Radiohead - In Rainbows Review
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 10.18.2007
How much should you pay for Radiohead’s new album?
My Story
When Radiohead decided to release their latest album via their website and further allowing fans to pay whatever they wanted (including nothing) for digital copies, it seemed to me like an interesting experiment. Now that the album is out (and the publicity stunt a success), we’re left to answer this question: is it any good? Can it impress someone like me who’s not that into Radiohead?
Their Story
In 1991, a young band of English schoolmates called On A Friday signed a six-album deal with EMI Records after playing off and on together for five years during their time in high school and university. At the urging of the label, On A Friday changed their name and Radiohead was born.
In March of 1992, Radiohead released their first EP, Drill. The limited release contained reworked songs and demos from their On A Friday days. They then began work on their first full-length, Pablo Honey, with producers Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade, who had worked with Pixies and Dinosaur Jr. The lead single from Pablo, “Creep”, was a slow starter, but by 1993 it had become a Top 40 hit in the US and re-released to go Top 10 in the UK. Though none of Pablo’s other singles charted and critics were mostly cold on the band, “Creep” was enough to get Radiohead’s foot in the door. Pablo Honey was certified gold in the fall of 1993.
Radiohead returned to the studio in 1994 to work on their follow-up. Consciously attempting to create an album different from their first, they brought in legendary producer/engineer John Leckie (Dark Side Of The Moon). The Bends was met with rave critical reviews upon its release in spring of 1995. Unfortunately, fans weren’t as quick to embrace the album, and it peaked at #88 on the US charts. Like Pablo Honey, though (which had by then been certified platinum), The Bends proved to be a slow burner. By 1996, the record had produced three Top 40 Modern Rock hits in the US and four Top 20 hits in the UK. The Bends was certified gold nearly a year after it hit shelves. It also reentered the UK charts that year, reaching #4.
Radiohead followed up with OK Computer, their third album, and first with Nigel Godrich (who would go on to produce all of their subsequent records) in 1997. Once again, critical reviews were exceedingly high, while sales were slow and steady. The album was certified gold quicker than Radiohead’s previous efforts, and it produced three Top 10 hits in the UK (including the US Modern Rock hit “Karma Police”). OK Computer was also Radiohead’s highest charting album to date, as it reached the top spot in England and #21 on the US charts. A successful but tumultuous tour for that album led to the documentary Meeting People Is Easy, which was certified gold.
The band kicked off the new century with Kid A, which was released in late 2000. Though the album was not supported by any official singles or tours, it debuted at #1 on the US and UK charts thanks to an ever-growing fascination by their fanbase. One album track, “Optimistic”, reached #10 on the Modern Rock charts, making it the band’s best charting single since “Creep”. By the time Kid A was certified platinum in early 2001, so had the band’s three previous albums.
The band returned quickly in 2001 with Amnesiac, an album of material recorded during the Kid A sessions but not used for that album. It was another big hit, reaching #2 in the US and #1 in the UK. Unlike Kid A, Amnesiac was promoted heavily by a world tour and radio singles. The song “I Might Be Wrong” was the only one to chart in the US, reaching #27 on the Modern Rock charts.
Radiohead released their sixth album, Hail To The Thief, in June of 2003. It peaked at #3 on the US charts (and was also their fourth consecutive #1 in the UK). It produced two Modern Rock hits in “Go To Sleep” and “There There”. Like Amnesiac, Thief was certified gold.
Following the tour for Thief, Radiohead decided to go on hiatus in order for bandmembers to spend time with their families and pursue other projects. With their sixth album in the can, Radiohead also found themselves free of any contractual obligations to EMI, but were in no hurry to find another label. In 2006, frontman Thom Yorke released his solo debut, The Eraser, which reached #2 on the US charts. Also that year, OK Computer became Radiohead’s first double platinum album.
The band recorded sporadically over 2005 through 2007, working on their seventh studio album. As of October 2007, the album was complete but the band had yet to sign a new recording contract. In a revolutionary move, the band opted to release the album independently through their website. Taking the concept a step further, the band allowed downloaders to pay whatever they wanted for digital copies of the album. Reports have that 1.2 million copies of the album were downloaded upon the day of its release.
The Album
On October 10, 2007, Radiohead self-released In Rainbows, their seventh studio album and the follow-up to 2003’s Hail To The Thief. The album is available in digital form via Radiohead.com. There is also a “discbox” version, which contains the In Rainbows CD, an extra CD of outtakes, a double vinyl version of the album and a hardcover book. The discbox is scheduled to ship before December 3rd. The band is expected to sign with a label and release a retail CD version in early 2008.
The Band: 9.0
Thom Yorke: vocals
Phil Selway: drums
Ed O’Brien: guitar, vocals
Jonny Greenwood: multiple instruments
Colin Greenwood: bass
Radiohead has been through several different sounds in their 14-year career, so it should come as no surprise that In Rainbows doesn’t sound much like they’re other albums. If anything, this disc is much more cleaned up and sparse than the band’s previous efforts. It still has a strong electonica feel, but the noise has been dialed back, allowing Thom Yorke’s vocals to shine through better than perhaps any album before, even more so than his overly produced solo record from last year.
In Rainbows is a moody amalgamation of ambling bass, deep piano and swirling organic ambiance. The songs creep along on an eerie, ethereal adventure. This is the music of the paranoid, the anxious and the mildly afraid. You can feel the walls closing in, but they seem to stop moving whenever you turn your eyes to face them.
The keyboards and guitars do a great job of creating this minimalist atmosphere whilst still managing to keep things from getting broing, going along perfectly with Yorke’s delicate vocals. Fans of Kid A and forward may find themselves disappointed by the new record’s subdued nature, but multiple listens will find that it’s just as intense as Radiohead’s ever been.
The Songs: 8.0
1. 15 Steps
2. Bodysnatchers
3. Nude
4. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
5. All I Need
6. Faust Arp
7. Reckoner
8. House Of Cards
9. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
10. Videotape
In Rainbows gets started with “15 Steps”, a heavily percussive electronica tune that will easily have fans recalling The Eraser. It’s also the album’s fastest paced number, as it glides along neatly thanks to some wonderful guitar tones. “Bodysnatches” follows, the closest thing this album has to a rock song.
Most of In Rainbows is reserved for the subdued and the paranoid. On “Weird Fishes”, Yorke delivers lines like “I’d be crazy not to follow you where you lead” with a strange trepidation that will have you thinking twice about everything you hear. Which will have you listening twice. Which is kind of the point.
In the end, you can’t call In Rainbows Radiohead’s best album but it’s definitely their best in a while. Though there seems to be an effort to reign the songs in in order to keep them a little more relatable (ie, not sounding like a spaceship’s tape deck), the tunes are still deep and abstract enough to keep their rabid fanbase thinking and debating. It’s called knowing your audience.
The 411: With all the hype that has surrounded In Rainbows’ method of release, the actual quality of the album has been somewhat neglected. Perhaps it’s because Radiohead always delivers, and they deliver once again on their seventh album. The atmosphere of mild fear and creepy apprehension is sure to be a favorite of fans, especially given the time of year, and the ten tracks are tight and full of quality. While Radiohead has definitely been denser and more melodic, you can’t say In Rainbows is anything but the “Radiohead sound”. If you like this band, you already have this album, but if you’ve never given the chance, naming your own price is a pretty attractive reason.
