Radiohead
A Moon Shaped Pool
XL Recordings
2016
This was a long awaited album not only by the loyal fans of the band. Only a few weeks after its original release date, the fans and the press have gone mad over it and they praise it saying it’s the best thing since sliced bread. But is it as “they” say or not if we take a cool from a distance view on things?
Firstly, a few tracks like “True Love Waits”, “Burn the Witch” & “Present Tense” date back 15 to 7 years (more or less), and this is all we know… I mean who knows about the other tracks too, when they were first composed. This matters less but it’s a “reply” to all those who so foolishly say that this is a “return to form” from Radiohead, but that isn’t always a good thing, right? And in this case it isn’t good at all, cuz it’s obvious that they have “gathered” pieces from their previous albums in order to ostentatiously present something “arty” and “thought-provoking”. The production is smooth and clear and it was done by the band itself along with longtime partner & producer Nigel Godrich (Thom Yorke, Air, etc.).
The final result does not sound so much like Radiohead but like an atmospheric band (Porcupine Tree, Pineapple Thief, Anathema) gone electro-pop-folk, while the tracks and the atmosphere is very monotonous and tiresome ultimately. This is the kind of album that can easily put you to sleep and I recommend it in case you do not easily fall asleep at nights. Other than that, there’s not a single melody that will make sense here… it’s all so flat so as to create a “wannabe” “artistic” pseudo-atmosphere, which may be cool for starters, but it ends being so frigging pretentious after a couple of spins.
Firstly, a few tracks like “True Love Waits”, “Burn the Witch” & “Present Tense” date back 15 to 7 years (more or less), and this is all we know… I mean who knows about the other tracks too, when they were first composed. This matters less but it’s a “reply” to all those who so foolishly say that this is a “return to form” from Radiohead, but that isn’t always a good thing, right? And in this case it isn’t good at all, cuz it’s obvious that they have “gathered” pieces from their previous albums in order to ostentatiously present something “arty” and “thought-provoking”. The production is smooth and clear and it was done by the band itself along with longtime partner & producer Nigel Godrich (Thom Yorke, Air, etc.).
The final result does not sound so much like Radiohead but like an atmospheric band (Porcupine Tree, Pineapple Thief, Anathema) gone electro-pop-folk, while the tracks and the atmosphere is very monotonous and tiresome ultimately. This is the kind of album that can easily put you to sleep and I recommend it in case you do not easily fall asleep at nights. Other than that, there’s not a single melody that will make sense here… it’s all so flat so as to create a “wannabe” “artistic” pseudo-atmosphere, which may be cool for starters, but it ends being so frigging pretentious after a couple of spins.