Schematically sound, An Intimate Moment With Radiohead paints a holistic picture of the highs and lows (albeit few) of Radiohead’s recent performance at the Roseland Ballroom. Reviewer Nate Chinen comprehensively describes the set and underscores the distinctions between Radiohead’s newer and older work. Chinen’s thoroughness, comparative approach, and sensory detail heavily contribute to the appeal of the review.

Chinen begins the review with a comedic anecdote of the “logical adjustments” that plagued the set. He illustrates how Thom York, Radiohead’s lead vocalist, reworked these inauspicious hang-ups into imaginative scenarios that would feature a “giant inflatable pig” or a piano that “would rise out of a trap door.” While these comments stray from the actual performance, they help define the atmosphere of the Ballroom, a worthy inclusion on Chinen’s behalf.

Although Chinen includes a few verses from “Lotus Flower”, he proceeds to critique the set’s first song “Bloom”. Chinen refers to “Bloom” as a “reverie propelled by something like refracted samba rhythm.” This description serves as an auditory stimulus, a way of allowing readers to feel the beat of “Bloom” without experiencing it firsthand.

After offering visual cues of the stage and band members, Chinen expounds on “The King of Limbs”, Radiohead’s newest album. He relates how “the band has shifted away again from solid riffs and toward diffuse texture, as it did in 2000, on ‘Kid A’ (Capitol)”. This distinction alerts readers, especially those who have taken interest in Radiohead, to expect a dramatic change in sound from one album to the next; it also serves a supplementary purpose as a snippet of background information on the band’s former sound.

Chinen’s piece encompasses many of the essential ingredients of an effective review; he clearly communicates the setting, proceedings, and feel of the event and encourages readers to give Radiohead a listen.