Radiohead
In Rainbows
Much ink has been spilled about Radiohead allowing listeners to name their own price when purchasing their new album online. The means of distribution quite cleverly brings the artist and listeners closer together (the move is already being copied by Trent Reznor, Jamiroquai and Oasis) and eliminates the middleman of record labels and distributors. At the same time, it puts the onus of responsibility on the music downloading consumer to determine a price. In some cases, this isn't necessarily a safe bet, but for every cheapskate, there are two fans who will gladly pony up a (at least symbolic) fee. Personally, I plunked down about $12.
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Musically, In Rainbows certainly won't go down as a groundbreaking Radiohead album — some of the interplay between jaggedness /experimentalism and exquisite harmony that makes Radiohead so dynamic has eased into slightly more predictable song structures. But it significantly improves on the band's previous release, 2003's Hail to the Thief. While the album, in typical Radiohead fashion, slips in and out of textured orchestral moments, the overall tone of the album is more subdued and stripped-down in a way that feels influenced by early R&B and old blues records. Johnny Greenwood's superb guitar work throughout — gritty and tastefully overdriven — provides an effective yin to Yorke's flatter synth/orchestra/drum-program meandering yang, which has typified the latest salvos from the Radiohead camp.
In Rainbows acts almost as an amalgamation of the band's previous records presented in one session. The achingly beautiful piano riff on "Videotape" obviously invokes comparisons to Kid A's "Motion Picture Soundtrack." The opening drum-machine machine-gun rhythm introduction of "15 Step" immediately conjures forth Amnesiac or The Eraser, but it's one of the very few moments on the album with a computer-driven sound. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" starts off as an improved version of Hail's "Go to Sleep" but becomes redundant by the song's climax. Several tracks feel reminiscent of Kid A 's "How to Disappear Completely."
"Bodysnatchers," the album's second track, starts with a wicked, distorted riff reminiscent of The Yardbirds or George Harrison circa Revolver, with an early U2-like bridge mid-song that would fit in well in Under a Blood Red Sky, The Unforgettable Fire or Boy. The sublime "Reckoner", probably the album's best track, starts off with a metallic-sounding tambourine and cymbal-driven driving break beat, with Yorke quietly harmonizing " Did I cater to all your needs," then lapsing into idyllic harmonies recalling Hail's "I Will" or Amnesiac's "You and Whose Army."
Vocally, Yorke has grown more adept at using his voice to provide intricate and textured harmonies that underscore his heavily-processed lead vocal tracks. He's made strides to become a noticeably better singer, emerging on In Rainbows as notably less shrill and whiny than on previous records. The pretty "Faust Arp" even approaches Nick Drake's mellowness and simplicity, and the lead-off vocals on "15 Step" have a sneering, bluesy swagger to them. Lyrically, it's more of the same, vaguely neurotic meanderings, cleverly using turns of phrase in a way that makes them more ominous and pregnant with meaning, the usual sinister poetic stuff. The suitably dark Yorke-esque pining on "All I Need" pretty much sums it all up:
I'm the next act
Waiting in the wings
I'm an animal
Trapped in your hot car
Fans might be surprised to find Yorke dipping into more mundane sexuality as he narrates the prelude to an affair on "House of Cards":
I don't want to be your friend
I just want to be your lover
No matter how it ends
No matter how it starts
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In Rainbows will likely be derided by Kid A fans as not sufficiently experimental, and by OK Computer devotees as not gritty, abrasive or scary enough. It seems reasonable to worry (a bit) that the group is headed for some kind of Earth Wind and Fire-type careerism, and it would be good to see them push things a bit more on their next record.
That aside, it's still too easy take for granted the unmatched musicianship from Radiohead, and the way they incorporate so many various different styles of music — from blues to Brit Pop anthems to dub-like echoplex affected vocals to grand harmonies — effectively in a way that would seem contrived if attempted by any other group. Those seeking a record that's an overall synopsis of the group's previous works and holds up well overall, despite the lack of knockout punches, will find that In Rainbows delivers the goods. Without the label.
— Cary Jackson Broder (cjbroder at gmail dot com)
