A Moon Shaped Pool

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The exhilaration of Radiohead’s latest release, A Moon Shaped Pool, is in the album’s intimate confidence in the listener. It captures the band in its most arresting, even delicate form, and as a result ranks as one of Radiohead’s best recordings. If the album’s title contrasts the ordinary with the ethereal, the same can be said of the music reflecting back. Fans of the band will hear moments that have been performed live as far back as 2001. The band’s patience in finding these songs’ most suitable arrangements and recorded form is admirable and pays off. In turn, the album’s languid warmth offers much for the listener to discover and ruminate on. Its orchestral leanings and thoughtful pace transcend the oft-traveled rock-music tropes. Thom Yorke’s plaintive vocals over electronic flourishes and piercing string sections vividly color the vast sweep of sound. Yet it’s the minimalist “True Love Waits,” closing the album with piano and Yorke’s agonizing, poignant voice that makes each listen of A Moon Shaped Pool impossible to shake.