In Rainbows, A Review

With all that has happened in the world of politics and liberty since their last release, one would think that spending four years on an album would result in a sort of nastier and more aggressive version of Hail to the Thief. However, this is not the case with In Rainbows. Like the title suggests, the album is a breath of fresh air wrapped in a lush web of poetic beauty; much like I would imagine it would feel like being inside of a rainbow.

Yorke's lyrics are more tamed and inhabit an intimate sort of romance to it that hasn't been as apparent since OK Computer, particularly in songs like All I Need and Arpeggi/Weird Fishes. And unlike the raw and charged swarm of punk like guitar clashed with operatic cries and driving percussion arrangements, the musicianship is more peaceful and spacial. However, the album does have its heavy moments, like the track Bodysnatchers, which follows the upbeat and very danceable, 15 step. A very nice feature of the album comes in the song Faust Arp, which seems to be the closest Thom has gotten to copying his favorite artist, Nick Drake.

Standing out in the album are the middle tracks including All I Need, Weird Fishes, and Reckoner. Elated at the the front of an underground hip hop beat are the delicate and simple chords of the piano in All I Need; a tune that doesn't even try to hide the fact that it is a love song. Meanwhile, Reckoner exists as a tremendous vocal performance on behalf of Thom, who never betrays his soothing falsetto. Weird Fishes is probably the best example of the genius of Radiohead's song writing as their individual pieces aren't layered throughout the rhythym, but rather interconnet as circles and create an array of sound while the lyrical melody glues the whole structure together. Plus, those lyrics are painfully touching. " Your eyes, they turn me. Turn me on to phantoms. I follow them to the edge of the earth...".

The great thing about the album is the approach to the songwriting. Their biggest criticism is that they have abandoned their old fashions of Pablo Honey and The Bends to the point where the first Radiohead fans no longer have anything to relate to. With In Rainbows, the average Radiohead fan finally has something that combines their original aura of music and the "stranger and more experimental" new stuff.

This album probably falls into third in my list of favorite Radiohead albums( behind Ok Computer and The Bends), and that's without the bonus cd. The only slight downfall of the album, which evidently killed its chances for an A+, lies in the final track Videotape. This was a very popular song even before the album came out; living strongly on its bootlegged live track. However, the album version is a bit different and too watered down. Don't get me wrong, the song still rules, just not as much as the live version hardcore fans have been accustomed to the past year.

Many people think that this could be their last album. I pray it isn't.


IN RAINBOWS: A