Radiohead's latest causes a stir

The critics weighed in after Radiohead brought forward the release of their new album, The King of Limbs, by 24 hours.

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When Radiohead announced via their Facebook page last Monday that they would be releasing their eighth studio album, The King of Limbs, online, it sparked a frenzy of excitement among fans.

A second message, sent from Radiohead's official Twitter account, caused mass confusion in Japan. The now-deleted tweet was in Japanese, and translated it read: "Hachiko Square Shibuya, 59 minutes 18 Friday."

Fans interpreted that to mean the band would be appearing at 18.59pm in Hachiko Square, a popular meeting place in downtown Tokyo.

But shortly afterwards, the band's PRs were forced to cancel the event due to safety concerns. Having set the cat among the pigeons, Radiohead then brought forward the release of their new album by 24 hours, releasing it on Friday rather than Saturday.

The decision was explained in an online statement to the effect that, since the album was ready, there was "no need to wait". A video, for the song Lotus Flower, was released at the same time.

The album, which is eight tracks long, has received mixed comments in early reviews. NME.com said: "In crude terms, it's probably more an Amnesiac than an In Rainbows or Kid A, a record to admire more than truly love." The Guardian's Tim Jonze wrote that the album "teeters on the brink of self-parody". The Daily Telegraph describes it as "percussive, groovy, spacious, ethereal and melodic".