Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Radiohead's new album, "King of Limbs" as a progression of sound

On February 18, 2011, Radiohead released their newest album entitled 'The King of Limbs'. After much interest and years of following Radiohead's musical journey, I downloaded the new album the second I found out it was avaliable. Of course, in this album, Radiohead remains very loyal to their usual sounds with electronic beats mixed with Thom Yorke's soothing voice, but the progression of the songs in this particular album is much more interesting and unusual than Radiohead's previous albums. The most interesting aspect of this album is the progression from chaotic, off beat music to serene ballads. The first song of the album, entitled 'Bloom', introduces the album with extremely deranged beats offset from one another. This chaotic sound dissipates through each song, and the chaos turns to calmness. The couple songs of the album, 'Give up the Ghost' and 'Separator', finish the album in a completely different tone and sound than the first couple songs. In this way, Radiohead expresses an extreme progression from pandemonium to order throughout their latest album. This type of progression can be compared to the progression from disorder to order in Conrad's Heart of Darkness. When Marlow first encounters the people and sights of the Congo, he sees chaos and disorder, which could be compared to the sounds of 'Bloom'. Throughout his journey to the center of darkness, Marlow becomes a little more comfortable in the area, and sees things as less chaotic. This part of his journey can be compared to the middle of 'The King of Limbs' as a transitional point from chaos to a little more comfort. Finally, at the end of Marlow's journey, he discovers Kurtz and witnesses his death which ultimately ended the disorder of the jungle. Just like Kurtz's death, the songs entitled 'Give up the Ghost' and 'Separator' are the end to a chaotic progression, and the beginning of calmness. Thus, the progression of Radiohead's most recent album is very similar to the journey Marlow takes on the Congo River.

Here are some of the songs -
More chaotic sounds (All in the beginning of the album)



Calmer songs (Last three songs of the album):

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6 comments:

  1. drformanMarch 16, 2011 at 9:23 PM

    Samantha, I love your way of visualizing this album and connecting it to Conrad. Make a link to Youtube music.

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  2. samantha stoneMarch 16, 2011 at 9:45 PM

    i did, click on the names of the songs

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  3. LizMarch 17, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    I LOVE THIS ALBUM....great interpretation of the album/connection to Conrad. Thought this line/ idea was very interesting: "Just like Kurtz's death, the songs entitled 'Give up the Ghost' and 'Separator' are the end to a chaotic progression, and the beginning of calmness."...Overall great blog!

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  4. Gauri KuwadekarMarch 17, 2011 at 9:19 AM

    Sam, this blog post is SO interesting!! I would have never thought to compare Marlow's journey with music. In reality, music is a unique art in that it can connect to anything you want it to. That's why I love it so much! Your specific analysis of each song and what it means in Heart of Darkness is awesome! I can't wait to hear these songs! Great blog sista!

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  5. gMarch 17, 2011 at 9:59 AM

    I love this Album. a lot more atmospheric than the others, but something really nice to listen to to calm you down. GORRROOOOOVAAAAAYYYYYYYY

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  6. Celine NehorayMarch 17, 2011 at 9:59 AM

    Sam, this blog is so interesting! I love how you connected music to a book we read in class. Love it!

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