Radiohead - "The King of Limbs"

Enough time has passed since the innovative release of Radiohead's seventh album "In Rainbows" as a pay-what-you-want download. It felt like a true event, a historical moment in music (and internet) history. There weren't any reviews available prior to the album's release. No "leak culture". Everybody got to hear it at the same time, critics included. The listeners could judge for themselves. Then came the general consensus: the band had done it again. All the waiting, the hype, justified. Remember, this is the same band that brought us 1997's "OK Computer" and 2000's "Kid A", two albums placed among the best ever recorded by critics and music fans alike. In short: people expect a lot from Radiohead.

So what was to come next? Apart from the usual rumours, all listeners had to go by were two download-only tracks in the form of "Harry Patch (In Memory of)" and "These are my Twisted Words". These songs were nice stand-alone pieces, but they didn't satisfy that underlying hunger for a new, full-length Radiohead LP. Finally, on Valentine's Day, Radiohead released a typically cryptic message on their "Dead Air Space" blog: "THANK YOU FOR WAITING". The post contained a link to preorders of the new album, which would be released the same week in a similar fashion to "In Rainbows", this time as a paid download. Like the last record, an extravagantly packaged, deluxe version of the album is also available. As soon as the album was made available for download on February 18th, the rush of critic and fan first impressions followed.

"The King of Limbs" sounds like Radiohead as we now know them post-"OK Computer". This is their shortest album at eight tracks spanning just over thirty-seven minutes. It's also a logical follow-up to "In Rainbows" in that it's simple, accessible, brief. Their electronic lean is ever-present too. Most of these tracks are dominated by a repetitive beat structure matched to subtle guitar melodies, and, of course, Thom Yorke's charismatic vocals. The most logical point of comparison is actually Yorke's solo album, 2006's "The Eraser", in that "The King of Limbs" is quite minimalist. It doesn't sound as packed as Radiohead's past work. Sadly, it doesn't sound as passionate either. There isn't a moment here as powerful as, say "Nude" or "Reckoner" from their last album. "Lotus Flower" and opener "Bloom" come very close. These are the strongest two tracks on the album, mainly because they progress and evolve more than the other tracks, and they have clear peaks. Yorke's stronger vocal performances on these songs also help.

Everything else can simply be described as "solid". Read: there is not one bad track here, but there's a worrying lack of defining moments. Most of the songs on the album comfortably retreat into a single hook or melody. It's a sad thing, but the songwriting on "The King of Limbs" comes across as some of the least adventurous in Radiohead's career. The result is a good album, not a great album. Radiohead will always unfairly be held up to their past work. The quality of "The King of Limbs" is excellent by any other band's standards, but the problem with being repeatedly brilliant is that people will always expect you to be game-changing.

Radiohead's work has a funny way of making you reconsider its value as time goes by. Many people who initially dismissed "Amnesiac" and "Hail to the Thief" came back around. Similarly, fans are always changing their minds about the order of their favourite Radiohead albums. Hopefully, with time "The King of Limbs" could reveal itself to be much more. You only have to take heed of Yorke's final warning at the album's close: "If you think this is over then you're wrong".

"The King of Limbs" is out now. You can download it from The King of Limbs website.

Chrome Hoof - "Crush Depth"

This is the third album from avant-garde freak-orchestra Chrome Hoof, and at this stage in their career the group have solidified their shift from the electronic roots of their early days as a duo towards a beefier full-band sound. The addition of new members over the years (there are now ten members in the band) has turned them into a more playful outfit overall.

This evolution does not necessarily mean that they sound like a completely new outfit - instrumental track "Vapourise" is an all-out disco-synth onslaught and could get away with being played in the most standard of clubs. There is still an electronic element to Chrome Hoof, but the variety of genres brought into the mix has increased tenfold. One track, "Sea Hornet" goes through a number of baffling sections, from jazzy breakdowns to cheese-synth onslaughts and back again. "Bunkers Paradise" is also a good example of many of these styles rolled into one, and the overall results are bizarre to say the least.

Lola Olafisoye's vocal style ranges from menacing whispers to excitable squeals. These can prove interesting, but the lack of commitment to one style can be tedious at times. Thankfully, the vocals are placed aside at just the right moments, giving way to a variety of interesting instrumental sections. However, these sections too are too shifty and slippery - as soon as one section gains momentum, the direction of this music will completely shift and a new section will be unwillingly forced upon you. The band obviously does this on purpose - everything they do is undoubtedly calculated and tight, but it more often than not verges towards dodgy-prog territory. This is most tedious on the ten minute long "Witches Instruments And Furnaces", which winds through a number of different messy passages and comes off as an endurance test more than anything. It is Crush Depth's biggest offender and demonstrates why this band needs to have more focus.

Crush Depth is certainly an interesting bag of different odd sounds and there is some material in here to be savoured, but sometimes it comes across as if Chrome Hoof are trying to hard to come across as weird and unpredictable. The band's tinfoil sci-fi image doesn't suggest a willingness to tone this down much. Note, it will be interesting to see these songs performed live - the band as a living, breathing entity will likely captivate and they will most likely put on a show to remember, but once the initial novelty of their recordings wear off, Chrome Hoof's schizophrenic attitude towards making music is ultimately a frustrating experience for this reviewer.

"Crush Depth" is out now on Southern Records.

Meursault - "All Creatures Will Make Merry"

Hearing the second album from Edinburgh band Meursault will inevitably cause comparisons to be drawn with more established Scottish acts such as The Twilight Sad and (early) Frightened Rabbit, who have made their names by belting out ultra-dour yet energetic anthems. Such connection-making is understandable, but this doesn't mean that Meursault don't have their own unique story to tell. This album helps to characterise the band as a notable addition to this family of promising Scottish players.

The production style here is relatively unusual when considering the aforementioned bands. Meursault sound more lo-fi than a lot of their contemporaries, at times sharing aural similarities with influential American indie-folk artists, the most notable of which is Mount Eerie/The Microphones who inspired Neil Pennycook's production on this record. Instead of creating soundscapes which evoke the autumn season, Meursault set up a distinct wintery tone with their music. The short introductory track "Payday" effectively creates a mood which is dour and dreary with the odd spark of optimism. The album continues very much in this vein. "Crank Resolutions" is a single-worthy song that manages to sound simultaneously weary and confident. The electronics are like hailstones or raindrops with Pennycook fighting through them and marching on, crooning 'I walked past the houses/of every friend I'd ever known/and I set off on my own'. He sounds distant in the mix, but voluntarily so, and instead of being drowned out or downplayed he is determined and in control.

There are a variety of instruments used on All Creatures Will Make Merry which all wash together to make an airy experience which is never short on intensity. Meursault make use of the banjo, ukulele, drum machine and strings among other things, and these all help to establish a strong sense of emotion. The more heavily textured tracks are immediate, yet on the stripped-down tracks like "One Day this'll all be Fields" and "Another", the desired effects are still achieved and the feelings this album teases out don't drain away until the whole thing has run its course.

It will be interesting to see where Meursault will go from here. All Creatures Will Make Merry is a genuinely satisfying self-contained snowglobe, but anything too similar in the future would feel like an unnecessary sequel. As a stand-alone piece, though, this album eventually reveals itself to be carefully thought out and seriously moving- an ideal companion to solitude.

"All Creatures Will Make Merry" is out now on Song, By Toad.