Music Review: Radiohead - In Rainbows
There's gold at the end of the rainbow for Radiohead. In Rainbows marks the seminal genre-benders' first effort following a long run with Parlophone (in the UK) & Capitol (in the US) Records - a 10 year, 6 album relationship resulting in 5 platinum records. Indeed, Radiohead's lucrative past presents them with an interesting set of circumstances. Their early successes afforded them plenty of artistic breathing room from their major-label overseers, but never have they had an opportunity to market their music as they saw fit. Now, Thom Yorke and pals are free to do as they please, and their first showing as an independent act sounds like liberation. Add that to a daring name-your-own-price download format and you have a winner from the start.
Unlike the past few Radiohead albums and Yorke's recent solo release The Eraser which were heavily dependent on circular electronic dirges, In Rainbows features a lot of open air and melodic overtones that give the arrangements life. Lead-off track "15 Step" has Thom sounding vocally exuberant for the first time in a while, perhaps the first time ever. That's not to say his trademark brooding and paranoia are gone, they're just more subtle and contextually satisfying. Amazingly strong second track "Bodysnatchers" has a bouncy, grinding quality that's refreshing and atypical for Radiohead.
Epic 5-minuter "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" brings back some of the claustrophobic sampling that made Kid A so innovative, but instead of following that with a filler song like they might have done on Amnesiac, they follow it up with the satisfying, piano-colored "All I Need" - the song Coldplay's Chris Martin only dreams about having the gumption to write. "Faust Arp" continues the momentum with a gorgeous, McCartney-esque string-heavy chord progression.
The second half of In Rainbows has a few beauties to grace it. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" with its tricky acoustic guitar and sly "Cheshire Cat grin" lyrics is among the album's best. The polished-bright "Videotape" brings the record to a concise close, with Thom at the pearly gates, trying to stave off Mephistopheles, and realizing that no matter what befalls him "today has been the most perfect day".
In Rainbows is, ultimately, the sign of a band evolving past the major-label artists' life cycle - birth, prime, and death. Radiohead are exclaiming relevance and longevity outside of the label norms and trying to change the dying CD purchase system. Lord knows they don't need to make another dime in their career to survive, so they're asking us a question instead: How much is our music worth to you? And for many, the merits of these songs will far exceed the temptation to pay the minimum.
What say you?!