Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Music Takes an Evolutionary Leap


The King of Limbs
by Radiohead
Four Stars

Is anyone either willing or able to define Radiohead’s greatness? I’m not sure very many can. The British five-piece have remained the most enigmatic of shape shifters since the release of “Pablo Honey” in 1992.  The albums that followed have managed to elude, in escalating fashion, the comprehensive understanding of their increasingly galvanized fan base. The veiled invitations they’ve extended, to comprehend their labyrinthine efforts, have been a haven for pseudo-intellectuals who’ve foolishly claimed to “know” what Radiohead is “up to”, and for an antiestablishment movement drawn complacently to the band’s effervescent strangeness.