It certainly is a glorious day -- Radiohead made good on its word and released its ninth studio album A Moon Shaped Pool. The record sees Radiohead mostly abandoning guitars and blippy moments, opting instead for for lush strings and symphonic/rhapsodic arrangements. Let's be honest here, this orchestral direction shouldn't be too surprising, especially considering that for the last few years Jonny Greenwood spent his time composing scores and film soundtracks, plus Radiohead's last release, rejected Bond theme "Spectre," seemed to indicate a move in this direction. Indeed A Moon Shaped Pool is a swoonworthy palette of enchanting auditory soundscapes combined with Thom Yorke's haunting vocals and unsettling lyrics. Phenomenal.
As for individual songs, fans will recognize that most of the songs on A Moon Shaped Pool are studio versions of material Radiohead debuted live over the years. Among them: "Ful Stop" and "Identikit" both made live debuts in 2012; "Present Tense" debuted in 2009; Yorke debuted "Desert Island Disk" and "The Numbers" (previously titled "Silent Spring") at a solo show in 2015; "Burn The Witch" has been a work in progress since the Kid A days; and album closer "True Love Waits" dates all the way back to 1995! [Radiohead first performed "True Love Waits" while on tour promoting the Bends, eventually releasing a stripped down live version on 2001's I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings.] Now a good 20 years from its inception, "True Love Waits" gets a stunning studio rework and serves as Radiohead's breathtaking closing statement.
Here's the full tracklisting -- notice that all the songs are in alphabetical order!
01. Burn The Witch
02. Daydreaming
03. Decks Dark
04. Desert Island Disk
05. Ful Stop
06. Glass Eyes
07. Identikit
08. The Numbers
09. Present Tense
10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief
11. True Love Waits
Bottom line: It's hard to stop gushing over this album, as this is Radiohead's best, most inspired work in years. Flawless, stellar, and brilliant. Everything In Its Right Place, indeed.
A Moon Shaped Pool is available to purchase (see options below) and stream on Apple Music & Tidal. So far the album is not on Spotify.
Purchase options:
- Digital download from Radiohead's website, iTunes, and Amazon
- Standard LP ships June 17th
- Standard CD ships June 17th
- Special edition LP -- packaged in case box with 32 pages of artwork, 2LP, 2CD (2 bonus tracks), and a piece of recording tape. Ships in September.
Please note that only the Special edition vinyl comes with an IMMEDIATE download; those who purchase the standard vinyl will have to wait until the vinyl arrives to redeem the download card.
Radiohead's world tour kicks off later this month. Catch 'em if you can!
May 20 -- Amsterdam @ Heineken Music Hall
May 21 -- Amsterdam @ Heineken Music Hall
May 23 -- Paris @ Le Zénith
May 24 -- Paris @ Le Zénith
May 26 -- London,UK @ Roundhouse
May 27 -- London, UK @ Roundhouse
May 28 -- London, UK @ Roundhouse
Jun 01 -- Lyon, France @ Les Nuits Des Fourvieres
Jun 03 -- Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Sound
Jun 17 -- Reyjkavik, Iceland @ Secret Solstice
Jul 02 -- St Gallen, Switzerland @ Openair
Jul 08 -- Lisbon, Portugal @ Nos Alive Festival
Jul 26 -- New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Jul 27 -- New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Jul 29 -- Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
Jul 31 -- Montreal, QB @ Osheaga Music And Arts Festival
Aug 04 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Auditorium
Aug 06 -- San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands
Aug 08 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Auditorium
Aug 20 -- Osaka, Japan @ Summersonic Festival
Aug 21 -- Tokyo, Japan @ Summersonic Festival
Sep 11 -- Berlin, Germany @ Lollapalooza
Sep 30 - Aug 2 Austin, TX @ ACL Festival
Oct 03 -- Mexico City, Mexico @ Palacio de los Deportes
Oct 04 -- Mexico City, Mexico @ Palacio de los Deportes
Oct 7 - 9 Austin, TX @ ACL Festival
Published May 8th, 2016
