Music: Radiohead - House of Cards - In Rainbows
Mood: Humid
I write these words from a cyber cafe in the heart of Pune. I am here today to check the latest news headlines, follow-up on my boys Chelski, pen a few emails, download some torrents, and share a quick thought on Radiohead's latest release.
Giddy would have been an understatement for my seratonin levels surrounding this release. I know for a fact that I harrassed everyone and everything in my path for days before the email hit me at 9:42 PM telling me to make it happen. So I obliged, out of loyalty, downloaded it, juiced up the iPod, hit the bedroom, under the covers, and clicked play.
Expectations are a bitch, so I was initially let down with the album. After all, Radiohead is the band that I best associate with paranoia, fear, emnity, and a palate of emotions that surmise trepidation. Sure all of their albums cover the gamut, but I tend to file them under the "not so easy listening" column. I mean, Pyramid Song doesn't really fly on a summer afternoon in Los Angeles, non?
But ANYWAYS...the album at first was a let down. The songs seemed to be quick exercises in verse/chorus/verse. The band itself didn't come alive on any of the tracks like their previous albums. Sure, there are moments here and there where you can hear the full force of Radiohead on display (see Bodysnatchers), and yes, Thom Yorke is at his crooning best on many tracks (see Videotape). But where was the There There, No Surprises, Optimistic, High and Dry's of this album?
I guess that was my problem. I wanted them to do the old hat, because that is what I was expecting. For a band that has consistently reinvented the wheel with every release, shame on me for wanting them to stagnate and give me the usual suspects. Instead, they made a solid pop album that's warm, fuzzy, and features a revitaized Phil Selway. Seriously, the dude is omnipresent on every fucking track, it's almost annoying. (Note to Nigel: turn him down in the mix. The drums are way too hot and you're not doing him any favors making him so high in the mix). But it's not all negative...
There are standout moments, if not tracks. The latter portion of the album features a rich dicotomy of old and new. The familiar crooning of Videotape, the electronic beat build, the somber piano parts, versus the soulful and melodic House of Cards, featuring a no-bullshit verse from Thom Yorke about wanting to bone the bejesus out of someone. Songs like Recokner and Jigsaw entail the best of the band's past and present. There's plenty to marvel at when Radiohead are on song, and there are lots of times when you find yourself letting go and getting down with the grooves.
It took me three listens to start warming to the album, and now I'll admit I'm a fan. But you can't blame a brother for clinging to the past. Still, I think there are some icky times here and there, and the idea of Radiohead making a 'pop' album is hard to wrap my head around. But this is the world we live in, where everyone evolves and genres are a thing of the past. I won't touch on the record release because it's been written about by everyone in every medium. I will say that I am incredibly dissapointed with the sound quality of the release. 48 megabites, 10 songs. C'mon guys, give it to us in 320 kbps please. It's the least you could do. I'm sure you didn't want to destroy your bandwith over there, but seriously...give us the good stuff. Now I feel compelled to buy the discbox to here the other 8 songs, and to get a legit version of the album. And...I did pay you guys for the album. A whopping 11 pounds...so there.
All in all, its a good album with emotional plateaus and melodic crestfalls, whatever the fuck that means. Point being, it would do all of us a great deal of good to check our anticipating minds at the door before these guys drop a new album.
The fact remains, Radiohead did what we should have expected: the unexpected.
Mood: Humid
I write these words from a cyber cafe in the heart of Pune. I am here today to check the latest news headlines, follow-up on my boys Chelski, pen a few emails, download some torrents, and share a quick thought on Radiohead's latest release.
Giddy would have been an understatement for my seratonin levels surrounding this release. I know for a fact that I harrassed everyone and everything in my path for days before the email hit me at 9:42 PM telling me to make it happen. So I obliged, out of loyalty, downloaded it, juiced up the iPod, hit the bedroom, under the covers, and clicked play.
Expectations are a bitch, so I was initially let down with the album. After all, Radiohead is the band that I best associate with paranoia, fear, emnity, and a palate of emotions that surmise trepidation. Sure all of their albums cover the gamut, but I tend to file them under the "not so easy listening" column. I mean, Pyramid Song doesn't really fly on a summer afternoon in Los Angeles, non?
But ANYWAYS...the album at first was a let down. The songs seemed to be quick exercises in verse/chorus/verse. The band itself didn't come alive on any of the tracks like their previous albums. Sure, there are moments here and there where you can hear the full force of Radiohead on display (see Bodysnatchers), and yes, Thom Yorke is at his crooning best on many tracks (see Videotape). But where was the There There, No Surprises, Optimistic, High and Dry's of this album?
I guess that was my problem. I wanted them to do the old hat, because that is what I was expecting. For a band that has consistently reinvented the wheel with every release, shame on me for wanting them to stagnate and give me the usual suspects. Instead, they made a solid pop album that's warm, fuzzy, and features a revitaized Phil Selway. Seriously, the dude is omnipresent on every fucking track, it's almost annoying. (Note to Nigel: turn him down in the mix. The drums are way too hot and you're not doing him any favors making him so high in the mix). But it's not all negative...
There are standout moments, if not tracks. The latter portion of the album features a rich dicotomy of old and new. The familiar crooning of Videotape, the electronic beat build, the somber piano parts, versus the soulful and melodic House of Cards, featuring a no-bullshit verse from Thom Yorke about wanting to bone the bejesus out of someone. Songs like Recokner and Jigsaw entail the best of the band's past and present. There's plenty to marvel at when Radiohead are on song, and there are lots of times when you find yourself letting go and getting down with the grooves.
It took me three listens to start warming to the album, and now I'll admit I'm a fan. But you can't blame a brother for clinging to the past. Still, I think there are some icky times here and there, and the idea of Radiohead making a 'pop' album is hard to wrap my head around. But this is the world we live in, where everyone evolves and genres are a thing of the past. I won't touch on the record release because it's been written about by everyone in every medium. I will say that I am incredibly dissapointed with the sound quality of the release. 48 megabites, 10 songs. C'mon guys, give it to us in 320 kbps please. It's the least you could do. I'm sure you didn't want to destroy your bandwith over there, but seriously...give us the good stuff. Now I feel compelled to buy the discbox to here the other 8 songs, and to get a legit version of the album. And...I did pay you guys for the album. A whopping 11 pounds...so there.
All in all, its a good album with emotional plateaus and melodic crestfalls, whatever the fuck that means. Point being, it would do all of us a great deal of good to check our anticipating minds at the door before these guys drop a new album.
The fact remains, Radiohead did what we should have expected: the unexpected.
I like your crude, candid reviewing style, it resonates even with music non-enthusiasts (which is what I am reduced to in the midst of you three, lol)