• That's interesting that you enjoyed AMSP. I think it combines some of their established elements into a gentler overall sound. I've heard quite a few non-fans say they enjoyed it. Similarly many kind of came back to or discovered them via In Rainbows, which was a much warmer album for them at the time - it's my personal favourite along with The Bends and would be my suggestion for a way in if you don't already know it.


    Some felt they then returned to being somewhat cold and unapproachable with the next album, The King of Limbs. While I'm a huge fan of them, I do understand why many find them aloof and inaccessible.

    ..

    I would agree that In Rainbows is probably the best way into the world of Radiohead. It combines a lot of their elements into one album without being difficult to access.

  • I actually really like KOL, perhaps I'm in the minority. Really everything but Mr Magpie and Feral I think are great songs. I like the atmosphere and percussive elements to the songs, something about them... Hard to explain.


    MSP however is the first of their albums I can't crack. It feels distant for me somehow, like I can't get into it fully enough to enjoy it. There are good songs for sure but it loses me half way through with the exception of True Love Waits which I find to be a far superior version to what we had heard long ago.

    I think TKOL is actually good, it was interesting as I found I had to work at it for a while, which made me think about how we are sometimes attuned to instant gratification and can lose sight of how some things reveal their attractions gradually which was very much the case for me with this album.


    I agree about the percussive emphasis and the indefinable feel to many of the songs. There's something oddly skewed about Little By Little, and Codex has a wonderful sort of other-worldly feel. Separator is one of their absolute best ever tracks in my view, a top 10 one. In a way it mirrors my experience with the album, starting a little inconspicuously, maybe even a bit dry but slowly opening up and by the closing parts it's a thing of beauty.


    Bloom is interesting as I don't like it on the album but absolutely loved it on stage. In fact, the two shows I saw on that tour may be the very best ones I've seen of the 30 or so gigs of theirs I've been to. The extra (non-album) tracks they released around that time feature some good ones too such as Staircase, The Butcher and The Daily Mail.


    I was irritated by the inclusion of True Love Waits on AMSP. I don't mind the song but felt that after featuring quite a few times at the end of gigs it had sort of had its time, if that makes sense. It appearing on an album a decade after they stopped playing it live felt like a cop-out. But I understand fans' affection for it and it is quite an atmospheric rendition, but I'd rather have had another completely new offering in its place.

    Abandon all reason

  • Totally agree about the instant gratification comment, especially as it relates to music. I find that sometimes if I like an album straightaway I am suspicious that perhaps I won't like it in the long run, whereas something a little harder to crack might lead me to think it's worth the effort. Hasn't happened with AMSP, but who knows if there is still something there for me.


    I do love Separator as well, and it might be my favorite on the album. The guitar riff about midway through, coupled with the atmospheric synths and Thom Yorkes vocals at the end make it a big Radiohead moment for me.


    On True Love Waits, I kind of consider it like a bonus song at the end, not even really part of the album if I think about it. It did feel a bit silly that it finally got a release, but since I feel that version surpasses the original, I guess I'm ok with it being there.