Albums to watch

The King of Limbs

Radiohead

The King of Limbs

The Oxford group release their hugely anticipated eighth album, once again fusing electronica, rock and much else besides

ADM rating[?]

7.6

Label
XL
UK Release date
19/02/2011
US Release date
19/02/2011
  1. 10.0 |   The Fly

    An album of chilling brilliance. It’s ten years since they confounded us with ‘Kid A’ and yet they're still capable of pulling off a gearchange like this
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  2. 9.0 |   PopMatters

    Swirling in there with Yorke’s apocalyptic surrealisms and his band’s tricky rhythms, there’s a beating heart that feels almost animal
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  3. 9.0 |   BBC

    The King of Limbs is another great album from Britain’s most consistently brilliant band
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  4. 9.0 |   PopMatters

    Continues to play out the millennial drama between human imagination and artificial intelligence that has driven Radiohead since at least OK Computer, though perhaps more on a compositional level than as a conceptual thematic on this occasion
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  5. 9.0 |   DIY

    It is, without argument, an affirmation of the glory this band has achieved throughout their tenure
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  6. 8.8 |   Beats Per Minute

    Most of the rest of the album is dark, weird, skeletal electronica made palatable by Yorke, whose utterly distinctive tenor sounds as captivating as it ever has
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  7. 8.3 |   A.V. Club

    The King Of Limbs hasn’t been designed for immediate comprehension or acceptance. It’s densely detailed and intended to be pored over, with new, fascinating wrinkles emerging with every listen.

  8. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Passes like a breeze, and has you skipping back to the start as the final track fades out
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  9. 8.0 |   Rave Magazine

    The strongest tracks on the album are those that demonstrate Radiohead’s enviable ability to elegantly build from formlessness into a solid groove and back again
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  10. 8.0 |   State

    They are the same fantastic thing, the Radiohead that surprise and amaze, and the Radiohead that so doggedly frustrate
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  11. 8.0 |   Q

    Radiohead sound calmer and more content than ever, but will their audience feel the same, and will they be quite as patient next time around? Print edition only

  12. 8.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    Within Radiohead's oeuvre, TKOL most closely resembles Kid A and Amnesiac
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  13. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Taking the plunge into this band's mysteries is one of rock's true pleasures
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  14. 8.0 |   Entertainment.ie

    Though Radiohead albums are often a challenging listen, The King of Limbs floats by with relatively little struggle
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  15. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Listening to it, you're reminded that Radiohead are the only band of their size and status that seem driven by an impulse to twist their music into different shapes
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  16. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Another gorgeous, other-worldy missive from one of the most exciting bands of our age
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  17. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    While they might not have crafted their best work this time around, they did assemble one of their most absorbing efforts to date
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  18. 8.0 |   The Independent

    As usual, it bears little direct relation to previous Radiohead albums, but could hardly have been made by any other band, a paradox which could serve as the group's distinctive imprimatur
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  19. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Combines elegant pain, weary despair, uncomfortable dislocation and an unmistakeable seam of comfort. Business as usual for Radiohead, then
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  20. 8.0 |   Daily Telegraph

    Despite its boldness and weirdness, it is easy on the ear, with a mellifluous melodiousness and gentle sonic palette that doesn’t demand huge leaps of faith
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  21. 8.0 |   Clash

    When all’s said and done, forget the furore surrounding the method of release for TKOL and let the music speak for itself – it may take some time to understand, but we’re pretty sure it will be worth it in the end
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  22. 8.0 |   The Observer

    It is very much the heir to 2007's In Rainbows, imbued with some of the spirit of Yorke's solo outing, 2006's The Eraser
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  23. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    You're reminded that Radiohead are the only band of their size and status that seem driven by an impulse to twist their music into different shapes
    Read Review

  24. 7.9 |   Pitchfork

    Likely to go down as Radiohead's most divisive record
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  25. 7.0 |   Bowlegs

    An anxious first half, creating a need for the second half come-down
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  26. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    A hard record to love and, despite its brevity, a nigh-on impossible one to get to grips with quickly; but it’s also a record that dares you to blink first, defies you to give up on it – a rare quality in albums nowadays, and one which makes Radiohead such a compelling band to follow
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  27. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    It is, essentially, a transitional record, capturing one final, serene moment while simultaneously anticipating the coming storm—an intake of breath before the band's next big creative exhale
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  28. 7.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    The King of Limbs is not a world-beating album, and it was never meant to be; it's an album about Radiohead trying to iron out their own creases and fix their own flaws, and judged on those terms, it's another success
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  29. 7.0 |   Blurt

    While this record only holds a few transcendent moments, at the end of the day all Radiohead is good Radiohead
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  30. 6.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    The King Of Limbs, named after a famous oak in the Savernake forest near the studio where In Rainbows was made, is good but not great
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  31. 6.0 |   Scotland on Sunday

    Leans more towards glitchy, stuttering rhythm than melody
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  32. 6.0 |   The Scotsman

    I know we're all supposed to be very excited about dubstep mumblers The xx and James Blake, but when did melody become the enemy?
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  33. 6.0 |   Eye Weekly

    Represents neither a further consolidation nor the harbinger of a new chapter in the band’s career
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  34. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    Just as you grasp it, it ends abruptly after 37 minutes and eight (mostly) impressive tracks
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  35. 6.0 |   Under The Radar

    The King of Limbs is a much less aggressive record than In Rainbows. It’s quieter, closer to The Bends than OK Computer
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  36. 6.0 |   No Ripcord

    A case of style over substance. It’s still superior to a lot of the material currently being released, but we know they’re better than this
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  37. 6.0 |   Mojo

    Little By Little is the only song you'd take home to meet Lucky, Pyramid Song, There There and all the other guys. Print edition only

  38. 5.0 |   God Is In The TV

    It's mostly just uninviting, hookless and meandering
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Radiohead: The King of Limbs

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