The world (at least fans) were treated with a surprise this past Monday when Radiohead announced the release of their latest album, The King of Limbs. To everyone's surprise (or not, as they seem to surprise often…) we didn't have to wait sever months, or even a week to receive our first blessed listen. It was only 5 days away, being released tomorrow–however, it seemed they were just as anxious as the rest of us and released it early this morning.

Now its a little bit early for a review, but having listened to it a good 4, almost 5 times I have a pretty good opinion forming about the album. While short, at only 8 tracks, clocking in at 37 minutes, the record is packed with great sounds – some familiar, some new. As usual, there is no shortage of great ideas, each one explored thoroughly. That's what I really liked about this album, the songs were very focused on exploring a single idea, creating a deep soundscape which all tied together, giving the album a definitive atmosphere.

Things are beginning to feel a little bit "mostly Thom" though, drawing a lot of similarities to his solo work – thats less of a complaint and more of a wish for more of the band sound. Some standouts for me are Give Up the Ghost and Little By Little, though the album should be taken as a whole.

Much more of a first impression than a proper review, but The King of Limbs is a great addition to Radiohead's already expansive library. What I loved most about the whole release was the way in which they did it, only announcing the album days before the release, almost eliminating the chance of a leak. A great follow up to the awesome "pay-what-you-will" release of In Rainbows. I look forward to more surprises, as they never seem to run low.