Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool

Circular, is the word Radiohead is looking for. Circular. A Moon Shaped Pool, their latest record and most frustrating of all to make by the sounds of it, seeks the answer to the shape of private bodies of water. Semi-circle, possibly. But circular is probably the closest to that of the moon’s shape. Who cares. Burn the Witch brings strings and a sound similar to late nights playing The Sims until this familiar fuzz and whirr takes hold, an electronic flavour which keeps Radiohead genuine. Those deep dives into dark places are conducted with effective understanding from Thom Yorke, whose vocals are less disguised by manipulation and more focused, clearer even. Every purpose has a horror story behind it, and for A Moon Shaped Pool, the choice to remove the hums and chimes sets the scene more than anything else Radiohead do here.  

Sharp and seemingly sudden strings leave their mark on Daydreaming, a track which uses its orchestra like a swarm of bees. Radiohead appears tired and fractured, a fragile sentiment found throughout as the interjections of buzzing storms begin to overwhelm the instrumentals. A Moon Shaped Pool is stuffed full of this, the ambience toyed with in every spot. Radiohead does not set out to divide their fans with this one, but it certainly has this effect. Unreleased bits and pieces retrofitted to a smaller collection of new tracks. It works better than it sounds. Using national treasure-like programmes as the chance to reconnect with the real world after so many years spent shut down, Desert Island Disk is a fine example of exceptional lyrics from Yorke. A Moon Shaped Pool, though, feels more like a Yorke project than it does a Radiohead statement.  

Melancholic and personalised fears rush through this record. Eclipsed by drones and mood-setting chills on Ful Stop, Radiohead begins its descent into brash and fear-induced next steps. A band of their calibre, experience and historied works is fearful of what comes next. What does come next, though? Radiohead has maintained a streak of exceptional works and solo accomplishments for each of its members. Where is the line drawn for success? A Moon Shaped Pool feels its way through the thick fog of acceptance in the face of glory – how the pursuit of it is endless and the cap on progress is all which pushes some away from accepting a limit has been reached. Where is the limit for Radiohead? A Moon Shaped Pool has perfect wonders like The Numbers yet it still feels frustrated with what it cannot achieve.  

Something clicks into place on Present Tense. Deep within A Moon Shaped Pool and its collections of songs from over the years – some of the toughest places Radiohead has been when it comes to working through the brain fog and writer’s block – are some of the best pieces Yorke and company ever managed. They set the bar higher and higher, soon looking back at the once-discarded pieces, as well as a few new songs, and brought about a ghostly occasion filled with strings and acoustic guitars of similar quality and effectiveness to OK Computer. This is no small feat. A Moon Shaped Pool is a dark horse which sees Radiohead kick on to the next level of their ever-impressive careers. But what is next? Radiohead has gone beyond what was expected of them. Now, we expect them to go further still, on into the murky waters of their moon-shaped pool, and out the other end with experiences better than these. A tough challenge for whatever is next.