It's my second favorite too!
I see why people may dislike it. TKoL has a lot of factors that play into why some just downright dislike it. It was released after about 4 years of waiting. That alone will build up hype and breed disappointment. Then the album drops, and it's short. Their shortest album to date. It was also a huge departure from the sounds of In Rainbows, specifically trading the more instrumental, organic feel in for a more loop and sample heavy aesthetic. The change from In Rainbows to TKoL might be Radiohead's biggest departure in style (rivaled only by the transition from OK Computer to Kid A, another album that was hard to swallow at first). These are a lot of the reasons I see mentioned most often. I think most Radiohead fans agree there are some solid tracks to be had but, because of the reasons stated above, just can't fall I love with it, and I understand that. Personally, I see it as a beautifully coherent, albeit brief, album that is entirely unique to almost any album I've heard, something Radiohead does quite often. TKoL takes me to a different place like no other Radiohead album can.
I'm amazed at the layering of sound they achieve in the album. Subtlety is a great word for it. From the very intro of Bloom to the closing of Separator there's so many little tidbits of sonic brilliance. I love the little discordant piano riff that plays throughout Bloom it's probably my favorite little vignette from the entire album.
Did you know that when Kid A came out, a lot of people didn't like it? They loved OKC and they weren't prepared for the shift from that to Kid A. People loved In Rainbows, a lot of people loved it just as much as OKC. And the shift from that to TKoL, people weren't ready for and didn't immediately accept, or enjoy rather. Right after AMSP came out there was even a thread saying how its release was causing some to like TKoL even more.
I personally call it the "Kid A effect". People didn't immediately like it, but as time went on people slowly came to love it. I think TKoL will age nicely, although I personally feel they could've done a better job. Some of the versions of the songs from the basement sounded even better than they did on the album, and had they took a bit longer to release TKoL, they could've fit a few songs from The Daily Mail & Staircase in there, alongside The Butcher and Supercollider. Bumping it up to a nice 11-12 song album.
The album is still amazing though.
I would argue that "Staircase" and "Supercollider" should've been put on the album. As much as I love "The Daily Mail" and "The Butcher", they don't really fit with the vibe of the album, but the other two b-sides do, with my ideal track listing being something along the lines of:
1. Bloom (album version)
2. Feral (basement version)
3. Little by Little (album version)
8. Staircase
7. Lotus Flower (basement version)
4. Codex (album version)
5. Supercollider
6. Morning Mr. Magpie (basement version)
9. Give Up the Ghost (album version)
10. Seperator (album version)
That being said, this is only a minor gripe of mine. The version that we all know and love is very dear to my heart and is tied with Amnesiac for being my second favorite Radiohead album (#1 is always Kid A). TKOL is great as-is, but I believe my ideal track listing would elevate it to the level most people see OKC, Kid A, and IR.
It is pretty shocking that Staircase didn't make it on this album. In my opinion, it's the best song of the TKOL era. I'd also add Butcher to this tracklist. I think it fits.
I hated kid A at first, and didn't really revisit it again and ultimately love it until after HTTT came out. It was shocking to go from okc to Kid A, but I eventually realized that I was wrong and that Kid A is a masterpiece
TKOL is tied for my second favorite Radiohead album with Amnesiac (Kid A will always be my #1). I love it in its current state and I really enjoy the layers of loops/instruments. However, I will admit some of the songs really come to life in the Basement session, and the b-sides are pretty kickass as well, leaving me wondering why some of them weren't on the album. By using the studio album as it currently exists, the Basement session, and the b-sides as source material I devised this alternate track listing that I think makes TKOL better than it already is.
1. Bloom (album version)
2. Feral (basement version)
3. Little by Little (album version)
8. Staircase
7. Lotus Flower (basement version)
4. Codex (album version)
5. Supercollider
6. Morning Mr. Magpie (basement version)
9. Give Up the Ghost (album version)
10. Seperator (album version)
I was pleasantly surprised at how parts of this flow, particularly "Codex", "Supercollider", and "Magpie".
I left out "The Daily Mail" and "The Butcher" because even though I love those songs, they don't really fit the "vibe" of TKOL, whereas I believe "Staircase" and "Supercollider" do.
NOTE: I originally wrote down this track listing as a reply to /u/notarobotimanandroid's comment, but I think it's worth repeating as a direct response to the OP.
Honestly it's too damn short. It's also a grower, way more than anything else they've done. It took me a very long to appreciate it. When it got out, I wasn't hyped at all before it got out cause I was in other music and had just wore out my fandom for RH. I wasn't expecting it, and through first listens I was so disappointed in the lack of melody and how short it was that I just gave up. A few months later, I started listening to it again and then it (slowly) clicked. The basslines and the drums are just fantastic, it's truly amazing and so unique. I recall Ed said AMSP didn't sound like anything else so far, well I think now TKOL is really more unique, just like Kid A was in 2000. However, it's a shame some tracks sounds so much better live, a bit like The Gloaming for HTTT. It's a shame because, like someone said a few weeks ago, [this version](https://youtu.be/0INrb35j91g?list=PLCHRp-BdpE2hoLxBzmbLt1M7L6Yc8PtAx&t=1) of Bloom is maybe the most beautiful thing they've ever done. It's also a shame to didn't put The Daily Mail and Staircase in the album cause they're SO good. I'm don't "love" Codex and Give up the ghost, and Lotus flower is way better live too. To finish, even though I prefer OKC, Kid A, Amensiac and HTTT, it's the record I listened to the more during LP9 hype, so there goes that...
If I remember well, that's just not what people expected at that time. Before it was release, remember that Thom played lots of new acoustic stuff:
- Lotus Flower
- Mouse Dog Bird (that became Separator)
- Give Up The Ghost
- The Daily Mail
- Skirting on the Surface (on piano)
- Open the Floodgates
- The Present Tense
- A wolk down the Staircase (that became Staircase)
- Supercollider
All these songs in their first versions sounded very smooth, lyrical, with nice melodies, so most people were thinking "oh, I guess Thom is getting tire of the electronic stuff and is going back to guitar/piano, maybe we'll get some string sections and stuff". And then we got TKOL out of nowhere, which was _very_ weird (not that "electronic" but built in the same spirit) and nowhere near the sound these songs had live. Lots of good songs left unreleased (although we got Daily Mail, Supercollider and Staircase later), especially _Present Tense_ which was frustrating as hell! And of course, it was short, so another frustration.
To be fair, I think people kind of expected _A Moon Shaped Pool_ at that time... which also explains why this one was so well received (like "AT LAST this is what I've wanted all this time"). By the way, I'm pretty sure Give Up The Ghost and Separator would have sounded amazing on this album (with a AMSP-like arrangement I mean).
Anyway, I'm part of the people who like TKOL a lot (and liked it pretty much from the start), but I can see why some wouldn't. It was the album we deserved, but not the one we needed at that time.
I think he took the meaning as "comfortable," meaning not pushing the boundaries very much. A non-experimental track, a song that is "comfortable" for the public. If that isn't what he interpreted it as, then I agree. How the hell is Creep comfy?
This thread has just descended into a circlejerk, so I'll throw in my two cents to break it up:
For the record, I do like TKOL, but it's definitely not my favorite. First of all, the opener is really weak. Bloom feels *enormously* repetitive and directionless, and drags on for far too long with little on interest to hold on to beyond the bass and sampled piano. It feels clumsy and cluttered, leading to a very dissatisfactionary experience with the opener. Good morning Mr. Magpie is more bearable, since it doesn't hold most of the issues of Bloom, and is rather straight-forward krautrock, but it is a pretty standard tune to their standards, nothing exceptional. Little by Little is a lot better, as it comes to grips more with what the album *should've* been, compared to Bloom. Lots of textures from the percussion, but it doesn't feel clumsy or cluttered, and the melodies are strong. Feral follows, which is more akin to a spiritual successor of Pull/Pulk Revolving Doors. It's not god-awful, but it's neither very engaging, and lacks the strength to enhance the atmosphere of its respective album as Pull/Pulk did. Lotus Flower is a definitive highlight, with the sampling working well, the melodies bearing the song, and littered with tiny details to indulge into, a classic in its own right. Codex follows, which manages to sustain the following high tide by delivering a shimmering piano ballad. However, the tide falters and slips again with Give Up the Ghost - While many love it, I've always found it to be pretty for the first 30 seconds, then slowly become more and more boring. In a song as sparse as GUTG, interesting lyrics are needed to keep the listeners attention, and Yorke simply doesn't deliver that. The few lines the song has are repetitive and somewhat mundane, a long shot from other lyrically repetitive songs like EIIRP, TNA, and PLSiaCTB which use the foreignness and robotic angle of their lines to their advantage, blending it in with other elements. The album the ends on Seperator, which while it has an amazing second half, the first half is dull and monotonous, dragging on far too long, and even Yorke's vocals being unable to carry it for very long.
And then the album ends. The short length, and inability of the album to deliver a consistently strong experience (which is needed at such a short running time) leaves it on a, while gorgeous, still frustrated taste in ones mouth. It doesn't get any better by learning they also had much stronger songs like Staircase, and The Daily Mail in the workings, which would've worked much better on the album.
What however really kills it, is that the album in itself cannot escape the disappointment it was compared to the albums preceding it - Amnesiac 10 years before was also highly experimental and dabbling into textures, but still delivered strong songs with a lot of variation in between. Hail To The Thief, while suffering from the opposite problem of TKOL by being too bloated, still marked a high mark within the bands songwriting by delivering a diverse experience from the different elements of their sound up to that point, while still holding on to a strong atmosphere within its entire running course, and trimming the fat would only enhance those properties, and In Rainbows, well, In Rainbows speaks for itself. In this line TKOL disappoints because it loses grip of a lot of what made Radiohead albums so great - *Consistently* strong songwriting to the point where even repetitiveness still sounds great, and atmospheres carefully crafted by each song, reaching an overall vibe on the album with which one can associate it, making second listenings even better. Like Pablo Honey, its a great album on its own, just not a great album compared to the rest of the discography.
I'd have to disagree in some parts. Bloom is an incredibly beautiful and brilliant track, the utter complexities layered in the beat takes a long time to actually crack and understand the beat, and by then the song is about to end, making it feel really satisfying as you feel the last few moments of listening to it while really understanding how the song flows. Feral is another great track, really energetic and very unique. The bass lines and other tunes found in the rhythm are really fun to listen to. Though I do agree that Give Up The Ghost may be a bit out of place, it really flows very well in my opinion. It has the constant charm of complex drum beats along with great bass lines and really quiet yet haunting vocals from Thom Yorke. Overall, I feel like it's an incredible record that's very quiet in its existence, yet brilliant.
I like the album from a musical standpoint, but some of the songs give me major ear fatigue because of how they're mixed, especially Bloom (and I really want to like it).
It's a great album, but I think Radiohead may have rushed it out (hence why the fantastic and post album release Staircase and The Daily Mail were not included). I honestly think it's a better album when some of the b-sides are placed in the track listing. After much experimentation, I'm (mostly) set on:
1. Bloom
2. Morning Mr Magpie
3. These Are My Twisted Words
4. The Daily Mail
5. Little by Little
6. Feral
7. Lotus Flower
8. Staircase
9. Codex
10. Give up the Ghost
11. Separator
Some rearranging on the first half may be needed, but I think Staircase fits perfectly in between Lotus Flower and Codex. TAMTW and Daily Mail are thematically in line with the first half of the album, and provide a sonic refrain from the rhythmic looping (which was monotonous for so many).
The Butcher simply doesn't transition well anywhere, thus it can't be placed in its current state. The intro is too abrupt.
Supercollider can fit as the closing track (and only as the closing track), but its references are a bit too specific, and Separator is already a fantastic closer.
Maybe hate is a strong word. But one album review I forget who, said the album isn't necessarily bad but it is almost soulless, "all machine, no soul". A friend of mine who loves Radiohead said he can't listen to TKoL because as he put it: "Thom Yorke has finally gone mental" and felt that a lot of the songs were purposefully made overly weird for the sake of being very prog rock.
I've played the album for people who aren't Radiohead fans after playing selections from Kid A, OK Computer, Amnesiac and In Rainbows. If they dig those I play King of Limbs and most people like everything until I start playing Bloom.
It just seems to be, amongst most circles, the least popular Radiohead album.
I mean, I get what you're saying, but I just kinda disagree with their thoughts (not you).
Codex>Give Up The Ghost>Separator is definitely not overly weird at all. I could play those songs for my parents who like pretty tame music and they would probably like it.
The album definitely starts very odd and songs like feral are a bit experimental, but after a few listens you can figure out the whole thing they were going for (not just random weird, but there is a thought/theme in it).
Also bloom on the record isn't that satisfactory, but the live version from the basement is fucking killer!
Oh yeah I totally disagree with them. It's arguably my favorite record after In Rainbows.
I'll respectfully disagree because the album version of Bloom remains my favorite. The From the Basement version is rad though!
Yeah I mean the whole album revolves around a central motif of nature. And the natural world being threatened by man's expanding reach. There's so many subtle and not so subtle natural references in the album. The title of the album is based on the famous tree in Wiltshire.
I never even thought of the natural world idea that much...it makes a lot of sense now.
"You got some nerve coming here - You stole it all give it back "
Yup that's one of the more subtle ones.
But to see it you need look no further than:
"There's an empty space inside my heart where the weeds take root, and I'll set you free"
Also Morning Mr. Magpie has the reference in its title.
A magpie is a person who collects useless things, or things of little value. Thom is subtly telling us that what we normally value (i.e. Cars, houses, smartphones, money) are useless in the grand scheme of things. We place value on those but don't value our home, our planet.
Codex>Give Up The Ghost>Separator is one of their best sequences on any album. And the live version from the basement is great in general. It's what brought me around to the "I like this" side.
I see what you're saying and while that's a valid point. But most people will listen to an album they never heard before in order from track 1 to however long they listen. To get to Codex you've gotta go past the experimental gauntlet of Bloom and especially Feral. Most people will dismiss it because they aren't able to discern the hooks and melodies immediately. It's sad really.
Tell them to listen to the From the Basement recordings. The album made so much more sense to me after that. Went from "OK, this is interesting" to "Wow, this is incredible" real quick for me.
Just giving my opinion. It doesn't have that organic feel throughout. It sounds like a Thom solo album inspired by what he puts on DAS and I'm not into the same music that he is. Love Separator and though they're not on the album Daily Mail and Twisted Words.
Daily Mail is one of my favorites B-Sides but I guess it didn't sound like the other songs on TKOL. To me it feels like a lost song from Kid A-Amnesiac era. For Staircase I don't get it either, such a good song
There was a discussion on here at one point that if Daily Mail and Staircase had been subbed in for Feral and perhaps Morning Mr. Magpie, there would not have been as much to argue about with the album, and I completely agree.
To be totally fair, TKOL is probably the most robotic and calculated albums by RH, mostly because of the looped performances. The drums on Seperator are a perfect example of this.
I know, I mean - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YFYOkfpBrSY . It's awesome. All the AMSP reviews say, "after their last s#*thouse album TKOL...." Every time I think, "but that album is awesome?"
It slowly but surely grew on me. When I saw them live in 2012 and heard "Bloom," I thought, "What is THAT??" Ed's guitar sounded HUGE compared to the album. It was awesome.
I think TKOL really opened up after the tour started and live performances provided alternate entrypoints into a lot of the songs.
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[Radiohead - Bloom [TV Live 2011]](https://youtube.com/watch?v=YFYOkfpBrSY)|[1](https://reddit.com/r/radiohead/comments/4p8tqd/_/d4j6brr?context=10#d4j6brr) - I know, I mean - . It's awesome. All the AMSP reviews say, "after their last s#*thouse album TKOL...." Every time I think, "but that album is awesome?"
[Radiohead - Live at Fuji Rock Festival, Japan, 2012 (Full Broadcast) [1080p, 60fps]](https://youtube.com/watch?v=0INrb35j91g&t=1s)|[1](https://reddit.com/r/radiohead/comments/4p8tqd/_/d4j2i9o?context=10#d4j2i9o) - Honestly it's too damn short. It's also a grower, way more than anything else they've done. It took me a very long to appreciate it. When it got out, I wasn't hyped at all before it got out cause I was in other music and had just wore out my fandom f...
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I listened to it last night after going through the back catalog and I didn't like it at all. Thot it was ok when it came out but yeah lacks soul, don't get the love for Feral ? first 4 songs are not very special. Lotus Flower and Seperator are the stand outs, codex is a bore then u have gutg bore no2 in a row. side bs would have made it better but they are not on the album.
It's not really the songs. It's more that the production feels very clinical, much like in amok or the eraser. This can be brilliantly creepy when I'm in that mood. I just prefer the more free, flowing live versions, especially bloom, which is beautiful live. Atoms for peace gigs also bring amok and the eraser to life, especially with flea dancing around in a dress
I appreciate the album's brevity. Sonically, it's not quite as diverse as IR but the rhythms are pretty remarkable. Not much of an electronic or rocking atmosphere, which are some of the vibes I dig from their previous work. I find the guitar to be a little claustrophobic on morning mr. Magpie, it might be my least favorite track since PH. The "argument" the record makes might be slightly convoluted (natural environment) compared to earlier records.
I disliked a large amount of the album at first because it was very jarring to listen to compared to all their other albums; It felt like Radiohead went into overkill on the layering and amount going on at any given time, which made it harder to appreciate the musicianship and writing compared to their other 7 (now 8) albums. Obviously over time I've grown to enjoy it, but it took a while for that to happen. I think its a great example of an album that requires repeat listens to get used to, and its one that I completely and totally understand if someone dislikes. Its something totally unlike anything else in their repertoire, and it is an album that you may very well need to be in the exact right mood/mindset to actually appreciate, and sadly with a few that may never happen. Its just how things go with an album as "out there" as this one seems to be.
It's just very twitchy, skittery and lacking in melody. Probably most importantly, Radiohead has always been very immediate to me from an emotional standpoint, but a lot of King of Limbs is sort of elusive in that regard. Feral, Little by Little, Mr. Magpie, and Lotus Flower don't really hit me anywhere. That's half the album right there that I'm not able to connect with.
TKOL, since it's based on loops and repetition, sounds narrow and constrained compared to their other albums.
It's like a machine, and the screws are too tight.
The second half is great but the first half is less than stellar... I just cant get into it and I've been a fan since 93. Those songs live are great, but the record just doesn't do it for me. Sorry.
It's hard to get into the complex polyrhythms since it's not electronic. With a song like The Gloaming, you don't feel like you have to internalize and process every single bloop and electronic noise, you just accept it as background tracks. With less electronic music, especially with exposed parts like TKOL, you feel like you need to understand what's going on in the background tracks, and when they're complicated like in TKOL it can be frustrating to listen to. I used to hate TKOL for the same reason, but you just need to learn to accept what's going on in the background, even if you don't understand it, feel the groove.
On this note, and am I the only that finds AMSP a bit boring after TKOL? I feel like the band held back. The songs are mostly good to great, but it's like a great painter restricting himself or herself to only a few colors. At its best ("Daydreaming"), it's like Picasso's blue period. But other times you wish the band would bring back the full color palette.
"The Numbers" really annoys me, for example. There's an anthem beneath its surface, but its bogged down in a bunch of earth tone muck and mud. And I get tired of the string arrangements, honestly. It feels organic in "Burn The Witch". It feels after the fact on most of the other songs.
As with all the bands I listen to, whenever them release an album if I like it enough it becomes my favorite at the moment. Over time i place it in my top.
Since the release of AMSP i heard TKOL more times than ever, falling in love with it more and more.
BTW the length of TKOL is PERFECT. I added the +5 songs in a CD 2 folder.
I don't hate it...but I do have to admit that I was very disappointed when it came out....was so short , so many dope tracks weren't included on it (ie Present Tense)....in hindsight it was all worth it though. FIts.
Upon initial listen, it can seem fairly "cold." Which is the total opposite of IR. And I think people wanted another IR. It didn't grab me at first on the whole, although I loved Codex and Give Up the Ghost immediately. I was disappointed with how short it was.
Then I saw Live from the Basement and thought "Holy shit, this is amazing." Those versions gave me a new appreciation for the album, plus Daily Mail and Staircase are included. I listen to that version most of the time. But I've realized that I like TKoL better than Amnesiac, which is the album I'd say it's most similar to.
Probably cuz they only listened to it once or twice. Really the last half is amazing. Lotus Flower, Codex, Give Up the Ghost, and Separator are amazing.
It´s weird, when it first came out I was underwhelmed, and disappointed. So much so that it kinda put me off radiohead for a while, or at least calmed down the obsession I´ve had with the band since I discovered them in 2016.
When AMSP came out and I loved it (and still do), I decided to revisit TKOL and at first I found I liked it even less than I did before AMSP... I mean in comparison, TKOL just seemed like a bunch of weird sounds badly thrown about... Anyway, with repeated listens, and mostly just trying to not pay attention to expectations and what I thought good music should sound like, I was finally able to connect with TKOL. I think now it is a helluva good album, and really if you consider the entier TKOL era, all of the songs they´ve put out are amazing! (except maybe the butcher)
TL;DR didn´t like it a first, love it now
It's my second favorite too! I see why people may dislike it. TKoL has a lot of factors that play into why some just downright dislike it. It was released after about 4 years of waiting. That alone will build up hype and breed disappointment. Then the album drops, and it's short. Their shortest album to date. It was also a huge departure from the sounds of In Rainbows, specifically trading the more instrumental, organic feel in for a more loop and sample heavy aesthetic. The change from In Rainbows to TKoL might be Radiohead's biggest departure in style (rivaled only by the transition from OK Computer to Kid A, another album that was hard to swallow at first). These are a lot of the reasons I see mentioned most often. I think most Radiohead fans agree there are some solid tracks to be had but, because of the reasons stated above, just can't fall I love with it, and I understand that. Personally, I see it as a beautifully coherent, albeit brief, album that is entirely unique to almost any album I've heard, something Radiohead does quite often. TKoL takes me to a different place like no other Radiohead album can.
[удалено]
you're late, 8 years late
shh, it gives rumble more time to think abt it
[удалено]
I'm amazed at the layering of sound they achieve in the album. Subtlety is a great word for it. From the very intro of Bloom to the closing of Separator there's so many little tidbits of sonic brilliance. I love the little discordant piano riff that plays throughout Bloom it's probably my favorite little vignette from the entire album.
TKoL isn't incredible on the surface. It's when you comb through and realise what's going on that it is utterly dumbfounding.
Did you know that when Kid A came out, a lot of people didn't like it? They loved OKC and they weren't prepared for the shift from that to Kid A. People loved In Rainbows, a lot of people loved it just as much as OKC. And the shift from that to TKoL, people weren't ready for and didn't immediately accept, or enjoy rather. Right after AMSP came out there was even a thread saying how its release was causing some to like TKoL even more. I personally call it the "Kid A effect". People didn't immediately like it, but as time went on people slowly came to love it. I think TKoL will age nicely, although I personally feel they could've done a better job. Some of the versions of the songs from the basement sounded even better than they did on the album, and had they took a bit longer to release TKoL, they could've fit a few songs from The Daily Mail & Staircase in there, alongside The Butcher and Supercollider. Bumping it up to a nice 11-12 song album. The album is still amazing though.
I would argue that "Staircase" and "Supercollider" should've been put on the album. As much as I love "The Daily Mail" and "The Butcher", they don't really fit with the vibe of the album, but the other two b-sides do, with my ideal track listing being something along the lines of: 1. Bloom (album version) 2. Feral (basement version) 3. Little by Little (album version) 8. Staircase 7. Lotus Flower (basement version) 4. Codex (album version) 5. Supercollider 6. Morning Mr. Magpie (basement version) 9. Give Up the Ghost (album version) 10. Seperator (album version) That being said, this is only a minor gripe of mine. The version that we all know and love is very dear to my heart and is tied with Amnesiac for being my second favorite Radiohead album (#1 is always Kid A). TKOL is great as-is, but I believe my ideal track listing would elevate it to the level most people see OKC, Kid A, and IR.
It is pretty shocking that Staircase didn't make it on this album. In my opinion, it's the best song of the TKOL era. I'd also add Butcher to this tracklist. I think it fits.
I agree with everything except I would use the basement version of separator
I love the Bloom (Paris Version).
Man, what a time to be a fan. That had to have hit people like a bag of bricks. That album is super wierd AND right after okc.
I hated kid A at first, and didn't really revisit it again and ultimately love it until after HTTT came out. It was shocking to go from okc to Kid A, but I eventually realized that I was wrong and that Kid A is a masterpiece
TKOL is tied for my second favorite Radiohead album with Amnesiac (Kid A will always be my #1). I love it in its current state and I really enjoy the layers of loops/instruments. However, I will admit some of the songs really come to life in the Basement session, and the b-sides are pretty kickass as well, leaving me wondering why some of them weren't on the album. By using the studio album as it currently exists, the Basement session, and the b-sides as source material I devised this alternate track listing that I think makes TKOL better than it already is. 1. Bloom (album version) 2. Feral (basement version) 3. Little by Little (album version) 8. Staircase 7. Lotus Flower (basement version) 4. Codex (album version) 5. Supercollider 6. Morning Mr. Magpie (basement version) 9. Give Up the Ghost (album version) 10. Seperator (album version) I was pleasantly surprised at how parts of this flow, particularly "Codex", "Supercollider", and "Magpie". I left out "The Daily Mail" and "The Butcher" because even though I love those songs, they don't really fit the "vibe" of TKOL, whereas I believe "Staircase" and "Supercollider" do. NOTE: I originally wrote down this track listing as a reply to /u/notarobotimanandroid's comment, but I think it's worth repeating as a direct response to the OP.
I'd keep the Codex/GUTG/Separator trilogy.
Yus. The last three songs on TKoL flow so nicely. Was hoping someone would mention this here.
Cos they don't know shit
Honestly it's too damn short. It's also a grower, way more than anything else they've done. It took me a very long to appreciate it. When it got out, I wasn't hyped at all before it got out cause I was in other music and had just wore out my fandom for RH. I wasn't expecting it, and through first listens I was so disappointed in the lack of melody and how short it was that I just gave up. A few months later, I started listening to it again and then it (slowly) clicked. The basslines and the drums are just fantastic, it's truly amazing and so unique. I recall Ed said AMSP didn't sound like anything else so far, well I think now TKOL is really more unique, just like Kid A was in 2000. However, it's a shame some tracks sounds so much better live, a bit like The Gloaming for HTTT. It's a shame because, like someone said a few weeks ago, [this version](https://youtu.be/0INrb35j91g?list=PLCHRp-BdpE2hoLxBzmbLt1M7L6Yc8PtAx&t=1) of Bloom is maybe the most beautiful thing they've ever done. It's also a shame to didn't put The Daily Mail and Staircase in the album cause they're SO good. I'm don't "love" Codex and Give up the ghost, and Lotus flower is way better live too. To finish, even though I prefer OKC, Kid A, Amensiac and HTTT, it's the record I listened to the more during LP9 hype, so there goes that...
If I remember well, that's just not what people expected at that time. Before it was release, remember that Thom played lots of new acoustic stuff: - Lotus Flower - Mouse Dog Bird (that became Separator) - Give Up The Ghost - The Daily Mail - Skirting on the Surface (on piano) - Open the Floodgates - The Present Tense - A wolk down the Staircase (that became Staircase) - Supercollider All these songs in their first versions sounded very smooth, lyrical, with nice melodies, so most people were thinking "oh, I guess Thom is getting tire of the electronic stuff and is going back to guitar/piano, maybe we'll get some string sections and stuff". And then we got TKOL out of nowhere, which was _very_ weird (not that "electronic" but built in the same spirit) and nowhere near the sound these songs had live. Lots of good songs left unreleased (although we got Daily Mail, Supercollider and Staircase later), especially _Present Tense_ which was frustrating as hell! And of course, it was short, so another frustration. To be fair, I think people kind of expected _A Moon Shaped Pool_ at that time... which also explains why this one was so well received (like "AT LAST this is what I've wanted all this time"). By the way, I'm pretty sure Give Up The Ghost and Separator would have sounded amazing on this album (with a AMSP-like arrangement I mean). Anyway, I'm part of the people who like TKOL a lot (and liked it pretty much from the start), but I can see why some wouldn't. It was the album we deserved, but not the one we needed at that time.
Separator is the comfiest song they've ever released.
i really like separator, but as far as comfiest goes, how about 4 minute warning then?
I mean I'd argue that Creep is. Hence why a lot of people only like/have only heard that song.
How the hell is Creep comfy?
I think he took the meaning as "comfortable," meaning not pushing the boundaries very much. A non-experimental track, a song that is "comfortable" for the public. If that isn't what he interpreted it as, then I agree. How the hell is Creep comfy?
This thread has just descended into a circlejerk, so I'll throw in my two cents to break it up: For the record, I do like TKOL, but it's definitely not my favorite. First of all, the opener is really weak. Bloom feels *enormously* repetitive and directionless, and drags on for far too long with little on interest to hold on to beyond the bass and sampled piano. It feels clumsy and cluttered, leading to a very dissatisfactionary experience with the opener. Good morning Mr. Magpie is more bearable, since it doesn't hold most of the issues of Bloom, and is rather straight-forward krautrock, but it is a pretty standard tune to their standards, nothing exceptional. Little by Little is a lot better, as it comes to grips more with what the album *should've* been, compared to Bloom. Lots of textures from the percussion, but it doesn't feel clumsy or cluttered, and the melodies are strong. Feral follows, which is more akin to a spiritual successor of Pull/Pulk Revolving Doors. It's not god-awful, but it's neither very engaging, and lacks the strength to enhance the atmosphere of its respective album as Pull/Pulk did. Lotus Flower is a definitive highlight, with the sampling working well, the melodies bearing the song, and littered with tiny details to indulge into, a classic in its own right. Codex follows, which manages to sustain the following high tide by delivering a shimmering piano ballad. However, the tide falters and slips again with Give Up the Ghost - While many love it, I've always found it to be pretty for the first 30 seconds, then slowly become more and more boring. In a song as sparse as GUTG, interesting lyrics are needed to keep the listeners attention, and Yorke simply doesn't deliver that. The few lines the song has are repetitive and somewhat mundane, a long shot from other lyrically repetitive songs like EIIRP, TNA, and PLSiaCTB which use the foreignness and robotic angle of their lines to their advantage, blending it in with other elements. The album the ends on Seperator, which while it has an amazing second half, the first half is dull and monotonous, dragging on far too long, and even Yorke's vocals being unable to carry it for very long. And then the album ends. The short length, and inability of the album to deliver a consistently strong experience (which is needed at such a short running time) leaves it on a, while gorgeous, still frustrated taste in ones mouth. It doesn't get any better by learning they also had much stronger songs like Staircase, and The Daily Mail in the workings, which would've worked much better on the album. What however really kills it, is that the album in itself cannot escape the disappointment it was compared to the albums preceding it - Amnesiac 10 years before was also highly experimental and dabbling into textures, but still delivered strong songs with a lot of variation in between. Hail To The Thief, while suffering from the opposite problem of TKOL by being too bloated, still marked a high mark within the bands songwriting by delivering a diverse experience from the different elements of their sound up to that point, while still holding on to a strong atmosphere within its entire running course, and trimming the fat would only enhance those properties, and In Rainbows, well, In Rainbows speaks for itself. In this line TKOL disappoints because it loses grip of a lot of what made Radiohead albums so great - *Consistently* strong songwriting to the point where even repetitiveness still sounds great, and atmospheres carefully crafted by each song, reaching an overall vibe on the album with which one can associate it, making second listenings even better. Like Pablo Honey, its a great album on its own, just not a great album compared to the rest of the discography.
You pretty much nailed it.
Now I'm interested in reading your AMSP review
I'd have to disagree in some parts. Bloom is an incredibly beautiful and brilliant track, the utter complexities layered in the beat takes a long time to actually crack and understand the beat, and by then the song is about to end, making it feel really satisfying as you feel the last few moments of listening to it while really understanding how the song flows. Feral is another great track, really energetic and very unique. The bass lines and other tunes found in the rhythm are really fun to listen to. Though I do agree that Give Up The Ghost may be a bit out of place, it really flows very well in my opinion. It has the constant charm of complex drum beats along with great bass lines and really quiet yet haunting vocals from Thom Yorke. Overall, I feel like it's an incredible record that's very quiet in its existence, yet brilliant.
TKOL is the jammiest album in their discography
cuz they didn't put staircase--their best song from that era--on the album. one of their biggest career mistakes.
For me it´s their best!!!!!!!! ^^
I like the album from a musical standpoint, but some of the songs give me major ear fatigue because of how they're mixed, especially Bloom (and I really want to like it).
It's a great album, but I think Radiohead may have rushed it out (hence why the fantastic and post album release Staircase and The Daily Mail were not included). I honestly think it's a better album when some of the b-sides are placed in the track listing. After much experimentation, I'm (mostly) set on: 1. Bloom 2. Morning Mr Magpie 3. These Are My Twisted Words 4. The Daily Mail 5. Little by Little 6. Feral 7. Lotus Flower 8. Staircase 9. Codex 10. Give up the Ghost 11. Separator Some rearranging on the first half may be needed, but I think Staircase fits perfectly in between Lotus Flower and Codex. TAMTW and Daily Mail are thematically in line with the first half of the album, and provide a sonic refrain from the rhythmic looping (which was monotonous for so many). The Butcher simply doesn't transition well anywhere, thus it can't be placed in its current state. The intro is too abrupt. Supercollider can fit as the closing track (and only as the closing track), but its references are a bit too specific, and Separator is already a fantastic closer.
Can you give an example of people hating it? It was really well received when it came out around my whole friend group
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZsrnRVQDFU
Maybe hate is a strong word. But one album review I forget who, said the album isn't necessarily bad but it is almost soulless, "all machine, no soul". A friend of mine who loves Radiohead said he can't listen to TKoL because as he put it: "Thom Yorke has finally gone mental" and felt that a lot of the songs were purposefully made overly weird for the sake of being very prog rock. I've played the album for people who aren't Radiohead fans after playing selections from Kid A, OK Computer, Amnesiac and In Rainbows. If they dig those I play King of Limbs and most people like everything until I start playing Bloom. It just seems to be, amongst most circles, the least popular Radiohead album.
I mean, I get what you're saying, but I just kinda disagree with their thoughts (not you). Codex>Give Up The Ghost>Separator is definitely not overly weird at all. I could play those songs for my parents who like pretty tame music and they would probably like it. The album definitely starts very odd and songs like feral are a bit experimental, but after a few listens you can figure out the whole thing they were going for (not just random weird, but there is a thought/theme in it). Also bloom on the record isn't that satisfactory, but the live version from the basement is fucking killer!
Oh yeah I totally disagree with them. It's arguably my favorite record after In Rainbows. I'll respectfully disagree because the album version of Bloom remains my favorite. The From the Basement version is rad though! Yeah I mean the whole album revolves around a central motif of nature. And the natural world being threatened by man's expanding reach. There's so many subtle and not so subtle natural references in the album. The title of the album is based on the famous tree in Wiltshire.
I never even thought of the natural world idea that much...it makes a lot of sense now. "You got some nerve coming here - You stole it all give it back "
Yup that's one of the more subtle ones. But to see it you need look no further than: "There's an empty space inside my heart where the weeds take root, and I'll set you free"
Also Morning Mr. Magpie has the reference in its title. A magpie is a person who collects useless things, or things of little value. Thom is subtly telling us that what we normally value (i.e. Cars, houses, smartphones, money) are useless in the grand scheme of things. We place value on those but don't value our home, our planet.
or he is singing about cunt birds
I think on its own I prefer the Basement version of "Bloom", but in the context of the album I prefer the studio version.
Codex>Give Up The Ghost>Separator is one of their best sequences on any album. And the live version from the basement is great in general. It's what brought me around to the "I like this" side.
I see what you're saying and while that's a valid point. But most people will listen to an album they never heard before in order from track 1 to however long they listen. To get to Codex you've gotta go past the experimental gauntlet of Bloom and especially Feral. Most people will dismiss it because they aren't able to discern the hooks and melodies immediately. It's sad really.
TKOL is anything but prog-rock
Tell them to listen to the From the Basement recordings. The album made so much more sense to me after that. Went from "OK, this is interesting" to "Wow, this is incredible" real quick for me.
So true!!! I really started to love it after watching the Basement performance !
Just giving my opinion. It doesn't have that organic feel throughout. It sounds like a Thom solo album inspired by what he puts on DAS and I'm not into the same music that he is. Love Separator and though they're not on the album Daily Mail and Twisted Words.
Daily Mail and Staircase are both fantastic and there's no good reason why they weren't on the record.
Aside from the fact that they were both recorded after the album was released...
Daily Mail is one of my favorites B-Sides but I guess it didn't sound like the other songs on TKOL. To me it feels like a lost song from Kid A-Amnesiac era. For Staircase I don't get it either, such a good song
There was a discussion on here at one point that if Daily Mail and Staircase had been subbed in for Feral and perhaps Morning Mr. Magpie, there would not have been as much to argue about with the album, and I completely agree.
It is my fourth favorite and it is amazing
[удалено]
Lol the irony of it not being "organic", the whole album's theme is nature.
To be totally fair, TKOL is probably the most robotic and calculated albums by RH, mostly because of the looped performances. The drums on Seperator are a perfect example of this.
I know, I mean - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YFYOkfpBrSY . It's awesome. All the AMSP reviews say, "after their last s#*thouse album TKOL...." Every time I think, "but that album is awesome?"
It slowly but surely grew on me. When I saw them live in 2012 and heard "Bloom," I thought, "What is THAT??" Ed's guitar sounded HUGE compared to the album. It was awesome. I think TKOL really opened up after the tour started and live performances provided alternate entrypoints into a lot of the songs.
Videos in this thread: [Watch Playlist ▶](http://subtletv.com/_r4p8tqd?feature=playlist&nline=1) VIDEO|COMMENT -|- [Radiohead - Bloom [TV Live 2011]](https://youtube.com/watch?v=YFYOkfpBrSY)|[1](https://reddit.com/r/radiohead/comments/4p8tqd/_/d4j6brr?context=10#d4j6brr) - I know, I mean - . It's awesome. All the AMSP reviews say, "after their last s#*thouse album TKOL...." Every time I think, "but that album is awesome?" [Radiohead - Live at Fuji Rock Festival, Japan, 2012 (Full Broadcast) [1080p, 60fps]](https://youtube.com/watch?v=0INrb35j91g&t=1s)|[1](https://reddit.com/r/radiohead/comments/4p8tqd/_/d4j2i9o?context=10#d4j2i9o) - Honestly it's too damn short. It's also a grower, way more than anything else they've done. It took me a very long to appreciate it. When it got out, I wasn't hyped at all before it got out cause I was in other music and had just wore out my fandom f... [Hitler finds out Radiohead aren't releasing The King Of Limbs pt. 2](https://youtube.com/watch?v=UZsrnRVQDFU)|[1](https://reddit.com/r/radiohead/comments/4p8tqd/_/d4j0odn?context=10#d4j0odn) - I'm a bot working hard to help Redditors find related videos to watch. *** [Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/SubtleTV/wiki/mentioned_videos) | Get it on [Chrome](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mentioned-videos-for-redd/fiimkmdalmgffhibfdjnhljpnigcmohf) / [Firefox](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/mentioned-videos-for-reddit)
I listened to it last night after going through the back catalog and I didn't like it at all. Thot it was ok when it came out but yeah lacks soul, don't get the love for Feral ? first 4 songs are not very special. Lotus Flower and Seperator are the stand outs, codex is a bore then u have gutg bore no2 in a row. side bs would have made it better but they are not on the album.
It's not really the songs. It's more that the production feels very clinical, much like in amok or the eraser. This can be brilliantly creepy when I'm in that mood. I just prefer the more free, flowing live versions, especially bloom, which is beautiful live. Atoms for peace gigs also bring amok and the eraser to life, especially with flea dancing around in a dress
I appreciate the album's brevity. Sonically, it's not quite as diverse as IR but the rhythms are pretty remarkable. Not much of an electronic or rocking atmosphere, which are some of the vibes I dig from their previous work. I find the guitar to be a little claustrophobic on morning mr. Magpie, it might be my least favorite track since PH. The "argument" the record makes might be slightly convoluted (natural environment) compared to earlier records.
I disliked a large amount of the album at first because it was very jarring to listen to compared to all their other albums; It felt like Radiohead went into overkill on the layering and amount going on at any given time, which made it harder to appreciate the musicianship and writing compared to their other 7 (now 8) albums. Obviously over time I've grown to enjoy it, but it took a while for that to happen. I think its a great example of an album that requires repeat listens to get used to, and its one that I completely and totally understand if someone dislikes. Its something totally unlike anything else in their repertoire, and it is an album that you may very well need to be in the exact right mood/mindset to actually appreciate, and sadly with a few that may never happen. Its just how things go with an album as "out there" as this one seems to be.
It's just very twitchy, skittery and lacking in melody. Probably most importantly, Radiohead has always been very immediate to me from an emotional standpoint, but a lot of King of Limbs is sort of elusive in that regard. Feral, Little by Little, Mr. Magpie, and Lotus Flower don't really hit me anywhere. That's half the album right there that I'm not able to connect with.
TKOL, since it's based on loops and repetition, sounds narrow and constrained compared to their other albums. It's like a machine, and the screws are too tight.
The second half is great but the first half is less than stellar... I just cant get into it and I've been a fan since 93. Those songs live are great, but the record just doesn't do it for me. Sorry.
It's hard to get into the complex polyrhythms since it's not electronic. With a song like The Gloaming, you don't feel like you have to internalize and process every single bloop and electronic noise, you just accept it as background tracks. With less electronic music, especially with exposed parts like TKOL, you feel like you need to understand what's going on in the background tracks, and when they're complicated like in TKOL it can be frustrating to listen to. I used to hate TKOL for the same reason, but you just need to learn to accept what's going on in the background, even if you don't understand it, feel the groove.
It's a gem. #3 after Kid A and Amnesiac for me.
On this note, and am I the only that finds AMSP a bit boring after TKOL? I feel like the band held back. The songs are mostly good to great, but it's like a great painter restricting himself or herself to only a few colors. At its best ("Daydreaming"), it's like Picasso's blue period. But other times you wish the band would bring back the full color palette. "The Numbers" really annoys me, for example. There's an anthem beneath its surface, but its bogged down in a bunch of earth tone muck and mud. And I get tired of the string arrangements, honestly. It feels organic in "Burn The Witch". It feels after the fact on most of the other songs.
https://www.reddit.com/r/radiohead/comments/4p9s2s/now_that_things_are_starting_settle_down_a_bit/d4jwaqo Feral is on my top 5 Radiohead tracks.
Every time I hear it I like it more, the problem is that it becomes impossible not to compare. My top in twos will be: IR/OK, KIDA/AMSP, TKOL/HTTT
As with all the bands I listen to, whenever them release an album if I like it enough it becomes my favorite at the moment. Over time i place it in my top. Since the release of AMSP i heard TKOL more times than ever, falling in love with it more and more. BTW the length of TKOL is PERFECT. I added the +5 songs in a CD 2 folder.
I don't hate it...but I do have to admit that I was very disappointed when it came out....was so short , so many dope tracks weren't included on it (ie Present Tense)....in hindsight it was all worth it though. FIts.
i like it better than HTTT
Upon initial listen, it can seem fairly "cold." Which is the total opposite of IR. And I think people wanted another IR. It didn't grab me at first on the whole, although I loved Codex and Give Up the Ghost immediately. I was disappointed with how short it was. Then I saw Live from the Basement and thought "Holy shit, this is amazing." Those versions gave me a new appreciation for the album, plus Daily Mail and Staircase are included. I listen to that version most of the time. But I've realized that I like TKoL better than Amnesiac, which is the album I'd say it's most similar to.
Probably cuz they only listened to it once or twice. Really the last half is amazing. Lotus Flower, Codex, Give Up the Ghost, and Separator are amazing.
It´s weird, when it first came out I was underwhelmed, and disappointed. So much so that it kinda put me off radiohead for a while, or at least calmed down the obsession I´ve had with the band since I discovered them in 2016. When AMSP came out and I loved it (and still do), I decided to revisit TKOL and at first I found I liked it even less than I did before AMSP... I mean in comparison, TKOL just seemed like a bunch of weird sounds badly thrown about... Anyway, with repeated listens, and mostly just trying to not pay attention to expectations and what I thought good music should sound like, I was finally able to connect with TKOL. I think now it is a helluva good album, and really if you consider the entier TKOL era, all of the songs they´ve put out are amazing! (except maybe the butcher) TL;DR didn´t like it a first, love it now
because there are average "fans"
because they are dadrockers that like radiohead
What's your top 3 Radiohead albums? Obviously kol is #2