By: Gareth Watkin
Radiohead | website | facebook | twitter |
For some people, bands being at the height of popularity are somewhat dismissible, with interest in perhaps being lacklustre even for the most creative of bands. It’s somewhat difficult to really see the true nature of something when concerns over money, intent and sincerity cloud the creative work in question. These days it’s incredibly easy to become jaded and cynical to the music industry, but at the centre of it all, music is simply another art form, of which just about anything can form an emotional connection with anyone. Sure, some music fails to do just that, but when it does, the effects can sometimes be indescribable.
Radiohead’s latest album A Moon Shaped Pool, has certainly generated some of the most interesting discussions of any album of theirs. Many fans and critics all seem desperate to dissect the work, make their own opinions and theories known to all, which is perhaps something Radiohead do best. Some people believe A Moon Shaped Pool to be among the best of Radiohead’s albums, whilst others simply see it as an improvement on 2011’s The King of Limbs. What’s more interesting though is how everybody is right in their own little way.
For this reviewer, tracks like ‘Decks Dark’, ‘The Numbers’ and the oddly named ‘Tinker Tailor Solider Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief’ all came across as some of the most interesting and creative tracks the band have put out thus far. For others, this may not be the case, and instead tracks like ‘Present Tense’ and ‘Identikit’ form the basis of joy for the album. The way this album has come across to so many people really stands out as a testament to the album itself, showing how our differences don’t really mean anything at the end of the day.
One of Radiohead’s greatest strengths is in how their creative works simply connect to each individual in its own little way. For me, A Moon Shaped Pool came across as something brilliantly unnerving, heart-breaking and beautiful. An album where that first listen was something phenomenal and fairly emotional. That emotional connection was there from the very beginning, and held on in so many ways as it morphed and shifted with each track on the album. There’s a power here, and whilst it might not come to all those who listen to the album, it has definitely come to some fans of the band, each in its own different way.
It can be easy to hate on certain people in the music industry, and to fans of those, it can feel discomforting to see that artist or band being berated in some way. It perhaps feels frustrating that whomever is saying these things simply doesn’t understand your way of thinking. Perhaps in these situations, it’s best to just let it all be.
If music has formed that connection with you, why should someone else’s opinion make that any less powerful? For me, Radiohead will probably always be one of those bands that will stick with me throughout the years, with A Moon Shaped Pool being another album that stands out in their impressive discography. That’s something that nobody can take away from me.
