Radiohead - In Rainbows

Rating:8.8/10

Sound: 9
Lyrics: 10
Sound/Production Quality: 10
Impression: 9
Replay Value: 7
Tilt: 8




Release Date: October 10th, 2007
Genre: Alternative rock, Art Rock, Electronic Rock
Length: 42 minutes, 39 seconds
Key Tracks: Bodysnatchers, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, All I Need, Jigsaw Falling Into Place

The surprise of the year has unleashed itself upon the world. While all hopes of a new Radiohead album seemed lost in August when the band announced the album would be pushed back to 2008, the quintet from Oxfordshire, England return with their seventh studio album, "In Rainbows", and quite possibly marks their end with EMI. After a series of cryptic messages appeared on the band's website, on October 1st, the band officially announced the release of their record. However, the band would distribute the record in an uncanny, yet original way (and a record company's nightmare): through an online source only, allowing fans to purchase the new record for any sum of money they wished, including for free. Being the avid (yet cheap) Radiohead fan I am, I fall into that free download category as well. After the band's brief hiatus through 2004, they began working on the album in 2005. Between then and late 2006, the band previewed many new songs and instrumentals at concerts worldwide. In September, the band went back into full recording mode and began releasing small messages and brief hints on their official site, Dead Air Space. Finally, in one gesture of record company shareholder defiance, the band released the album online saying, "If people truly like Radiohead, they'll pay for our music, no matter how they get it." They also plan to release a special-edition box set of the album in December, including an additional 7-track bonus disc, a 12" vinyl edition of the album and special lyric and concept art books.

In Rainbows, itself, is a passive album. Unlike the throbbing guitars on OK Computer and the electronic blends of Kid A (the group's two most acclaimed albums, by critics and fans alike), the album does not try and reinvent the sound Radiohead has made for its fans over the years. This isn't to say the album is bad, just that it's one of the most rock solid collections of Radiohead songs ever composed: a steady flow of powerful, emotional, alternative rock tracks that strike you as some that have had a lot of blood, sweat and tears flowing through them. Thom Yorke and the gang have never been slackers and this album demonstrates their commitment to quality very well. Here's the track-by-track rundown of this stellar addition to the Radiohead legacy.

The album opens with 15 Steps: a track that could have been a B-side off Kid A or Amnesiac. It starts out completely electronic, Yorke's piercing vocals resounding as usual through a drum machine beat. But then the band begins to play and we hear how the band's respective elements form a vast image to the listeners. Again, this isn't an opening even remotely comparable to something as stellar as Airbag or You, but it gets the job done and sets the tone for what we would expect from these guys. Then, we enter Bodysnatchers: the song I think should have been the opening track for this record. The guitar riff is unforgettable (basically a first for a Radiohead album) and, lyrically, the album stands out. It is a song about revolution: how the world is changing and that you can either embrace it or be swallowed by it. Again, the lyrics aren't as exquisite a piece as on OK Computer or Kid A, but the manner in which Thom delivers them really stands out. The song is phenomenal.

Radiohead then tone down the album for a song much like Exit Music (For a Film) called Nude. It's a very slow piece, in 6/4 time, with only a very limited drum beat, a minimal bass line and Yorke's electronic synthesis. It'll sound old hat to Radiohead fans, but to those picking up the album fresh for the first time, the passion with which the song is sung is undeniable. We then move into Weird Fishes/Arpeggi. This is an interesting song: it provides us an up-tempo drum beat with a combination of keyboards and guitar to give us that 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea-esque swimming underwater music: like we're hearing everything and nothing at all. Lyrically, it's one of those songs that say so much with so few words. A beautiful love song, Thom comparing himself to a fish, following wherever the beauty he has found will lead him: be it to the bottom of the ocean or the ends of the earth. Yet, throughout their lives, many fish are caught by the hooks of temptation and hypocrisy and their lover is lost. Radiohead's incredible lyricism continues to shine.

All I Need starts off as a song in the style of Let Down: starting very slow, very depressingly, but escalating into a powerful climax, driven by the piano and drums. The song is never a happy one, but it's not about being happy: it's about being satisfied with Radiohead's music. This is satisfaction. Every word is delivered so well, so flawlessly. Then, we move into the shortest song of the album: Faust Arp. The song's violin synthesis is excellent near the end, yet it never quite picks up any momentum. A real disappointment. Yet, from there, the album only goes up. Reckoner is a solid track, very familiar, yet awesome in its own right. House of Cards, again, is a more electronic-based track, like something off of Kid A. It's interesting, yet as you listen to the album as a whole, very unnoticeable. Finally, the album reaches its climax: Jigsaw Falling into Place. After a series of mellow, slow songs, it's very much a surprise to hear this song: up-tempo, very catchy, still acoustic, yet we're able to identify each sound. The song speeds, doing nothing but elevating the listener: in short, a happy Radiohead song (yes, I know, hell has frozen over). The song's about that feeling: the one you get when that connection comes together and everything in the world makes sense. It's about letting everything inside you free: every word, every sound, every feeling. It's a rare thing to find something enlightening in an album like this, but I've officially found it in this song. Absolutely fantastic, possibly song of the year. The album then brings itself to an appropriate, classic Radiohead conclusion with Videotape.

Radiohead is a lot for listeners to take in: the passionate, falsetto vocals of Thom Yorke included in the wide range of musical stylings from Johnny Greenwood and company is difficult, yet brilliant. Yet, once you've given them a listen once or twice, their music starts to make sense. While, admitted, it's not music for everyone, it's undeniable that these guys have done an incredible thing on an incredible journey. In Rainbows is a fantastic addition to their portfolio: an emotional album with fantastic soundscapes and wonderful production quality. While it pales in comparison to OK Computer and Kid A, it is Radiohead's long-awaited return to form after many years of desperation from thousands of fans. Even if you've never listened to a Radiohead album before, if you know what good music is, download this album.