Radiohead gave a treat to fans today. If you purchased a copy of The King of Limbs through the King of Limbs website, there are now two tracks for free download on an EP called Supercollider / The Butcher.
Radiohead called this a thank you to the fans in an email sent out by W.A.S.T.E. today. As a close friend of mine said today, “finally a benefit for paying 56% more for wav files than a CD”.
Supercollider (3/5)
A droning piece with a lot of synth textures and a drifting melody. It has a pervasive Eraser feel to it, reminding me a lot of tracks like “The Clock” and “The Eraser”. The bass recalls “The Gloaming” from Hail to the Thief – which was never a favorite of mine. I like this track better, but it does feel monotonous. It desperately needs a Thom Yorke gut-wrenching bridge a la “Reckoner” from In Rainbows. In state, its interesting, but not much more.
The Butcher (4/5)
A morbid, percussive feature with a very interesting sound treatment done to the drums. There are elements that recall the brooding “Climbing the Walls” from OK Computer, but its sparseness clearly fits the new Radiohead sound present on The King of Limbs. I have to say, its nice to hear Phil Selway cutting loose a bit more on this track. And check it out – there’s a bridge on this one!
