reputation. This was before Radiohead was Radiohead. If you're new to Radiohead, then I highly recommend starting with this album.

Kid A is my second favorite Radiohead album (released in 2000) and was completely detached from any single musical genre that had come before. Yes, the vocals were still that of Thom Yorke, but this was not the same band that produced Ok Computer, or was it? Kid A was experimentation at its' finest. The type of experimentation that I refer to in the opening paragraph. The difference with the opening paragraph, however, is that quality was not recognized until after the experimentation. Kid A went on to win numerous awards, including a Grammy for Best Alternative Album and a nomination for album of the year. Also, numerous media outlets have labeled Kid A one of the top ten albums of the 2000's, often taking the top spot. Newbies, Kid A would be a solid choice to follow the Ok Computer listening advice above.

Now, will The King of Limbs be a novel experimental album that we have come to expect from Radiohead? If it is, I would argue that the quality was inherent before the experimentation. That is, Radiohead knew exactly what type of music to produce next. They knew the genre, boundaries, and expectations. Having listened to the album only once, I will say that it's hard to tell at the moment. It's not completely novel in an experimentation framework, but there are clear moments of pushing the boundaries (Ex. Lotus Flower, Bloom). There are also moments of, "ahh, that's the Radiohead we all know and love" (Morning Mr. Magpie, Little by Little). Without further adieu, here is The King of Limbs by Radiohead (320 kbps). Available for download via MP3 and WAV starting TODAY. The physical album won't be out until March 28th in the UK. Enjoy!

Radiohead - The King of Limbs

1. Feral

2. Lotus Flower

3. Codex

4. Give Up the Ghost

5. Separator

6. Bloom

7. Morning Mr. Magpie

8. Little by Little



Sacred Sunday Battle Royale

A topic for every Sunday, maybe. I'll post music from two, maybe even three, artists and they will be in competition for better favor. The genres may be the same or may differ, but the music will be comparable on the quality level. What is quality? Well, only you can decide because it's rather subjective, but, any song I post and pit against another will be of comparable quality to me.

The first band is Freelance Whales and they released their first album, Weathervanes, in 2010. They formed in 2008 and are a young group but their style is catchy and full of layers. The first song, Generator First Floor, is their most hyped song to date. I think it's good, but not as good as the second song, Hannah. the melodies of both songs are very similair while the lyrics are quite different. Listen and you'll see.

Freelance Whales - Weathervanes

Generator First Floor

Hannah

VS.

The second band is The Airborne Toxic Event. They formed in 2006 and have released two studio albums as well as one live album (performed at Disney Music Hall). The first song, Goodbye Horses, is from the Live Album at Disney Music Hall and is a great cover of the 1988 hit by Q. Lazzarus (Yea I've never heard of him either, only the song). If your mind is foggy, try listening to the melody (are the late 80's/early 90's movie scenes coming full force into your mind now??). The second song, Numb, may be better? It's defnately a close second if it's not and I'm apologize, but, I was unable to embed the song into this blog. Therefore, the only way to lsiten is to go the provided linl @ http://www.hypem.com/.



The Airborne Toxic Event

Goodbye Horses

Numb

I'm back... Finally!

As the title implies, I was once gone. Actually, the loss of my laptop due to hard drive failure was the reason for my absence. No worries though, obtained a brand new HP dv6t directly from their website and couldn't be happier (even managed to get a free upgrade to 6GB of RAM). I am now ready, more than ever, to continue with new media exploration and this post marks the beginning of a journey with HP.

I've lost valuable time in the area of new music. Although a loss, I have gained much in other areas I concede to be much more important than 'What new music is there today?'. For example, just had a graduate school interview at a prestigious University. If you are unfamiliar with the process, an I'm assuming you are, then just know that the process started in November and culminated yesterday with a 7 hour interview with faculty and students. Nervousness wasn't the correct word to describe my state of mind, rather, I was relaxed and actually myself for the majority (if not all) of the interview. I won't receive a notification of my "acceptance" or "rejection" for a few weeks, but I have a hunch (and a STRONG one at that) that I am the top candidate for the position. It may sound conceited, but if you knew the details you would see it wasn't me who made that conclusion. Suspense is...

NOW, it's time for new music!!!!! The following tracks are a few I've found since I've had my new HP. I enjoy each one, even though they represent different genres. I hope you enjoy the tracks!


Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Helplessness Blues

Panda Bear - Last Night at the Jetty
Last Night at the Jetty

Theophilus London - Why Even Try (Feat. Sara Q.)
Why Even Try (Feat. Sara Q.)

Toro Y Moi - New Beat
New Beat

Lyyke Li - I Follow Rivers
I Follow Rivers

James Vincent McMorrow - If I Had a Boat
If I Had a Boat

Light Asylum - Dark Allies
Dark Allies