Radiohead, In Rainbows Review

Overall Rating

- In Rainbows is, as a whole, Radiohead's best album since OK Computer
- Radiohead's decision to announce the album just 10 days before it's release

- Videotape : what should be the best Radiohead track since Motion Picture Soundtrack has been turned into just another song.

This is a review on the download version of In Rainbows, which is NOT complete. If you want the full album you should order the discbox from www.inrainbows.com. However, these do not ship until the 3rd of December.

Finally Radiohead have recorded the best of their new material and called it In Rainbows. For the most part, it would seem that the band have, thankfully, scrapped the whole experimental phase and returned to the older 'The Bends' sound - this is especially true about the second track, 'Bodysnatchers'. While I'm sure this may disappoint many Radiohead fans, particularly in the US where 'Kid A' is apparently a favourite (bizarre) the album is better for it.

I downloaded the album upon its release on the 10th of October and have been listening casually (being careful not to over play) since. The album sounded good when I ran it through the first time and has only gotten better since, if not more divided - by this I mean that some real favourites have started to stand above the rest.

Now, I've said that this is a good album and I stick by that, but I must express my disappointment about the final track, entitled Videotape. This is a song that has so much potential - earlier versions were simple, recorded with only a piano, and I feel that the track worked best like this. When it came to recording the song, however, it seems that Radiohead just couldn't resist the temptation to cut it up, change it (so it's no longer as genius piece of music) and add some dodgy sounding, badly timed electric stuff over the top. Now, as opposed being a clever, lyrically moving piece, this song sounds more like your weird aunty's funky funeral march. This completely takes away the point of the song and, although I'm giving it chance to grow on me, I can't help but feel that the album version is such a let down.

However, I have NO doubt that this is Radiohead's best work since OK Computer of 1997 - and let us not forget that this is only the half of it - there are 8 more tracks included on a bonus CD which should be released on the 3rd December along with the discbox (however, I'm not sure if these songs are available for download).

Members' Comments onCognition's Review

• Cognition on 9th Dec 2007

  Just got the Discbox - came today.
  
  It's good to have it all on CD, I don't plan to play the vinyls as I can't and wouldn't want to wear them anyway.
  
  Disc 2 has some good tracks on it - I like all of them, some more than others though.
  
  As for the 'MK 1' and 'MK 2' - they're cut up sections of Videotape (MK 1) and, I think, Nude (MK 2) - the latter is harder to tell.
  
  The second disc completes the album, as I felt the first one alone lacked a feeling of completion if you know what I mean.
  
  Apparently the actual CD album should be coming out in 2008 for those who don't want to buy the discbox.
  
  However, I urge people to spend the full £40 and get it all - 2 x 12'' vinyls, artwork, lyric booklet and the 2 CD's. It also comes in a really nice cover.
  
  Great stuff - a highlight of the year.