In Defense of "The King of Limbs"

After the tremendous success of In Rainbows, Radiohead fans expected an explosive follow-up record. Instead, they received 37 minutes—the band's shortest yet—of synthesized loops, rhythmic layers, and restrained vocals. For that and other reasons, The King of Limbs is often found near the bottom of fans' "Best Of" lists. But Deepcuts creator Oliver Kemp argues that the album is beautiful and inventive in its own right, and that "The King of Limbs: Live From the Basement" brings this innovation to the forefront. This broadcast was released about ten months after the The King of Limbs and includes performances of all eight tracks from the record—as well as a few singles. Modeled after their previous live video album for In Rainbows, the sessions were produced by Nigel Godrich and televised internationally. Clive Deamer of Portishead joined Phil Selway to execute the album’s complicated polyrhythms, while a horn section was added to fill out the sound of songs like “Bloom” and “Codex.” Together, they breathed new life into these oft-maligned songs.