review: radiohead - in rainbows

in rainbows - 79/100

i'm going to try to divorce this here review from both the positive and negative consequences of how radiohead went about releasing this album, and i'm just going to deal with the music. there are a few noteworthy details about my opinion of this album, though. first, i heard half of it live last year, so i'm really matching songs up against exquisite live versions. second, i am thirsty for new good music of any kind (which is bound to influence something). third, the last three radiohead albums are perhaps three of the best albums i've ever heard in my life; and the two preceding those three are legendary albums in their own right.

with that in mind, i have no problem saying that, while not necessarily bad, this album is a huge step down. consider some of the songs on hail to the thief. there is absolutely nothing on this album that will give a listener the same sense of amazement as 'there there' did for hail to the thief. nothing that comes close. nothing really touches most of hail to the thief. the fact is that radiohead enthusiasts all have, in my opinion, a few select songs that pop into mind when they think of an album. there are a few songs off of each one that are just a pristine musical experience. there there, a wolf at the door, i might be wrong, idioteque, my iron lung, exit music. songs like those. seemingly perfect songs. not one song on the new album fits into that category. when i hear them, i know they should all be better. and they're all ok. it's not a bad album. it flows decently well and is really devoid of the less accessible tracks that might be off putting to a casual listener. this is a collection of good songs. none of them are great, though. and every single other radiohead album has produced at least two or three songs that stand out in my mind is perfect. each other radiohead album has seemed like its own entity; a superb product of its environment. this one sounds like some guys that got together and wrote some good songs. i still listen to this album plenty, and i really do like it. still, picky as i am about my radiohead, that's just not nearly good enough to stand next to radiohead's discography.


15 step - 87
since hearing this last year i've been patiently waiting for a studio version of this song. live it was rump-shakingly delicious. its beat is the stuff of legend. rumor has it one of the rhythms come from a portuguese audience's clapping during morning bell during some random show (i have no idea if that's actually true or not).

bodysnatchers - 87
the first 10 seconds of this song are badass. it's all downhill from there. it's not a bad song, it just suffers from the same problem of not really going anywhere. it can only get so far on the strength of the basic distorted guitar/bass melody. i'll bet it kicks ass live, though.

nude - 83
the original, ok computer-era version of nude had an organ in it. the live version of this song that i heard last year was quite guitar-heavy. the studio version is neither, and i think it suffers for that. still, it's quite strong as long as you're not looking for anything groundbreaking. it's simple, and consistent, and sounds amazing. this song has to be a high point for thom yorke's vocal aptitude.

weird fishes/arpeggi - 85
live, this song was pretty solid. the massive amount of fairly pleasant guitaring can hold the listener's attention for quite a while. there's also a full orchestral version of this song floating around from a year or two ago that is absolutely stunning. the studio version seems to have mixed the two, and has actually yielded fairly strong results from it. the orchestral aspects of the song seep in as it progresses, leaving arpeggi as one of the (disappointingly) few songs on the album to finish stronger than it starts. well, sort of. the middle of the song is stronger than the beginning, the end, and most of the rest of the album combined.

one heck of an orchestral version:


all i need - 70
you'd have to really really really love absolutely everything radiohead puts out; to the point that you get emotional regardless of the song's content or intricacy, to find this song exceptionally good. when it comes on in the shower, i'll listen to it and sing along. but, if i'm getting picky, this will never get played. it sort of crescendos. sort of. really, it's just generally boring.

faust arp - 65
decent guitar. decent lyrics. that's about it. the vocals are sort of interesting, and the acousticky feel is welcomed, but there are literally dozens of better radiohead songs out there, so why listen to this one?

reckoner - 83
the middle of this tune can get quite impressive. when the drums cut out, and then back in. that's good stuff. the vocal patterns and lyrical flow are pretty solid. really, i was absolutely repulsed by this song at first, mostly because i felt the shrill vocals were raping the instrumentation to death. i have to admit that it's grown on me quite a bit.

house of cards - 85
i first heard this song as an outdoor radiohead show wound down in the dark and the cold, and as fog rolled in to obscure my surroundings. in that environment, it was perfect.

jigsaw falling into place - 87
this song shares honors with weird fishes/arpeggi as perhaps one of only two songs on the album to build up strength as it progresses. all of what seem to be heavyweights; 15 step, bodysnatchers, videotape, etc., all seem to peter out. not this one, it grows and grows, to the point that i overlooked it in my first few listens. more excellently intense guitar, strong vocals and lyrics. this is just an all-around good song.

videotape - 77
let the record show that this song is an absolute juggernaut live. it was a show highlight before anybody even knew what it was. it was a beautiful, powerful song that managed to begin with delicacy and end with force without seeming to meander or overachieve. the album version, though, is bland (which is particularly sad since radiohead has put out some of the finest album closers i've ever heard). the wonderful drum and guitar parts are totally absent, and what replaces them really contributes very little to the song itself. it's still a fitting closer, and it's still a fairly solid song. when lined up against the tour version, though, and against the likes of previous radiohead closers, it's quite a disappointment.

the very superior original (turn the bass up):


recommended music:
sigur ros - se lest
sigur ros - saeglopur