Pool Rules? Dipping A Toe Into Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool

A full review of Radiohead’s just-released, ninth studio album will feature in the next issue of MOJO. In the meantime, reviewer Jim Irvin has taken a quick dip in the group’s A Moon Shaped Pool, and here are his initial feelings, track by track.

Burn The Witch

The staccato chords throbbing throughout eloquently convey its “low-flying panic attack”, foregrounding Jonny Greenwood’s remarkable strings, which feature heavily on six of the album’s 11 songs.

Daydreaming

Another recurring sonic element is an emotive piano sound, first used here. “Dreamers, they never learn, beyond the point of no return,” sings Thom Yorke softly. You need to lean in; he’s quite low in the mix throughout.

Decks Dark

One of Colin Greenwood’s melodic basslines anchors this track. Its lyric is pretty bleak, perhaps about depression: “a spaceship blocking out the sky”.

Desert Island Disk

This lovely track starts with a folky, Bert Jansch-like guitar figure and ends with Yorke’s repeated assertion that “Different types of love are possible.”

Ful Stop

Locking into a krautrock pulse and a sound like passing freight trains. Halfway through, the track lifts off and a terrific, pealing guitar ostinato plays over and over.

Glass Eyes

A marriage of piano and strings again, for some reason reminding this listener of a ’60s black and white TV ghost story starring Michael Hordern.

Identikit

One of several songs here to have had earlier live outings – restores the full band, and centres on a repeated line sung by solo Thom then a choir of Thoms.

The Numbers

Climaxing with a swooping string coda, The Numbers dissolves into one of the most affecting endings in Radiohead’s canon.

Present Tense

An album highlight! This is a lovely bossa nova in the afterlife: Yorke, walking into a veil of echo as the track morphs into a distended French movie theme, with more choral work over shuffling drums and some archaic string or organ sound.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief

Exploding with narcotic strings and stuttering signal delay, there is a Kid A feel to the A Moon Shaped Pool’s penultimate song.

True Love Waits

Twenty years later than expected, live and bootleg fan favourite True Love Waits makes its studio debut rendered as a piano duet. “True love lives,” Thom reminds us, “on lollipops and crisps.” Sweet.

Listen to A Moon Shaped Pool via Apple Music