Their release methods isn't a lesson in subverting the label system, it's their reward for a long, successful career. They get to finish albums and drop them on the unsuspecting heads of their fans, with no leaks, no media hype, no six month wait, because they've been critically and commercially successful on a level that's almost unheard of these days. They can announce on Monday that their new album will be coming out on Saturday, and every rock and roll nerd in the world will be alternating between holding their breath in anticipation and clapping their hands with glee. They don't have to spend money promoting their new album, because they just have to update their website, and the news reports will flow from there. They don't have to do SNL, or emerge from an egg at the Grammy Awards, or make music videos, or do anything other than let their music speak for itself.
As a longtime fan of theirs, it's gratifying to see them so in control of their own destiny. It's almost reassuring in a way, seeing consistent brilliance pay off so handsomely. The music world is filled with superstars undeserving of their wealth and fame (Black Eyed Peas), brilliant songwriters who work in relative obscurity or cultdom (Robyn Hitchcock, Robert Pollard), and great artists forced to submit to a reunion they're not interested in because that's their most financially sound option (Stephen Malkmus, oh good lord, Stephen Malkmus).
To get to the point, Radiohead are a special band, and we're lucky to have them. I have no clue what The King of Limbs sounds like, and neither does anybody else in the world, but there's no doubt in my mind that, at the very least, it's going to be very good. Their legacy is firmly secured at this point. This new album, and anything else they might do, is a gift, and I'll treat it as such.
