Radiohead - In Rainbows

[mike p]

How can there be no thread about this on here? I wrote a little review for it, for my sister, if you're interested here she be...

Radiohead
In Rainbows
2007

This marks the longest stretch between albums for Radiohead, a little over four years. In Rainbows is less ‘album rock’ than Kid A, Amnesiac or Hail to the Thief had been. It seems to focus more on the short term, and for the listener that means it will take less work to find your indulgences. There is immediate satisfaction to be found here, and also “growers”, songs that gain more momentum with every listen. Most of these songs have seen the light of day via Radiohead tours since 2005, and a couple date back to the OK Computer sessions, and yet each and every seems to sparkle, somehow they seem fresh and relevant. Some Radiohead die-hards are disappointed that there’s really no new elements in the music here (although it would take the invention of some newly crafted, never before heard instrument to reach some peoples expectations of Radiohead music) , but most are thrilled with the product; well balanced attack of old and new.

One skill that Radiohead has always possessed is knowing how to start their albums. ‘Airbag’, ‘Everything in its Right Place’ and ‘2+2=5’ each set the mood for the album and still left room to explore outwards. This album is no exception. ‘15 Step’ is an energetic anticipation builder, which is perfect for this album. The song starts with Thom at his best, “How come I end up where I started/ How come I end up where I belong”. How can you not love that?! ‘Bodysnatchers’ refuses to let the party stop, with guitarist Jonny Greenwood dominating the track like many Radiohead fans have wanted him to do more of since they entered the 21st century with the more electronic Kid A. Things slow down a little with ‘Nude’; nevertheless it fits in wonderfully here. It’s a beautiful song that really grabs hold of the listener, in an atmospheric ‘Pyramid Song’ sort of way. Then ‘Weird Fishes/Arpeggi’ takes the introduction and runs with it. This one is classic Jonny Greenwood, and classic Radiohead; the simple, hypnotically soothing guitar riff, the Ondes-Martenot (electric keyboard) providing the perfect foundation for Thom’s moaning, and lyrics painting the picture of being mislead, betrayed, and or abandoned. “I'd be crazy not to follow/Follow where you lead/Your eyes they turn me on to phantoms/I follow to the edge of the earth/And fall off/everybody leaves/If they get the chance.” The last minute of this song is just ridiculous music making, in a good way. Awesome. One of my favorite tracks on the album, ‘All I Need’, follows. I’m not sure how much of that is because Radiohead samples the main bass line melody from the always excellent Boards of Canada. It’s always nice to hear pieces of your favorite bands in your favorite bands. It’s quite a sad song, especially the climaxing piano towards the end of his lustful, impassioned venting.

The second half of the album kicks off with an odd little track with a very Elliot Smith-like feel to it. The difference being that Elliot’s songwriting was very direct, blunt and to the point, whereas Thom always seems to be more metaphorical and indirect in his lyrics. I’ve listened to ‘Faust Arp’ about three dozen times and still don’t know what it’s about, despite the obvious subjects of disappointment and escapism. “Watch me fall like dominoes in pretty patterns”, “dead from the neck up because I'm stuck stuck stuck”. Next is a song that at first I thought was a misstep, but now count as one of my favorite on the album (have I said that about half the songs on the album yet? Geeze…). The way that the guitar just slips in between the drumming is so euphonious and sweet, and once the piano makes its appearance things are just heavenly. “You are not to blame for/Bittersweet distracter/Dare not speak its name/Dedicated to all human beings/Because we separate like ripples on a blank shore/in rainbows”. And if you ever wondered what Thom Yorke’s voice would sound like, resonating in an old, large cathedral, there’s ‘House of Cards’. A relatively simple song, with a few electronic sounds passing through Thom’s slightly over-delayed and excessively reverbed vocals. The verses are borderline boring (to the ear, not the brain), though it does have a very soothing, yet distractingly haunting sound to it. It seems to be about the loss of love, a breakup of a relationship, and the struggle to let go. “Forget about your house of cards/And I'll do mine” (the House of Cards being a metaphor for love). “Fall off the table/And get swept under/Denial, denial”. Next is one of the most musically accessible songs that I’ve ever heard from Radiohead since The Bends; ‘Jigsaw Falling Into Place’. It’s a song about love without being a love song, the story of a love that didn’t blossom, or did it?

I read once that a trick to “getting into” an album is to skip to the last track, and if that song can’t move you, or invent some emotions in you, then the rest will probably be a lost cause. It’s an interesting theory, and I’m not sure how much weight I would give it, but ‘Videotape’ is a captivatingly scenic exit. Not as morbidly dark as ‘The Pyramid Song’, but as fascinating lyrically as ‘In Limbo’ or other Radiohead songs about this subject matter. Here are the lyrics: “When I'm at the pearly gates/This'll be on my videotape/When Mephistopheles is just beneath/And he's reaching up to grab me/This is one for the good days/And I have it all here/In red blue green/You are my center when I spin away/Out of control on videotape/This is my way of saying goodbye/Because I can't do it face to face/So I'm talking to you before it's too late/No matter what happens now/I shouldn't be afraid/Because I know today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen”. Now try telling me that Thom Yorke hasn’t been one of the best and most consistent writers in music in the last 15 years.

In Rainbows is a collection of wonderfully crafted songs, with the most thought provoking and intelligent lyrics Thom Yorke has made for quite some time. The music is a near perfect balance of the product of the experimentation from recent Radiohead works and the resurgence of some more traditional guitar led, approachable themes. It’s a formula that gives us what we love without being repetitive. In Rainbows album is neither groundbreaking, nor redundant, only excellent.

4.5/5

1. 15 Step
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