Radiohead: The Verdict
October 10th, 2007 by Cooper Levey-Baker in Arts, Current Affairs, Music, News
RADIOHEAD: In Rainbows (inrainbows.com)
It’s tempting to get caught up in all the subplots of Radiohead’s seventh full-length studio album, In Rainbows. I could go on and on about the slight 10-day lead time between announcing the record’s existence and releasing it to the public via email, the decision to not even bother with a record label, the amazing policy of letting you determine an appropriate price. (In fact, I’ve already gone on and on, here.) But after all the ink is spilled about whether or not Radiohead’s business move will become a model for other bands and what the reaction of the major labels should be, we’re still left with an album — or, more precisely, 10 mp3 files — to evaluate. Is Rainbows worth all the fuss? Nutshell answer: yeah.
“Bodysnatchers†is an angry blend of scratchy feedback and propulsive rhythms, coming as close to the garage as any Radiohead track in recent memory, while “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi†rides two minimalist, finger-picked guitar figures to a lush, panoramic finish. On “Faust Arp,†the band settles down for a brief and relaxed acoustic guitar and string interlude. “15 Step†is another chapter in the band’s love affair with twitchy programmed beats. On both “All I Need†and “House of Cards,†the group improbably comes across as sultry, sexy even.
Overall, Rainbows sits as a comfortable sequel to 2003’s Hail to the Thief. Like that album, this one is a consolidation of the strengths of prior discs: the sweeping Technicolor vision of OK Computer, the glitch-friendly electro-ambience of Kid A, the stylistic restlessness of Amnesiac. Rainbows is a handy catalogue of all the reasons we love this band.
That can be a double-edged sword, though. Little here really surprises. “15 Step,†the first song on Rainbows, doesn’t come close to matching the jolt found on past opening tracks, from the clattering drum experiments on “Airbag†to the icy despair of “Everything in Its Right Place†and the return-to-rock catharsis that was “2 + 2 = 5.â€
But maybe evaluating Rainbows in the way I’m accustomed to is simply beside the point. Come early December, the band is shipping out deluxe $81 “discbox†versions with a second CD full of music and all kinds of other goodies. Is that the official Rainbows? Or is it the current digital download? Or maybe it’s the hinted-at CD version?
In the middle of shoveling more dirt on the coffin of the record industry, Radiohead makes you wonder if the very notion of album-as-finished-product is being buried as well. I can’t say I’m unambiguously enthusiastic about that, but as long as the soundtrack to the funeral sounds as good as Rainbows, count me in.
4 Stars
October 11th, 2007 at 9:20 am
Well said, Coop.
I have to admit that I was a bit underwhelmed upon first listen, but I’ve been listening to it the past couple mornings in the car - from the house to day care and work. There are some strange drum and keyboard sounds, and I have to wonder if the high hats, snares and synths on some tracks sound fucked up on purpose or because these are 162k MP3s?
And all the hullaballoo about the children’s chorus? I didn’t hear it anywhere. Apparently I have to listen to it on headphones, because my buddy insists that it’s there - panning around from left to right on track 1.
Everyone kept borrowing it off my desk yesterday, so it hasn’t gotten headphone treatment yet. But already on the second day, tracks 8 and 9 are standouts and I’m noticing arrangements that I hadn’t. As with any great work, it’s going to take a few hundred experiences to digest it all. It’s definitely a creeper.
October 11th, 2007 at 9:45 am
definitely headphones. assuredly.
October 11th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Joran, thanks for the comments. You can hear the kiddie chorus at 2:13 of “15 Step,” just a very brief “yeah” sound.