This is the first album that Radiohead have released after finishing their contract with EMI. Now that their music is no longer tied down by anything other than themselves, In Rainbows is an opportunity to explore new ideas and draw in more fans.
The dreariness of old albums is still present and key to the Radiohead sound, but easier melodies and sounds allow the listener to appreciate more of the music the first time around, although for current fans, the same subtle layers of sounds still exist to delight them each time around.
Ten tracks grace the album, each one as equally different as the last. They list as follows:
15 Steps
Starting with a skitty beat in an unusual timing, basic and raw, overlaid with Thom’s stark vocals, 15 Steps seems a stark introduction to this album. But give it time, and a smooth bass line and gentle guitar melody inversely complement the rawness to create a warm, yet quirky and bizarrely funky foot-tapper of a tune.
Bodysnatchers
This has to be the hardest song to appreciate, requiring a few listens in the time honoured Radiohead fashion to glean any sense from. Pure noise and energy thunders the song along at fast pace, layered guitars with dirty distortion chugging and almost overpowering the rest of the music. A soft and beautiful bridge divides the song with an eerie wail, breaking back into the fast pace once again.
Nude
Delicacy is a word to describe Nude. Gentle rhythms and exquisite harmonies, backed by soft synth keys draws the listener through a soundscape that rises and falls akin to waves moving up and down a pebbled beach. After the overpowering energy of Bodysnatchers, this is a welcome relief and sure to send the listener to sleep.
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Following smoothly on, Weird Fishes continues the twinkling guitars from Nude but notches the pace up slightly, with soft, intermittent vocals slowly building to a placid yet dark finale smothered in soft, unsettling harmonies.
All I Need
A short pop song contorted with trippy beats and distorted bass, develops into a chilling, desperate love poem, emphasised by the howling crescendo built up from hums and whines that ebb and flow across the melody. A true classic.
Faust Arp
Another short one. A breathless interlude between songs, simple guitar and vocals backed by swooping strings.
Reckoner
Following the theme of the album, Reckoner opens with a skitty rhythm that slips and slides in between simple plucked notes, with Thom’s haunting vocals seeping into the mix. Layers of vocals are added as the song develops, with strings softly adding to the mix, complementing the rhythm that fades and grows alongside them.
House Of Cards
A more traditional piece of music, with hints of electric noises adding feeling and atmosphere subtly in the background. A ticking, clock-like beat taps along to the rhythm guitar, the electric hums growing deeper and louder, becoming more and more prominent, gently pulling the song along to its end.
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
A tight snare and fast, twanging bass line carry the delicate guitar work at a quick pace alongside the harsh, breathless lyrics, building up and churning into an angry, stabbing ensemble.
Videotape
A heart-wrenching finale to a momentous journey of an album. Bare lyrics and soft piano march the song onwards, forming an atmosphere of regret and despair. Spine-chilling harmonies and off-beat drums rise and then fall, bringing the song, and album to a gentle finish.
A graceful and simple album with beautiful melodies and pounding beats, refreshed by Radiohead’s new found freedom. Their best yet.
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