The King of Limbs - Live from the Basement

iTunes Review

Radiohead gathered in the subterranean wing of Maida Vale Studios for a Live from the Basement performance, playing The King of Limbs in its entirety. The kinetic translation of this album from a studio-recorded craft to live performance is another testament to Radiohead’s seasoned musicianship and extraordinary chemistry. “Bloom” opens with the dynamic layering of sounds and ideas that come together when Colin Greenwood’s muted bass joins Thom Yorke’s krautrock-inspired repetitions on the electric guitar. Even the dual flugelhorns here have a more upfront presence than heard in the album’s mix. Although the drums aren’t hard-panned from speaker to speaker in this live rendition of “Morning Mr. Magpie,” watching Yorke and Jonny Greenwood extract funk-based guitar rhythms from an airtight pocket sealed by two drummers is nothing short of amazing. The digital manipulations that give “Feral” its haunting character are noticeably absent here, letting the song breathe as the organic rhythms inadvertently take on Latin characteristics.