The longer I sit on this review, the more daunting it becomes. It has nothing to do with doing the album justice, but I find that the longer I consider it, the fewer words I have to say about it. The King of Limbs does not inspire my words. This is very telling of the quality, given that Radiohead is an artist I have admired for years, who have written some of my favourite releases.

The announcement of the King of Limbs went off like the greatest surprise party, where it was the birthday of every Radiohead fan. It was a surprise we all suspected we may receive, like a new car on our sweet sixteenth, but our excitement could not be dispelled. The King of Limbs was the most anticipated release of 2011 across the board. Expectations are this album's downfall, but who can blame them when an artist has an exemplary track record? There is insurmountable pressure when your band's name is synonymous with great things in music.

What I didn't expect from this album was for it to be exactly what one would expect to follow In Rainbows and the dubstep scene. The King of Limbs is a perfectly reasonable progression for Radiohead, and as such, it's sinfully boring. Limbs is rhythmic and fleeting; cobbled together into two distinct portions and seemingly void of substance. I have found it necessary to insert the two post-release singles (Supercollider and The Butcher) into the tracklisting to add balance and weight, to minor improvement.

I am caught, undecided as to whether Limbs would be considered an achievement, or forgettable if anyone else had written it. This isn't to call it terrible, it has its own merits for being casual and beat-driven, but little is memorable, and unlike every other Radiohead release, it can't be said that some of the band's best work is upon it. It is simply too subtle, too common for a band of this caliber.