“You can’t judge a book by it’s cover”. First impressions for music or any other art form shouldn’t be definitive. Time of day, environment and one’s mindset all effect how we respond to music. As these things are constantly evolving, our perception and opinion also changes, sometimes growing to love a musical artist or song was once disliked. Coming from last years album The King of Limbs, “Morning Mr. Magpie” was a song that gave me a poor initial reaction. Being used to the solo acoustic performance, this version was incredibly different in not only it’s arrangement but rhythm. No matter how many times I listened to it in the weeks following the release, the would not click. It was almost as if I was too fixed on the first version, and could not enjoy any other version.
Fast forward to today, where opinions have changed so much, that it is one of the most played off the album. Opening the song with two muted guitars as well as drums the rhythm to the song is tight and consistent. With his raw sounding voice, singer Thom Yorke emerges almost shouting “you’ve got some nerve coming here”. Following shortly behind Yorke’s voice is the bass, having an entirely different rhythm than the guitars and drums, which makes the arrangement more dynamic and contemplative to listen to. The bass is most engaging during the bridge of the song with its scattered notes, reminiscent of “How to Disappear Completely”, that gives a sense of uneasiness. Tension builds throughout the bridge as layer upon layer of vocals are added to the song, which is then broken by Yorke going back into the final verse. As we get to the final chorus of the song, the landscape of the song changes and plays games with your ears with its transformation. As the song ends all that is left is Yorke’s vocals with few instruments in the background.
It is hard to specifically pinpoint why the song is more enjoyable than before. Being accustomed to a premier version of a song, it is understandable to have negative first impressions. Though as time progresses, songs can be brought into different light giving a new meaning or appreciation. Regardless of the what it is, this is something typical of Radiohead, where a good portion of their work is not and should not be fully understood from a single listen.
Listen to Morning Mr Magpie here:
Open Tracks 
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