faust arp!

Radiohead
In Rainbows



After a near five-year wait, Radiohead released its groundbreaking album to fans - unsigned by EMI, and free to those who can afford it.

This album is addictive, but also incredibly short. Comparing the lengths of their collective discography is petty and inconsiderate though. This album is but another feather in their caps, and the new holy grail for fellow Radiohead junkies.

The album starts with “15 Step,” a catchy anthem backed by electronic drum loops reminiscient of the Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief eras, and follows through with “Bodysnatchers,” a distorted and rhythmically charged track.
After that point the album takes a much more intimate turn, when Thom Yorke’s sedating voice glosses over the slow jazzier likes of “Nude” and “House of Cards,”
and tender glockenspiel noises in “All I Need.”

On the whole, this album is incongruent with the rest of Radiohead’s discography. Unlike OK Computer and their earlier albums, In Rainbows seems to be missing that metamorphic theme that resonates through each album individually. To me that’s even more impressive for a band to come out with such a cool and detached collection of songs after essentially conquering the whole spectrum of rock. Let’s just hope there isn’t another 5 year wait for the next one.