The Bullet Music Reviews

Album review: Radiohead - In Rainbows

Radiohead's new album In Rainbows starts off with a fake-out. Let me explain. See, there are, and for the most part always has been, two different kinds of Radiohead fans. There are those who yearn for the straight ahead Rock & Roll of their brilliant sophomore album The Bends [1995] or the prog-rock masterpiece, OK Computer [1997]. Then there are fans who prefer the three studio albums Radiohead has put out sine then. First, there was KID A [2000], which is an eerie soundtrack for a Post 9/11 world before 9/11 even happened. The album also launched what arguably would become Radiohead's new signature sound, relying on electronica, with moody synthesizers and even less radio friendly singles. Amnesiac [2001] and Hail To The Thief [2003] followed.

In my opinion, the albums are still essential, dominated by amazing lyrics from Thom Yorke about paranoia, frustration, mourning and loneliness. Sound like bleak stuff? Sometimes, but there's always a fascinating layer of hope and positivity under the surface of the beeps and boops. I prefer to describe Radiohead's music by stating that it's not experimentation, it's evolution.

That being said, yes, In Rainbows starts off with a fake out. The opening track 15 Step begins with the expected electronic drums humming and popping like a Nine Inch Nails single you never knew existed. But then the guitars kick in and we actually get a jazzy little melody that I thought died on the OK Computer tour. Thom sings lyrics with acidic wit, ("You used to be alright/what happened?”) and even seems to get bored with sneering by the end. The next song, Bodysnatchers immediately surprised me as it was the first radio single worthy song I've heard in awhile from the boys. It's a fuzzed out guitar almost surfing song that you can clap to. While their last album had political references peppered throughout, the sole reference I caught was this heartbreaking one I found on this song. ("Did the light go out for you?/Cause the light's gone for me/It is the 21st Century/It is the 21st Century!")

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi is a dreamy track that seems to be told from the thoughts of a sailor being tricked to a watery grave by a siren, as those legends go. It's on this song that I discovered the point of the album that is pure, unadulterated brilliance. Exactly Three minutes and Three seconds into the song, the narrator is in the water and the entire arrangement reflects that. The transition is so subtle, you don't even realize it until later when you hear it again, much like the poor sailor forever gone.

On Faust ARP it’s Yorke's return to the spoken word (rap?) he played with on the closing track to Radiohead's last album. I didn't think that song (Wolf at the door) worked, but he nails it here. It seems like a random, stream of consciousness plea for a mutual break-up, but the lyrics seem to fit any frustration you can think to plug in there. Plus, the string arrangement is fantastic. Reckoner took awhile to grow on me, but that it did. Still the weakest song on the album, it's still worth a listen to catch that incredible falsetto of Thom's again. Song eight is one of my favourites, called House Of Cards. A jazzy, in a good way, possible love(!) song. It's bound to make you sing along as well after a few listens and it brings to mind another pretty song by Radiohead, Nice Dreams you can find on The Bends.

Radiohead have created a buzz with the fact that you can only get this album only by downloading it on the net, and have the option of paying what you want, including nothing. Almost always thinking outside of the box, the band has delivered the goods to back up the hype.

Verdict: Although the album does not gel at first, repeated listens are essential to this album to let it grow on you in a very short period of time. Radiohead is back!

John C Esquivel - guest reviewer