The King of Limbs errs towards the somber. It's a skittering, 8 track, 38 minute ear whisper. The album breezes, leaving the remnants of a brushed heart string at it concluding stanza.

I guess I was trying to convey that I liked it. A lot.

But, as is generally the case, what I got from the album seems to not be a shared sentiment. Many publications have yet to review the album, but the internet chatter seems to be mixed and I'm little confused as to why. General issues with the album that I've discovered people have are that, with "only" 8 tracks, it's too short, it's not as melodic(I'm not sure what that means exactly) as previous albums, and basically that it's not The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A, or In Rainbows. Even the compliments that I've seen seem to suggest that it takes a few listens to "get it". Not much of a compliment if you ask me, but I suppose that's beside the point.

Lengthwise, I'm failing to see why 8 tracks is too short. Thematically, the songs fit together well and I never felt that there needed to be another song or two to round it out. It's not like Radiohead needed there to be a hit single or anything. Never really pegged them as that kind of band. Speaking of hit singles and album length, I don't know why many pop acts albums are so long. Why do the Justin Biebers of the world have 10-14 tracks in their albums when their demographic only listens to 2 or 3 of their hits? Miles Davis' masterpiece In a Silent Way had only two tracks and I don't see anyone complaining.

It's always strange to me to hear music said to not be melodic. Not liking something is one thing, but a claim like this suggests that there is something fundamentally wrong with the music. I'm speculating, but I don't think they meant that. My guess would be that accusing The King of Limbs of not being melodic meant that it wasn't immediate to them. The hooks didn't latch on so to speak. I disagree, I found the album very immediate, moving, and outright gorgeous in spots, but at least I can understand that sentiment.

Now, there are a few albums in Radiohead's 8 album career that absolutely resonates with fans and for good reason. My personal favorite is The Bends, but many people stake claims to OK Computer, Kid A(my close # 2), and In Rainbows as the band's best. Pablo Honey, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief? Not so much. Having a favorite is great and all, but sometimes it puts undue pressure on the new product when it appears to not be continuation of what people loved previously. Amnesiac especially seemed to have suffered that fate. Will The King of Limbs? Hard to say so soon into it's release, but hopefully people won't be so quick to dismiss it.

The King of Limbs is well worth the $9 for the download. Many bands that came out around the same time as Radiohead are no longer around or desperately clinging to some form of relevance. Radiohead seems less concern with their legacy and more so with giving listeners sonically their cohesive view of times. They also seem to succeed in spite of it. Plus, who else but Thom Yorke would make a video of themselves dancing frenetically and spastically, in black and white?