Radiohead Returns

Artist: Radiohead

Album: The King of Limbs

Release Date: Feb. 18

Label: [self-released]

Grade: B

When Radiohead announced early last week that it was digitally releasing The King of Limbs, its first album since 2007's In Rainbows, the following Saturday, the music world exploded with excitement.

When the album surprisingly dropped a day early last Friday, that excitement went in about 1,000 different directions, depending on the listener. Some were elated, others disappointed. Some were skeptical, and still others confused.

Regardless of how much listeners were anticipating The King of Limbs, it definitely isn't what they thought it would be, which reveals a certain irony: fans can't learn to expect Radiohead to blindside them with something completely unexpected.

The new album hearkens back to the minimalist and electronic influences of 2000's Kid A and 2001's Amnesiac while also retaining the more organic, naturally-evolving sound of In Rainbows and 2003's Hail to the Thief – albums that saw the band return to a more traditional, rock instrument-based form.

The result is an extremely unique new vibe that works wonderfully on some tracks and comes up short on others.

"Lotus Flower" is the only song from The King of Limbs with a music video, and perhaps not coincidentally, it is also the album's best track. Bandleader Thom Yorke sings a beautiful melody in his trademark falsetto, contrasting the largely bass-driven backbeat.

Another highlight – "Morning Mr Magpie" – features a frantic, shuffling rhythm, reminding us why drummer Phil Selway often proves himself the band's secret weapon. The breakdown in the middle of the song is characterized by a pulsating, climbing bassline, surrounding the listener with musical fog before the main riff gallops back in and picks up right where it left off.

Other songs don't work as well. The piano-ballad "Codex," while a good enough song in its own right, feels like a lesser version of Amnesiac's "Pyramid Song." The next track, "Give up the Ghost," is a bit repetitive, while album-opener "Bloom" is little more than disconcerting.

However, many Radiohead albums take many spins before they start to make complete sense to listeners, and The King of Limbs is no exception; rather, it may end up as the ultimate proof of the rule. The music – particularly the album's instrumental interlude, "Feral" – certainly sounds as if it has arrived from the future.

The deluxe physical version of the album, which will arrive in May, will contain two 10-inch vinyl records, which has invited speculation as to whether the 37 minutes and eight tracks that were released last week are indeed the entire album.

That sentiment is only rumor at this point, but consider some of the album's final lyrics, from "Separator":

"If you think this is over then you're wrong."

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