Best Albums Ever: Radiohead, A Moon Shaped Pool

Yes, this is really happening!

For the first time ever, I'm experiencing the hype and thrill of a new Radiohead release during the awesome fan obsessiveness. I vaguely remember a lot of craziness in the music media when In Rainbows came out, and the band gave buyers the option to pay what they wanted. Many, surprisingly, opted to pay an amount typical of albums at the time.

Devoted fans know you can always expect something weird when Radiohead gets ready to drop something new. A Moon Shaped Pool was no exception. The band suddenly stripped everything from their websites, and the few social media channels they (occasionally) used went blank. All was black and dark and lifeless, and immediately fans rejoiced, because they all knew something massive was coming. This is what defines Radiohead fanatics from fans of many other artists: where some would assume the worst (retirement! breakup! they're done! it's over!) these loyal fans were content with the silence, knowing it was temporary.

And they couldn't have been more right. Radiohead didn't just breathe new life into their online presence, they expanded it. They created an Instagram account, and almost immediately (and fittingly) shared a snippet of a stop-motion chirping bird. Less than a day later, they released another snippet, this time with music (and it was amazing music that made me nuts) accompanying more stop-motion animation. As disturbing as the imagery was, I was enthused, elated... giddy, even. And I didn't feel weird about it. And I knew... the brilliance of Radiohead was still very much alive. That's how they operate. With this band, giddiness comes in subdued and distressed packages.

And then, it dropped; "Burn The Witch". Oh, how brilliant this is! The leadoff single for their new album, A Moon Shaped Pool, unsettling content has never sounded so magical. When I first listened to this, I ignored the video and immersed myself in the music. It wasn't until later that I watched the stop-motion brilliance, and dove deeper into the lyrics. It gave me a different perspective. But the happy, glittery feeling I initially experienced the first time I heard this song is what sticks. 

The entire album was released yesterday, on May 8th. I missed it (hey, it was the weekend, and I was out and about) but promptly downloaded it first thing this morning. I listened to it all day, quietly, at work. So tonight, as I sit here anxiously awaiting to hear all of these songs on headphones for the first time, I'm ready to write my thoughts. Here we go... (yaaas)

I've already talked a bit about "Burn The Witch", but I can't say enough about this opener. Those bouncing strings immediately make an impression; a combination of plucking and calculated bow techniques give this an edge you don't often hear in pop music. Jonny Greenwood's amazing arrangements are performed beautifully by the London Contemporary Orchestra. Distortion rips in, with lazy drums and sneaky percussion. I love the depth and the bass that rolls in as Thom wails his gorgeous falsetto. As the second verse begins, dissonance and spooky high notes slide in and out. This is anything but typical radio-ready stuff, and yet it's still incredibly catchy, memorable and repeatable. I probably played it 20 times when they released the video. Just awesome. And that climax! Awesome.

As many have already said, "Daydreaming" is perfection, with echoing music boxes and airy chords. A simple piano melody lumbers along. This reminds me of something from In Rainbows, but a little more complex, not as bright. "Dreamers, they never learn." I know we don't Thom, and I hope we never do. There's so much depth and intricacy behind the arrangements in this song. It's a perfect combination of Kid A's intensity and manipulation, In Rainbow's beauty and Amnesiac's detachment. But somehow, this feels incredibly intact, and close. It's like you're inside Thom's head with his thoughts. This is soft, lush, almost angelic, with melodic changes and progressions you don't expect. The arpeggios, the pulsing, the building... gorgeous. A lullaby to be reckoned with. Trippy, teasing crescendos of strings, and freaky low-pitched, manipulated vocals and breathing take you out. Geesh, the end... goosebumps of weirdness, and I love it!

"Decks Dark". Simple drums, piano panned to the right, and another chimes in on the left, Thom simultaneously joining. Melodically, this feels like a sequel to "Daydreaming", but the content is different, more ominous and less forgiving. "No Surprises" comes to mind, a bit of "Videotape". The choral arrangement here is divine, inspired. Jingles, jangling, the bass moves nicely, very uplifting against the swooping and tricky pianos, constantly teasing on either side. For the first time on the album, more serious and gritty electric guitars take their turn. Suddenly, the song feels different, harsh and tougher. There's an edginess taking over. "Sweet dark." Beautifully expressed. 

"Desert Island Disk" opens with a very folkish acoustic guitar. Lazy, sweet, but certainly not without intention. Oh that swell of chords! That's amazing, lovely. They're really balancing organic and digital sounds seamlessly. Everything feels organic. Already, a minute in, and I know I'm going to love this track. More layering of pulsing sounds, arpeggios, scales... up and down and echoing forever (one of my favorite kinds of reverb). Easy, breezy; this is like top down in the wind and waves crashing on the shore good.   

Even listening to it quietly, I knew I loved "Ful Stop". This track originally came in 2012, during their tour for The King of Limbs. Faster, pulsing beats. That bass comes in. There are very faint echoes of guitars slipping in; manipulated, stretched, distorted. Unnerving, but so, so good. Those lengthy chords remind me a lot of U2, or Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire". This is driving, and I'm waiting not-so-patiently for more! But this is a long song and we've got time. Thom comes in soft, unsure... his signature approach. Hesitant, stop and go. Yes. There are those lovely guitars. Repetition, repetition, more, more. Overwhelming layers keep expanding. There's a lot going on with the pounding drums and the rough bass, the fluttering guitars and the feedback. Then it drops out, and everything gets fuzzy and muffled. Until it brightens, and what was dark and ominous sounds, to me, hopeful and new. It's amazing how an arrangement that barely changes can make such a difference! But that's Radiohead for you.

"Glass Eyes" has been called, by some, the most beautiful ballad ever. It's certainly gorgeous, with its sounds put through warm filters, like slipping through thick, deep water, staring at the sun. This might be my favorite so far. I love the energetic tracks but this has a tenderness and strikes a rare chord (literally). Musically, it could easily fit into a period film. There's an ache in those strings, the piano is effortless. And Thom's lyrics and performance are delicate, so sincere, broken. For the first time, I feel like a song on here isn't long enough!

"Identikit", yet another track that popped up earlier in their career. Yeah, I think of "Idioteque" (of course), but this sounds nothing like it. It's sneakier, not as immediately intense or serious. The guitars and bass are brilliant fixed against Thom's jazzy delivery. The drums are wonderfully syncopated, and perfectly balanced. I keep trying to pick a part of this song I love most; I keep trying to determine what truly carries this. But everything does! Thom's voice (wow, his performance here is just fantastic) and then the synths in the middle and those lush vocals! Wow, listening to this loud in my ears is euphoric. Now I know what everyone was talking about on Reddit! This is awesome. I think this beats "Glass Eyes" as my favorite (and I'm sure that will change again). Well dang, it's almost over. No, no, no. I want to repeat this. But I also want to get to the next track...

"The Numbers" was previously "Silent Spring". Wow, the piano. The pulsing bass. The airiness. Those... laughing, talking voices? Spooky. The depth and arrangements throughout this album... the production... it's truly divine and it really shines here. They've mastered the art of mixing anything and everything flawlessly. This track is mature, perfect... easy, second-nature to these geniuses. I love that bass and the layered acoustics. There's also a lot of reverb, which I'm enjoying immensely. Rolling strings pound in, and this is just lovely! Thom never fails to make a statement, this time about climate change (which I have mixed feelings about, but I still love the song nonetheless). For me, artistic brilliance always trumps the message; the music speaks louder and hits a nerve. 

Boom, boom. "Present Tense" feels organic, shuffling along. Oohs and aahs take you for a ride. A bit like "Nude" but richer, deeper. Very samba-like, almost uplifting, contrasting with the lyrics: Thom sings of distance and loss. Originally performed in 2009, this song, like many on the album, has roots that go further back. You can tell it's got some age, like fine wine. Wow, there's a rainbow of sounds coming out of those guitars with all those layers and the intensity. This is so inspired! But so melancholy. This song somehow feels like we're getting close to the end of the album. 

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man". I've been waiting for this, because I've been dying to hear it loud all day. It's cool, and different than anything else so far. Unique, breathy, infinity: again, they achieve that feeling of boundlessness. As this progresses, it gets weirder and wider, unexpected sounds and experimentation that shouldn't surprise me, but does. Strings, what?! I didn't see that coming. But, why not? High strings, low piano, everything slowing down. Are we coming to a stop or going on forever? This sounds like being compressed inside a small space while staring at the outside (free) world, unable to find a way out. But it ends comfortably. How do they do that?!

This is the one many were waiting for. "True Love Waits" is old, originally an acoustic track performed live in 1995. There's a lot of history behind it, and they've played it many times in concert throughout the years. Finally, we get a proper studio version here. In stark contrast to almost every other song Radiohead is known for, this is soft and sweet and sensitive and almost silly, in the absolute best way. "Your crazy kitten smile". Oh, what girl wouldn't love hearing that? (And I don't particularly care for cats.) Toward the end (no, not the end!), pianos and deep melodies join in, tying it all together. I don't want this to end. But it does, abruptly. Maybe it's best that way. If I made one suggestion for this song, I'd want that piano to fade out slower, longer. But that's just me not wanting to let go.

Just like I thought, this is already at the top of my list. And I'm not the only one: this is currently number one on US iTunes top albums, dethroning Beyonce. Not that I don't like Beyonce but... go Radiohead! You never disappoint. Now, I just need to write about Amnesiac, Hail To The Thief, etc. Onward.