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Radiohead is a British rock group known for their experimental sound.
Contents |
Albums
Pablo Honey
The Bends
OK Computer
Kid A
Amnesiac
Hail to the Thief
In Rainbows
In Rainbows is the latest album from the group. Its release online marks the first time a major music group has bypassed the traditional label process and released an album directly to the public. Also breaking with tradition, the download had no set price. "It's up to you. Really," the website made plain. Of course, none of this would matter if if the album was terrible. Thankfully, this is far from the case. Musically ambitious, lyrically dense, and supremely listenable, In Rainbows is a superb addition to the Radiohead discography.
Yorke has said that the album is about "[...] that anonymous fear thing, sitting in traffic, thinking, 'I'm sure I'm supposed to be doing something else'... it's similar to OK Computer in a way. It's much more terrifying. But OK Computer was terrifying too—some of the lyrics were."
Track Breakdown
The album begins with a fractured drum beat on "15 Step", which, for a moment, recalls the Kid A days. Then the guitar line kicks in, smooth and melodious, and the song smooths out, providing a base for Yorke's claustrophobic lyrics to shine.
"Bodysnatchers," the second track, kicks the album into gear, with a muddy, driving guitar line and energetic drumming. The lyrics are atonal and angry, at times shouted at the top of his lungs. Track three, "Nude," slows things back down. A fan-favorite during their live performances, it translates well to the studio, with a flowing orchestration backing the proceedings. "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" is a showcase for a number of running melodies. The entire thing sounds like it should be played underwater. "All I Need" is built around a sinister bass line, with the melody carried by a faint glockenspiel that floats over the track.
"Faust Arp," the sixth track, is a short (barely longer than two minutes), almost Beatles-esque guitar and strings composition, while "Reckoner" is transformed from a hard-rock live performance to a shoe-gazing showcase for Yorke's falsetto. "House of Cards" is another introspective track, and allows for the lyrics to be, wisely, the star of the show. "Jigsaw Falling into Place" builds slowly over its four minutes, culminating into a fantastic pair of guitar solos. Rounding off the disc, "Videotape" is a slow burn of a finale, with little more than a dirge-like piano and barely-there drums that let Yorke sing his sad little heart out. The song slowly spirals downwards into nothing, but it never seems like a letdown.
Online Release
Releasing the album as they did was a stroke of minor genius. Not only did it address the reality of the current music industry, with the rise of filesharing and the slow but steady downfall of the traditional record store, but it also was a built-in marketing campaign. Everyone wanted to see how it would do, so it got coverage in a number of ways that a traditional release wouldn't have.
It should be mentioned that it looks like Radiohead isn't going poor over this. The release itself was two-fold: the ten-track download was priced as "up to you," but there was also a large, two-disc box set with lyrics, pictures, and more for the set price of 40 British Pounds (around $80). Add to that a few outside estimates that the average price paid was about 4 Pounds, and one can make the argument that, opposed to financial suicide, Radiohead's made a tidy profit off this release. For the record, I paid $7.50 for the album.