Radiohead are a band known for breaking the rules, be it musical rules due to their experimental tendencies or marketing ones with some of their unconventional release approaches. This album came out of nowhere, quickly dropped and was soon forgotten in comparison to previous releases. The album has it’s supporters, but the general consensus is this is the first of Radiohead’s albums to be underwhelming and disappointing.
01. Bloom
The drum repeats excessively. Radiohead usually have dense textures and crescendo like moments but this thing just goes on. The live version with the second bald drummer was much better. I felt more energy in the rhythm section then, this is a lifeless overly repetitive recording. I understand there are counter arguments that ‘repetition is part of life, man, this is a symbol of nature and the cyclical nature of everything!’ And to that I say. Ok. But this is boring, things do repeat themselves in life but things change sometimes too and I’d prefer to see a few more change ups in this song.
02. Morning Mr. Magpie
Another track with an oddly syncopated beat. It’s hard to call this a song, it has a vocal track and a drum beat and some melodic textures but there’s nothing to grab onto. There also no dynamics to these tracks. They are rhythmically driven but the beat doesn’t shift, the levels don’t change, so you’re left with this monotonous predictability and the song doesn’t make me feel anything.
03. Little By Little
Vaguely reminiscent of the ‘Go To Sleep’ guitar sound. Except Go To Sleep was a song and this is another rhythm track with sounds going on around it. Some might argue ‘but it’s art, man!’ I don’t know, Thom is still singing but the melodies aren’t catchy or interesting – I’d prefer if they were. The guitar plays but without an infectious melody or any interesting effects on it – I’d prefer those. It feels like something they just bashed out in the studio in an afternoon.
04. Feral
I’m getting some Super Metroid vibes from this. This track goes for a full on avant approach. The vocals, instead of meandering wails, are manipulated and alien sounding. The acoustic guitar strums are replaced with ambient sounds and noises meshing along with the demented drum loop. Unlike other tracks on this LP, which seemed to just start and stop, this one has some interesting interplay between the instruments as the bass, drums, and vocals cut in and out throughout the track.
05. Lotus Flower
Great song, fun video. This is the most successful of the rhythm experiments on this album. Some great dynamics here, a catchy keyboard riff being a particular highlight. It feels more effort went into constructing a song than any of the previous tracks.
06. Codex
Thom Yorke could write these piano ballad songs in his sleep. Usually Radiohead albums are emotionally intense from the moment you press play but this is the first track on the album that has me feeling anything at all. .
07. Give Up The Ghost
Another successful track here, the way the vocal harmonies layer up on each other make for a soothing listen.
08. Separator
The beats are higher in the mix and the sound is crisper in general. Pleasant track though baffling closer and I’m not sure what I feel at the end of this LP.
This album tested what fans and critics were willing to accept from a Radiohead album. It’s reception is proof that you can’t merely put out something difficult and get the accolades. I think Animal Collective had a similar problem on their last album, they put out a self-consciously strange album, probably imagining fans and critics would appreciate the tonal shift but instead it was accused of contrivancy. Radiohead’s album too seems like a forced attempt at maintaining the forward thinking tag that came naturally to them on past stylistic shifts.
BOX MAN CHRONICLES 