Radiohead "A Moon Shaped Pool" (2016)

A Moon Shaped Pool
release date: May 8, 2016
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,96]
producer: Nigel Godrich, Radiohead
label: XL Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Burn the Witch" - 2. "Daydreaming" - 4. "Desert Island Disk" (4 / 5) (live) - 5. "Ful Stop" - 7. "Identikit" (4 / 5) - 8. "The Numbers" - 11. "True Love Waits"

9th studio album by Radiohead is a self-released album originally issued as a digital download album and a month later released on vinyl and cd through XL Recordings. The album follows more than five years after The King of Limbs (Feb. 2011). The sound is more like a combo of things they have already explored: The fine art rock of In Rainbows combined with a freer music, which both points to Kid A, Amnesiac, and The King of Limbs with its loops and sampling technique; however, here much more refined to match the characteristics of single compositions and with the addition of strings.
I really enjoy this album and have come to see it as a real grower where tracks also point to the solo works by Yorke, and I basically think of it as no less than Radiohead's alltime second best album.
Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine, The Guardian, NME 4 / 5, Rolling Stone, Spin 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Radiohead "The King of Limbs" (2011)

The King of Limbs
release date: Feb. 18, 2011
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,98]
producer: Nigel Godrich
label: TBD Records - nationality: England, UK

8th studio album by Radiohead is an originally self-released album produced by Nigel Godrich following 3½ years after the acclaimed In Rainbows (Oct. 2007). The album marks a turn to a stronger experimental composing process with recordings of studio sessions as is without having written down chords or lyrics prior to the sessions - pure improvs, that is, and with additional post-production of sampling and (other) programming.
I really enjoyed In Rainbows and consider it the band's best, and perhaps therefore I find it hard to really embrace this one. The album appears to continue in a similar lane, but they're not the same. It's simply too much of the same: compositions going on and on without a clear aim other than to dwell at a sudden impulse but lacking sufficient framework to call it distinct compositions to my liking. As all good improvs, the album reflect good ideas and moments of synergy but it sort of drowns in a following moment. Yes, these guys are truly talented musicians, but this is not... I mean... I may aso write stuff with a beginning, not sure where it takes me... was that a middle section? Here's a new statement, and here comes an end! Did that make much sense?
The King of Limbs sounds like Radiohead, and it sure is, I guess, but I like 'em so much more when they pursue fully structured ideas. Best track here is "Lotus Flower", which sounds like an outtake from In Rainbows.
[ allmusic.com, 👉NME 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

Radiohead "In Rainbows" (2007)

reissue cover

In Rainbows
release date: Oct. 10, 2007
format: digital (18 x File, FLAC) / vinyl (2016 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,04]
producer: Nigel Godrich
label: self-released / XL Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "15 Step" (4 / 5) - 3. "Nude" (4 / 5) - 4. "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi" (4 / 5) - 5. "All I Need" - 6. "Faust Arp" - 7. "Reckoner" ( 4 / 5) - 8. "House of Cards" (4,5 / 5) - 9. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place"
[ Live from the Basement 2008 (includes other tracks) ]

7th studio album by Radiohead is the first studio album after the record contract with EMI had ended, and the band initially made the album accessible for download only to the prize of 'what-you-want-to-pay'. Three months later it was issued on the British label XL Recordings (the American label ATO Records for the North American market).

Style-wise, it's a combination of what may be found on OK Computer and the band's later releases with more experimental compositions. In addition to that, the band successfully incorporates strings on most of the tracks.

The album seems quite homogeneous but it's hard to narrow down an overall genre or style. It's somewhere in alternative rock-land. It's experimental without being strange and yet almost impossible to label as it explores stylistic elements taken from jazz, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, and ambient elements as well - but is it post rock? It sort of breaks stylistic boundaries and just... is. And what that 'is', is fascinating and truly exquisite music.

Even without including sales based on the download distribution, the album topped the UK album charts list, as it also did in Ireland, Canada, and France, and making it to #2 in Australia, Belgium, Finland, New Zealand, and in Switzerland, and it generally faired more than just well. According to Thom Yorke, the album is the band's best-selling album.

In Rainbows is the fourth and so far final studio album [as of 2016] by Radiohead to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". In my mind it's the most deserved Radiohead album on that list - and it's generally considered a major work by the music critics.

I find this particular album, the band's easily strongest and most fascinating release.

[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, NME 4,5 / 5, Spin 4 / 5, The Guardian 5 / 5 stars ]

Radiohead "Hail to the Thief" (2003)

Hail to the Thief
release date: Jun. 9, 2003
format: cd (2008 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]
producer: Nigel Godrich & his magic boxes
label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "2 + 2 = 5 [The Lukewarm.]" - 3. "Sail to the Moon. [Brush the Cobwebs Out of the Sky.]" - 9. "There There. [The Boney King of Nowhere.]"

6th studio album by Radiohead (fourth to be co-produced by Nigel Godrich) is the band's continued journey into new territory. It's the band's so far final studio album released on the EMI-owned label, Parlophone. The band has moved away from the jazz rock influence, which is heard on the two previous albums and instead they combine an acoustic-founded base of soft rock with a more electronic sound by incorporating synths and programming in addition to piano and guitar-based compositions, thus making a particular spacial and sometimes almost ambient sound.
Almost as usual the new album, the new style, made way for critical acclaim, and the album was like its predecessors nominated several prizes and [as could easily have been predicted] it topped the national album charts list as well as selling more than just well in a number of countries.
I have never really enjoyed this particular album much. I have tried to listen to it many times but mostly I just find myself in desperate search of 'that thing' I do not grasp, and each time it simply eludes me. I have come across some positive reviews referring to the album's strong lyrics, as comments to Western society, American politics, etc., which is to say: strong narrative qualities. However, I never have and never will be able to use the lyrical aspect of music alone as an argument for critical acclaim. In music, there has to be good music. Point taken, 'cause I think it lacks here. I consider it a low point only exceeded by the debut in the band's discography.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, Spin, Uncut 4,5 / 5, The Guardian 3 / 5 stars ]

Radiohead "Amnesiac" (2001)

Amnesiac
release date: Jun. 4, 2001
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Nigel Godrich, Radiohead
label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Pyramid Song" - 6. "Knives Out" - 8. "Dollars and Cents"

5th studio album by Radiohead are in fact compositions recorded at the same sessions as Kid A. Thom Yorke has also described it as "another take on Kid A, a form of explanation." Or, one could argue that these recordings are much as the other disc of what could have been a double cd release, only this is even more experimental in style. The album was met by positive reviews and it also topped the albums chart list in the UK and making it to top-3 in many countries around the world. This is also included in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

I like it and find it one of the band's better albums but I don't quite see it on par with Kid A.

[ allmusic.com, Slant, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, NME, Sputnikmusic 4 / 5 stars ]

Radiohead "Kid A" (2000)

Kid A
release date: Oct. 3, 2000
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Nigel Godrich, Radiohead
label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Kid A" - 3. "The National Anthem" - 4. "How to Disappear Completely" - 6. "Optimistic" - 8. "Idioteque" - 9. "Morning Bell"

4th studio album by Radiohead released nearly three and half years after the band's acclaimed OK Computer (Jun. '97).

On this new album they really step into new musical territory within art rock and the alt. rock genre, and it showcases a completely different sound, which incorporates jazz-rock elements and perhaps doesn't have the same immediate appeal by challenging traditional song structure. The album was initially met by luke-warm reviews but these were somehow silenced as the album was nominated for and won several prestigious musical prizes.
My initial thoughts about it told me that the predecessor contains some great compositions that are unmatched on this, however, I have come to understand the importance of Radiohead as a band of a new era. Undoubtedly, the '97 album contains more classic hit material and familiar songs, but as an overall verdict, there's no doubt that I enjoy this album much more for its stronger experimental approach and also for placing Radiohead alongside other great post-rock artists. Kid A is a musical statement and a natural source to inspiration, which I find is traceable to the music by Talk Talk and that band's last two albums. To me, this is where Radiohead becomes one of the most fascinating British bands of modern times. Kid A is also the third Radiohead album to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

[ allmusic.com, Drowned in Sound 5 / 5, Spin 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 2 / 5 stars ]

Radiohead "OK Computer" (1997)

OK Computer
release date: Jun. 16, 1997
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: Radiohead, Nigel Godrich
label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Airbag" - 2. "Paranoid Android" - 6. "Karma Police" - 10. "No Surprises" (4 / 5) - 1. "Lucky"

3rd studio album by Radiohead introducing a long-time relationship with producer Nigel Godrich, who helped shaping the band's stylistic profile in the aftermath of britpop. It's still alt. rock but comparing this to The Bends (1995) the band takes on a more atmospheric and melancholic style, which could be described as art rock. At the time of the release the style was referred to as post-britpop, which basically signalled a move away from simpler guitar- and chorus-based songs to more complex compositions with bonds to prog rock bands of the 1970s.
The album became the band's so far biggest success, and the appraisal of the album seemed endless. Years later it's a natural element on countless best of lists and quite often found among the top 3 most important albums of all time.
It's the second Radiohead album to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die", and it was the band's first to reach number #1 on the albums chart list in the UK.
Nowadays, I do acknowledge its qualities, and the originality of both album and band but it just doesn't (and never did) appeal a great deal to me, and in many years I found it more than difficult to accept as more than another so-so soft rock album that I found it difficult to listen to. One day I may even find it truly great, but for now I like it, although, I don't consider it the band's best nor an album I often return to.
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine, NME 5 / 5, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Spin 4 / 5 stars ]

Radiohead "The Bends" (1995)

The Bends
release date: Mar. 13, 1995
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: John Leckie
label: EMI Japan - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Planet Telex" - 2. "The Bends" - 3. "High and Dry" (4 / 5) - 8. "My Iron Lung" - 9. "Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was" - 12. "Street Spirit (Fade Out)"

2nd studio album by British britpop and alt. rock band Radiohead (originally released on Parlophone / Capitol Records) introducing a style and sound, which may be seen as a move from what was primarily britpop to bolder alt. rock, but what is more striking with this, compared to the weak debut, is clearly that the music here is obviously of more original material. This is simply where the band finds its own sound. Also, the band comes out as something other than the ordinary, a strong unit of skilled instrumentalists, and although critics labelled it britpop, it's clar that radiohead is something very different from Blur, Oasis, Pulp, and other examples of typical britpop. The album doesn't include evident hit singles but it's much more the whole album and the complexity of the compositions as such, which makes this a much welcomed release.

I never saw myself as a big Radiohead fan and must admit that I have never listened much to this particular album, although, it's definitely more than ordinarily 'interesting'. In retrospect, the album has been lauded as a source of inspiration for many subsequent artists of [especially] softer predominantly British alt. rock and indie pop artists like Coldplay, James Blunt, Keane and contemporaries like Pulp, Manic Street Preachers, and Travis. The album is included in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" and imho, it's quite understandable why so many regard the band as renewers of popular music in the 1990s.

[ allmusic.com, Blender, Record Collector 5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone (retrospect) 4 / 5, Spin 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Radiohead "Pablo Honey" (1993)

Pablo Honey [debut]
release date: Apr. 20, 1993
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,62]
producer: Sean Slade, Paul Q. Kolderie
label: Parlophone / EMI - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Creep" - 3. "How Do You?" - 6. "Anyone Can Play Guitar" - 12. "Blow Out"

Studio debut album by British 5-piece britpop and guitar-band Radiohead consisting of Thom Yorke on vocals, guitar, tape loops, the two brothers Greenwood: Jonny on guitar, piano and organ, and with Colin on bass. The last two members are Ed O'Brien, also on guitar and backing vocals, and lastly Phil Selway handling drums. In Britain, Radiohead was compared to the bands of the American grunge rock scene, under influence of the quiet-loud school exemplified by Pixies, and Radiohead was referred to as the British Nirvana, but mostly the debut wasn't an overwhelming success and many critics found - what I think of it - that there are so many references to other bands that it's difficult to talk about a highly original release. Not so much alone because of the many sources of inspiration but simply because it either sounds as The Smiths, as U2, as Nirvana, as Red Hot Chili Peppers, or whatever band associated with or in the outskirts of grunge rock, britpop or pop / rock... and never really as something representing an original mix. Despite not knowing anything of the band back then, I find this very album a wee bit boring and of little interest, although, the above-mentioned songs are all clearly above mediocre.
The single track "Creep" became a monster hit in a slow process which involved the song going big in Israel after which it was reissued in the US, however, it brought the band a sore experience as it turned out that it's a song that shares similarities with "The Air I Breathe" by The Hollies from 1973 and Radiohead was sued for plagiarism, and lost the case, which is why Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood from The Holies are credited as co-composers of "Creep". Comparing the two songs, the case against Radiohead and the verdict only seems like an unjust court decision.
Pablo Honey is best known for the inclusion of "Creep" and only for being the band's debut album but in the band's discography the album is only for hardcore fans as you wont find many similarities with the band's later efforts.
[ allmusic.com (retrospect), Q Magazine, Rolling Stone (retrospect), Uncut (retrospect) 3 / 5, Blender 2 / 5 stars ]