Radiohead - In Rainbows

[Pakehendrix]

Well, I have two other Radiohead albums (The Bends and OK Computer), and my girlfriend bought me this one and I am highly impressed.

Really nice guitar work, minimalist and yet, when it comes, it is rather powerful. In my opinion it lacks some of what I like about Jonny Greenwood's style, but it makes up for it by being incredibly interesting.

Very well produced too, with songs like "All I Need" you are transported from digitised drums and bass to full on symphonic Radiohead madness and glory, and the best part is that it comes on in layers, so the listener is caught almost unaware.

My favourite track is probably Bodysnatchers, it has a Queens of the Stone Age feel to it, but manages to stay close to a classic Radiohead groove. What I like about this album is that there are no songs that I had the urge to skip. Yes, the introspective lyrics and wandering soundscapes can seem to fade into the background and it really is what I call a "mood" album - you have to be in the right mood to really listen to it properly and in its entirety. But it is also an album you can have playing while you clean the house, or read a book, or do some writing - it suits plenty of occasions.

Unfortunately, lyrically it can be too obscure to really appreciate. While Tom Yorke has never been one for simple poppy lyrics, it really does push the boundaries as far as introspective and cryptic lyrics go...and understanding is not made any easier by Yorke's singing style.

The lack of a "hit" song is also a bit of a bugger, but its possible that having a hit song would have compromised the 'feel' of the album. Still, another Paranoid Android or Karma Police would be nice one day.

All in all, a good album. If nothing else, its worth buying for inspiration and to say that you have the world's coolest CD case within a CD case (buy it and you'll see what I mean...and the ads on TV will make sense). The Bends it ain't, but hey.

[thehenderson]

The song 'jigsaw falling into place' was in the nz top 40, right?

I'm not sure about this album, I really like the first three tracks and the single, but then it all sounds the same to me

Much prefered Hail to the Thief and Thom Yorke's solo album