The brilliance of these two tunes as singles is that they reveal things that one could use to characterize the majority of this album, but at the same time, nothing on this album really sounds like these two songs. The album rarely gets as frantic as the entirety of "Burn The Witch", on which Thom epically bellows "we know where you live" over a fast-paced, rigid string section. The rigid strings of "Burn The Witch" are eventually juxtaposed by a much more melodic second portion of strings that serve as a counterpoint. These strings reveal one thing that certainly stands out about A Moon Shaped Pool, especially in comparison to the occasionally robotic King Of Limbs: the string arrangements. The album is much more orchestral, with many of the tracks featuring uses of piano and strings that range from subtle to completely in-your-face beautiful.
The melancholy “Daydreaming” is on the other side of the energy level spectrum. Like "Burn The Witch", “Daydreaming” has strings, but they are presented in an extremely different way - altered, light, and fragile. It is the opposite of the arrangement in “Burn The Witch”, wherein by the end of the track, the orchestra is attacking the listener. The album never gets as ambient-like as "Daydreaming". It’s a track in which the listener can really immerse themselves in the subtleties - a bell here, a backward vocal sample there. It’s an almost trance-inducing song of delicate beauty based around a simple piano arpeggio. "Daydreaming" let's those who are willing to take the 53-minute journey of A Moon Shaped Pool know that this is a voyage that is best taken with headphones. It's an album with a subtle elegant beauty about it, with lots of interesting elements meandering around in the background of the tracks.
Despite the quality of these two singles, they could cause some fears. One that comes to mind is "have Radiohead finally completely abandoned the guitar?" Thankfully, the answer is a firm no. There are some great aspects of this record that feature guitar work, "Desert Island Disk" perhaps being the most surprising example. "Desert Island Disk" may be the worst track on A Moon Shaped Pool, yet it is still captivating. English folk styled acoustic guitar is the centerpiece of an instrumental atmosphere that interestingly shifts as constantly and smoothly as the sand. Echoes of folk return three tracks later in the acoustic guitar riff of "The Numbers". The most addicting track that has acoustic guitar is "Present Tense". "Present Tense" is an intricate tune. With a different production aesthetic, the song could sound at home on In Rainbows. Yorke has been performing "Present Tense" live since 2009 and the transition to studio does not disappoint. The song makes beautiful use of altered vocals and acoustic guitar over an infectious and surprisingly samba-tinged rhythm section.
As beautiful as things like "Present Tense" are, The Bends may be long behind them but Radiohead hasn’t forgotten - at least not entirely - how to "rock" in a somewhat traditional sense. "Identikit" is a bit odd, but in a great way. Throughout the tune we have two Yorkes, one lower in the right headphone and one presented in the front of the mix in the left. Their lines clash interestingly over the electric guitar that drives the song. The impressive “Ful Stop” is another track that kind of "rocks" in a conventionally unconventional Radiohead way. The song builds very well. The drums and effects that characterize the first half come closer to the listener as the track moves on and “Ful Stop” eventually springs into overdrive with some great guitar work. A close listen reveals that the subtle, odd effects that are much more pronounced in the mix in the first half of the song, are present, almost hauntingly so, throughout the majority of the track. Here, above all, Yorke’s vocals really stand out, constantly bursting into what almost seems like a shriek during the second half of the song.
On the next track, “Glass Eyes”, Yorke trades his shrieks for a more introspective and pensive vocal delivery. The song’s string arrangements posses a jaw-dropping level of beauty. The lush, cinematic strings show that Jonny Greenwood has learned from his time composing for films. The style of production here, in particular, the way the instruments echo at times, gives "Glass Eyes" an extremely elegant and submerged atmosphere that makes it one of the most fascinating tracks of A Moon Shaped Pool. The hazy effect of the keys that drive the beginning of "Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief", almost seems to be cut from a similar, underwater cloth. They eventually take a backseat in the mix to an acoustic piano and some more wonderful string arrangements that close the song out.
With tunes like "A Wolf at the Door (It Girl. Rag Doll)" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", Radiohead have never been particularly bad at closing things out. King Of Limbs is their worst album besides Pablo Honey, but it still had "Separator". “True Love Waits” may be the most moving Radiohead album closer. The song is a live acoustic fan favorite, but odds are many wouldn’t have guessed that it would surface with a piano this soft and a vocal performance this heartbreaking. Like many tracks on A Moon Shaped Pool, it isn’t stagnant, with light flourishes of notes lower in the mix to accompany the main melody being added as the song goes on. It's almost funny how Radiohead makes one think for about 21 minutes that "Glass Eyes" would be the most poignant moment of the album, only to slap the listener in the face with "True Love Waits" at the end.
The release of A Moon Shaped Pool means that Radiohead has just accomplished what few rock bands have: releasing amazing albums in three different decades. Those who want the band to "rock" again as if they were thrown into a time-machine that leads to The Bends or OK Computer may find this album to be extremely boring. Conversely, those who appreciate things like how the choir comes in and out throughout the bleak atmosphere of "Decks Dark" just as much as the more "rock" side of the band will probably love this album. If A Moon Shaped Pool is anything in particular in the Radiohead discography, it’s definitely their prettiest album to date. A subtle and gorgeous masterpiece.
The melancholy “Daydreaming” is on the other side of the energy level spectrum. Like "Burn The Witch", “Daydreaming” has strings, but they are presented in an extremely different way - altered, light, and fragile. It is the opposite of the arrangement in “Burn The Witch”, wherein by the end of the track, the orchestra is attacking the listener. The album never gets as ambient-like as "Daydreaming". It’s a track in which the listener can really immerse themselves in the subtleties - a bell here, a backward vocal sample there. It’s an almost trance-inducing song of delicate beauty based around a simple piano arpeggio. "Daydreaming" let's those who are willing to take the 53-minute journey of A Moon Shaped Pool know that this is a voyage that is best taken with headphones. It's an album with a subtle elegant beauty about it, with lots of interesting elements meandering around in the background of the tracks.
Despite the quality of these two singles, they could cause some fears. One that comes to mind is "have Radiohead finally completely abandoned the guitar?" Thankfully, the answer is a firm no. There are some great aspects of this record that feature guitar work, "Desert Island Disk" perhaps being the most surprising example. "Desert Island Disk" may be the worst track on A Moon Shaped Pool, yet it is still captivating. English folk styled acoustic guitar is the centerpiece of an instrumental atmosphere that interestingly shifts as constantly and smoothly as the sand. Echoes of folk return three tracks later in the acoustic guitar riff of "The Numbers". The most addicting track that has acoustic guitar is "Present Tense". "Present Tense" is an intricate tune. With a different production aesthetic, the song could sound at home on In Rainbows. Yorke has been performing "Present Tense" live since 2009 and the transition to studio does not disappoint. The song makes beautiful use of altered vocals and acoustic guitar over an infectious and surprisingly samba-tinged rhythm section.
As beautiful as things like "Present Tense" are, The Bends may be long behind them but Radiohead hasn’t forgotten - at least not entirely - how to "rock" in a somewhat traditional sense. "Identikit" is a bit odd, but in a great way. Throughout the tune we have two Yorkes, one lower in the right headphone and one presented in the front of the mix in the left. Their lines clash interestingly over the electric guitar that drives the song. The impressive “Ful Stop” is another track that kind of "rocks" in a conventionally unconventional Radiohead way. The song builds very well. The drums and effects that characterize the first half come closer to the listener as the track moves on and “Ful Stop” eventually springs into overdrive with some great guitar work. A close listen reveals that the subtle, odd effects that are much more pronounced in the mix in the first half of the song, are present, almost hauntingly so, throughout the majority of the track. Here, above all, Yorke’s vocals really stand out, constantly bursting into what almost seems like a shriek during the second half of the song.
On the next track, “Glass Eyes”, Yorke trades his shrieks for a more introspective and pensive vocal delivery. The song’s string arrangements posses a jaw-dropping level of beauty. The lush, cinematic strings show that Jonny Greenwood has learned from his time composing for films. The style of production here, in particular, the way the instruments echo at times, gives "Glass Eyes" an extremely elegant and submerged atmosphere that makes it one of the most fascinating tracks of A Moon Shaped Pool. The hazy effect of the keys that drive the beginning of "Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief", almost seems to be cut from a similar, underwater cloth. They eventually take a backseat in the mix to an acoustic piano and some more wonderful string arrangements that close the song out.
With tunes like "A Wolf at the Door (It Girl. Rag Doll)" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", Radiohead have never been particularly bad at closing things out. King Of Limbs is their worst album besides Pablo Honey, but it still had "Separator". “True Love Waits” may be the most moving Radiohead album closer. The song is a live acoustic fan favorite, but odds are many wouldn’t have guessed that it would surface with a piano this soft and a vocal performance this heartbreaking. Like many tracks on A Moon Shaped Pool, it isn’t stagnant, with light flourishes of notes lower in the mix to accompany the main melody being added as the song goes on. It's almost funny how Radiohead makes one think for about 21 minutes that "Glass Eyes" would be the most poignant moment of the album, only to slap the listener in the face with "True Love Waits" at the end.
The release of A Moon Shaped Pool means that Radiohead has just accomplished what few rock bands have: releasing amazing albums in three different decades. Those who want the band to "rock" again as if they were thrown into a time-machine that leads to The Bends or OK Computer may find this album to be extremely boring. Conversely, those who appreciate things like how the choir comes in and out throughout the bleak atmosphere of "Decks Dark" just as much as the more "rock" side of the band will probably love this album. If A Moon Shaped Pool is anything in particular in the Radiohead discography, it’s definitely their prettiest album to date. A subtle and gorgeous masterpiece.
