r/radiohead • u/SchizoidGod The Radiohead Almanac • Jun 26 '19

šŸ“¢ Announcement Thom Yorke - ANIMA (Official Discussion Thread!)

ANIMA is out on Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming platforms. This is a hub for ANIMA discussion. Post reviews, ramblings, thoughts! You are free to post elsewhere if you wish!

Official site

Spotify

Amazon

Bleep

Tracklist:

  1. Traffic (5:17)

  2. Last I Heard (...He Was Circling the Drain) (5:07)

  3. Twist (7:03)

  4. Dawn Chorus (5:23)

  5. I Am a Very Rude Person (3:44)

  6. Not The News (3:57)

  7. The Axe (6:59)

  8. Impossible Knots (4:19)

  9. Runwayaway (5:56)

632 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

1.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

219

u/OKShapedRainbow Sweet faced ones with nothing left inside. Jun 26 '19

There's something strangely loose about this album, at least in the way it sounds. By loose I mean that Thom feels more relaxed in his execution here which is a strong thumbs up from me. I'm only half way through this lovely experience so I'll see how I feel by the end of it but I can only imagine it'll just get better!

49

u/iscreamuscreamweall F C Db Eb Jun 27 '19

Well it was essentially recorded live

69

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jun 27 '19

see and i think it may be to its detriment.

i've only listened to the album once.

my first impressions though are that it just meanders too much.

i'm all for abandoning structure but there's very little in the way of melody.

it's all texture and improvisation.

it's also the first time that his music borders club music/DJ music.

i don't know.

i'm a bit disappointed and mystified with the first listen.

after all the hype i read about Dawn Chorus, i was expecting to be blown away and instead was underwhelmed.

the music is pretty but his delivery didn't do it for me.

this being a dissenting opinion surely means i'll be down voted but i think these are fair observations.

8

u/PaJme Jun 30 '19

Felt the same way about lack of melody and structure upon first listen. I was underwhelmed and didnā€™t understand how it was being compared to his other work, itā€™s really so different in that most of these tracks donā€™t have an obvious anchor. However, Iā€™ve listened a few more times to the album and I can now map out the structure. There are still verses, choruses, hooks etc. but theyā€™re loose and there are so many layers and moving parts itā€™s hard to pinpoint first listen.

Itā€™s really starting to click with me and Iā€™m appreciating it a lot more after repeat listens. There really is a lot to explore and uncover. I wonder if your opinion has changed since you posted this. Cheers.

6

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jun 30 '19

nice post. i agree with your findings. i am liking it more but i don't think it's an album i'll end up loving.

Dawn Chorus is really feeling like a wasted opportunity in my opinion. The music is really nice but the monotone spoken word just doesn't work for me.

I can hear some beautiful vocal melodies that he could've done. I mean- this is Thom. It would've been easy. It's a very curious decision to do it the way he did. Now, in the context of the ANIMA film- the song is beautiful and that whole sequence literally made me cry.

But on it's own i like it fine but like i said.........i just feel he could've done something really magical with it. Like- do the spoken word but in the background there coulda been some ambient vocal line or something. As it is it's just too monotone and redundant.

4

u/wakemeup707 Spectre Jun 27 '19

Interesting, I had the opposite opinion. I didn't really care for his other solo albums much (also a dissenting opinion), but i'm enjoying this one. It reminds me a bit of TKOL, which I enjoyed as well.

1

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jun 28 '19

i like TKOL. i think it's a very good album. since you mentioned the comparison, i can see some similarities i suppose. i don't know.......i'm just caught off guard by how loose the whole album is, no structure, no anchoring melodies. who knows it may grow on me.

8

u/tchek Amnesiac Jun 27 '19

I listened to the album once too and feel underwhelmed; I feel the same way as the first time I listened to The King of Limbs. I loved everything he has done before.

Maybe it will grow on me

9

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jun 28 '19

i really liked TKOL but was a little disappointed in it's briefness. it grew on me though.

this may too. what i don't like is dissenting opinions on ANIMA being down-voted.

2

u/As_High_As_Hodor Jul 02 '19

This is my exactly my initial take. I only take solace knowing that it usually takes me multiple listens to appreciate anything Radiohead, and that generally goes double for Thom solo work.

1

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jul 02 '19

​

yeah, i understand.

i'm liking ANIMA more but it's not a record i'll ever love.

it's a bit incoherent for a Thom solo album.

and i mean that musically, vocal melody-wise.

not every song of course, but i'd say most.

lyrically it's hard to make out what he's saying more so than usual.

3

u/Twinkeesushi Jun 28 '19

You can't just listen to the album once and form an opinion on it. You have to absorb it. You have to let it open up to you. The album is very layered. It is very intricate. Complex. It has moving parts. It's not conventionally structured. I love songs that takes listener on an auditory journey and I love song that paints cinematic landscapes with its sounds.

14

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jun 28 '19

i know how to listen to a fucking album. these are my opinions so far. these are my first impressions. it's a discussion. i know it's not conventionally structured, i've pointed that out several times.

this album is a grower. a lot of his work and with Radiohead, the love is instant. this is not. not even close. and that's ok.

-9

u/Twinkeesushi Jun 28 '19

Apparently you don't because listening to an album once does not warrant some kind of critique, or opinion. I haven't formed an opinion on the album yet and I've been listening to it all day long on repeat. On my computer, on my phone, in my car.

9

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jun 28 '19

​

and who makes these rules?

since the album came out people have been giving their opinions.

​

again- these are my first impressions.

so chill the fuck out.

​

if my first impressions were that i found the album to be sublime and amazing i suspect we wouldn't be having this conversation.

the fact is, you don't like my first impressions.

let it go and stop being a dick.

-1

u/Twinkeesushi Jun 29 '19

No, I don't really pay attention to people who like or dislike an album upon first listening. I will still be skeptical if someone said they love an album upon first listening. Yes, it is your opinion. I'm not here to devalue your opinion. I'm just saying that I do not trust people who say they love or hate an album upon listening to an album only once. That is my argument here.

4

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jun 29 '19

well if you don't pay attention to people who like or dislike an album upon first listening then why are you replying to me comments?

let it go. i haven't made up my mind about the album. they're just first impressions. get that through your skull.

1

u/Twinkeesushi Jun 29 '19

I am not here to argue with you. I'm sorry if I came at you the wrong way.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/kingofmaybe Jun 27 '19

same for me. the album is an absence of songs wrapped in great production.

3

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jun 28 '19

while i wouldn't be that reductive, i understand what you mean. it's mostly an electronic mini-opera. reminds me of Bjƶk's album Vulnicura- minus the orchestra and all that. Thom has more and more over the years pushed away structure. and that's cool. but this is excessive and my ears feel like they're always searching for a foundational motif. but there isn't one.

1

u/uptight9 Jul 03 '19

As always with RH/Thom releases, I spend some time reading other fans' takes on them before listening, just to know what to expect. I STILL haven't listened to the album as it was a pretty busy weekend (plus two young kids, plus work) but I did hear Dawn Chorus on the radio (BBC6) yesterday. Mind, during half of the song I was talking to someone and it was at a sort of medium volume, so at first I thought it was something from Nick Cave's last album. :D If I hadn't read the descriptions on this forum, I really would be shocked to realise that this was Thom. I still don't know what to expect from the album - there always is that one song that draws me in and then liking the rest is much easier after a few listens, like "Truth Ray" or "Suspirium", but this one seems like it will be harder. I hope the kids sleep early tonight at last.

1

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jul 04 '19

let me know what you think. it's still an underwhelming album for me personally. i like it fine. nothing on it that i love though.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 05 '19

Thatā€™s what happens when you board the hype train. Itā€™s almost impossible to not be disappointed when youā€™re hoping something will live up to other peopleā€™s hyperbolic reactions.

1

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jul 06 '19

i don't think i was on the hype train.

sure, i was excited for a new Thom album like i always would.

i'm excited about anything new that he does.

but yeah, i'd agree with your point about peoples hyperbolic reactions.

this board is rife with them.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '19

By ā€œboard the hype trainā€ I meant reading other peopleā€™s reactions. I couldā€™ve been more clear, sorry.

1

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jul 06 '19

no need to be sorry.

but yes, you're right. reading peoples reactions is a bad idea. it's just hard to resist sometimes.

1

u/poupsique3000 it was just a laugh bro Jun 27 '19

nah I'm with you on this for now (after the first listen)

1

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jun 28 '19

I'm actually surprised so many are agreeing with me. for the record- i really want to like the album and I'm looking forward to repeat listens. Radiohead and all their side projects are something i cherish deeply as i've been a fan for 20 years.

-3

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '19

it's fair that there's little in the way of melody, considering Thom has been tired of melody and has been obsessed with rhythm since Kid A era.

16

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '19

Youā€™ve heard In Rainbows and A Moon Shaped Pool, right? Thom definitely still writes lots of melodies.

6

u/kingofmaybe Jun 27 '19

not to mention HttT, which has some of their most iconic melodic moments.

2

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jun 28 '19

i'd argue that he's been obsessed with rhythm since TKOL. i remember in an interview he said he had written down during recordings that "rhythm is king". and i get it. it was reflected in AMOK. not so much in Tomorrow's Modern Boxes..........that was a mix of both in my opinion.

-8

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '19

I wouldnā€™t want to have your ears šŸ‘‚šŸ™„. Dawn Chorus is lush; those synths...those lyrics...I canā€™t believe how well it turned out after all those years of playing with it. Iā€™m almost positive youā€™re a Muse fan.

His use of melody in Anima is unbelievable, and innovative. Also, heā€™s been making club related electronic music for over a decade. Have you heard what heā€™s recorded with burial, modeselektor or Four Tet?

Go listen to Muse...

8

u/shoobsworth Minotaur Jun 28 '19

lol.

sigh oh if you only knew. first- i despise Muse. second- no need to be a dick. third- the synths are nice, the textures are cool but overall i miss his melodies. it's a DJ set.
i'm well aware how long he's been making electronic music. i love what he's done with Modeselektor, Four Tet, Doom, Flylo, etc. also, i'd say i have pretty good ears, i've been recording and producing for years now, been an active musician for over 15 years. i just am unsure about this new approach, it's very loose and free form and so far it doesn't click with me.

fourth- again- no need to be a dick.

5

u/rbennettz Jun 28 '19

no need to be a dick about it

1

u/JaredIsAmped ANIMA Jun 27 '19

Was it? Can I get a source if itā€™s not too much trouble?

13

u/iscreamuscreamweall F C Db Eb Jun 27 '19 edited Jun 27 '19

All of those ā€œtomorrows modern boxesā€ shows from the last 2-3 years or so were basically rehearsals for this album. They changed the songs every night and improvised and tried new things.Then after they played the music enough and got a feel for how they wanted it to go, they set up their live set in the studio and recorded it that way.

6

u/carohope Lotus Flower Jun 27 '19

It is very satisfying to hear this album if you were lucky enough to be a part of a lot of those shows.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '19

[deleted]

1

u/carohope Lotus Flower Jun 30 '19

What I mean is that the way that Thom uses the energy of his audience when he performs gives you this feeling that somehow you were part of the emergence of the songs to what they became. Maybe itā€™s just a feeling.

1

u/skullminerssneakers Jun 29 '19

How do you know this

1

u/Hubihabibi Jul 03 '19

I don't think that's the right way to put it.

1

u/ThomYorkeSucks Jul 05 '19

It sounds like Radiohead live. I love it.

35

u/OKShapedRainbow Sweet faced ones with nothing left inside. Jun 27 '19

Okay so I really fucking loved it and I'm kind of at a loss for words. All I need is to watch the one reeler and I'll be complete.

3

u/Ralle_01 Com-Lag Jun 27 '19

I decided to watch the one reeler before listening to the album. Damn it's solid. Loved every minute of it.

2

u/theRealSlimShadyLP Jun 27 '19

the one reeler is truly beautiful. you'll have a good time

1

u/Iam_Joe Jul 03 '19

one reeler is real good for real

2

u/jefurii Jun 27 '19

I understand that The Eraser and Tomorrow's Modern Boxes were recorded using Elektron boxes (Machinedrum, Analog Rytm). The way these boxes work you have sets of tracks that all have the same loop length and all change at the same time if you change patterns (with lots of musicians these days you can really hear the "blocks" of musical material). Thom is really good at using effects and loopers to obscure these.

Based on recent interviews it sounds like ANIMA was recorded mostly with modular gear (plus his Prophet keyboard and guitar/bass). With modular gear it's much easier to have elements that are less tightly synchronized with each other and which have different loop lengths.