Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog. Today, I will be reviewing the latest Radiohead album at the time of writing this post, A Moon Shaped Pool. This album was released after Thom Yorke's divorce, and the band's producer, Nigel Godrich, losing his father. Thus, the album is somewhat of a mass exodus, where the band let's out all of it's mournful emotions out onto a musical canvas. Let's see how that turned out.
We open with Burn The Witch, which revolves around a string arrangement and synth bass. Thom's comes in with the vocals, however they are incredibly reverberated, similiar to a The Weeknd vocal mix. Slowly, the song spirals into a powerful crescendo, as the strings start becoming more and more dissonant.
Next we have Daydreaming, which is one of Radiohead's saddest songs ever released. It revolves around a soft piano arpeggio. The whole song features many background effects, similiar to chimes and over reversed effects. The whole song mainly revolves around those simple elements. The vocals are also incredibly gut-wrenching, and it's just pure melancholy.
Decks Dark is a very moody song, with a hopeful and curious sound. The piano is very gentle and Thom isn't as sad. It's also the first song on here to feature proper percussion. Around the 3:30 mark, we also find a very cool guitar passage, that continues to the end of the song.
Desert Island Disk is a quieter song, mainly featuring an acoustic guitar and Thom's vocals leading the song, tho we also find some minimalist drumming, which simply elevates the track.
Ful Stop is the darkest song on here. The vocals are upfront. There's this repetitive synth fill. The drums aren't very loud, keeping this quiet feel that the album has had up until now.
Glass Eyes is a favourite. The bare instrumental is gorgeous, and if you listen to this while walking through a commie block neighbourhood, early in the morning, you will have the dreamiest experience known to man.
Identikit is a lower point for me. I didn't find it very memorable, and it didn't bring anything new to the table.
The Numbers and Present Tense are very similiar in feel, as they are both acoustic guitar driven pieces, that feel very warm and intimate, which would have fit very nicely on In Rainbows, especially Present Tense.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief is another favourite. Especially the instrumental, I love the bare synth, and the quiet, yet fuzzy hats.
And finally, we close on True Love Waits, which has been dubbed as the most depressing Radiohead song. The piano genuinely sounds depressed, and Thom sounds like he's about to cry. It's heartbreaking, and quite a way to close the album.
Overall, this album is pure melancholy. Not for those uninitiated in the band's works, as it can feel very oppressing and sad. Yet, there is much to love about this record, and y'all know I like sad music, so this album was just perfect, especially as winter closes in. An amazing album, to say the least.
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