Radiohead : The King of Limbs – Live From The Basement

Radiohead continues to provide charmingly independent music that pleases them as artists, yet appeals to the masses in a way that no other act in the music industry does....
Radiohead : The King of Limbs - Live From The Basement
8.7 Ticker Tape
2012 

Radiohead : The King of Limbs - Live From The Basement QRO’s initial review of Radiohead’s The King of Limbs was an 8.7.  Let’s shoot straight from the beginning; this writer will stand by that rating for this review.  The same sentiment is present: that Radiohead continues to provide charmingly independent music that pleases them as artists, yet appeals to the masses in a way that no other act in the music industry does.

This particular body of work is a live representation of said album recorded “in the basement,” which is a fancy way of saying that it’s a more intimate and less-interrupted live setting recorded and produced by frequent Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich.  It’s not uncommon for songs to not translate as well in a live setting but such is not the case with The King of Limbs – Live From the Basement.

The King of Limbs is as dreamy an album as Radiohead have ever made and recorded in this setting just makes it more engaging and enticing.  It makes one thirst to see them live.  Live performances exist for a reason, because fans are eager to physically bear witness to a band’s performance of their favorite songs.  It makes the listener feel like he or she is a part of the story the artist is telling.  One might not need to take this set of live recordings quite that far, but this experience certainly makes listeners feel at least a little bit more a part of The King of Limbs experience.

Along with the songs present on the studio album, this collection also features three bonus tracks from The King of Limbs’ sessions: “The Daily Mail”, “Staircase”, and “Supercollider”.

One particularly cool twist is that Radiohead made the addition of Portishead’s Clive Deamer on drums, which means that they had two drummers for this performance.  What is even more interesting is that the two drummers don’t really ever deviate from the same parts for the entire performance.  This gave the recording a bit more depth and gave the drums a more stereophonic feel.

If anything, The King of Limbs – Live From the Basement further proves that Radiohead are just as proficient live as they are in the studio.  It’s really tough for them to do something that doesn’t turn out great and this collection can be added to that list.

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