In Rainbows

Great compilation of songs. Some parts of the CD dragged on too much for me, but overall I enjoyed it!

A lot of hubub over this album.

Bodysnatchers is absolutely rockin', Jigsaw Falling Into Place is great, and the rest of the album seems to be music I can fall asleep too. Radiohead goes way too close to being Coldplay snoozer music with a few progressive sounds and occasional addition of drums. The Bends and OK Computer continue to be the best albums, but this one ain't bad...it just ain't that exciting either.

Even though Thom Yorke has a degree in Art History, he seems to me like he majored in Advertising. The polar bear project that marketed "Kid A" serves as a proof that Radiohead knew how to exploit internet and its users. More than anything, Radiohead's is the art of commerce. It's not about what they sell, it's how they sell it. They're always in the right place with the right moves and they have a cult following that, as cults tend to do, follows. Since the dawn of this decade, masses of people tried to place their products on the world wide web hoping that they would reach out to someone who would spread the word. It's not so much about money as it is about fame. Numerous bands were offering their material for free just for a sheer moment of glory. Just like Chris Dahlen said, Radiohead took the ideas from indie bands and got people to scream about them. Yet again, a right move for a band that started their career as a Britrock hiccup. The "pay-what-you-want" technique reportedly earned them more money than a major label release would and certainly more fame. For folks who aren't in the know, Radiohead were innovative.

So what to make out of "In Rainbows"? The answer isn't that simple. For the most part, the record is an unsatisfying and puzzling effort (and I use the word "effort" loosely). "15 Step" is a decent opener, stressing a normally weak beat and employing an original melody. Yorke's vocals are relaxed as he delicately sings "what happened". And those are the exact words I'm mouthing while listening to this album. Seriously, what happened? Radiohead were once a band with a powerful oeuvre. You'd never expect them to sink this low. The problem with "15 Step" is that one of its best segments--Colin Greenwood's bass line--isn't given enough space to grow and shine. "Bodysnatchers" is a lame attempt at trying to rock out. The strings that begin "Nude" completely lack distinctive qualities; the beat is embarrassingly flat and Yorke's vocals are stretched too thin. That mighty falsetto that once glowed in songs like "Pearly" is now becoming unsettling. "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" passes unnoticed. Worse still, the track is followed by "All I Need" where the band is flirting with lethargy.

"Faust Arp" is rather limp, but it contains one of the better and more direct lyrics on the record ("I love you but enough is enough"). "Reckoner" can serve as an exemplary track for the album: it's uninspired and underwhelming. "House of Cards" is pretty, but lacks depth. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" is a lively, heartfelt track that seems out of place on an otherwise deadpan release. "Videotape" drags too much to be a notable closer. These aren't songs; these are bad poems set to mediocre melodies. When they strip down the music to its bare essentials--in Radiohead's case, remove the studio trickery--they show how incompetent a band they have become. You can't believe that this is a band of five members. At least three of them are inconspicuous. Lyrically, "In Rainbows" just shows how lazy a songwriter Yorke has become. He's writing a schizophrenic lyric after a schizophrenic lyric without saying anything memorable or meaningful. Radiohead can pretty much rest assured that whatever they do is going to be hailed as a masterpiece. Where are the critics who were astonished by "Hail To The Thief" now? Hype gets you everywhere and this band is an epitome of that.

People keep bashing "Pablo Honey", but "Pablo Honey" had plenty of substance, with or without "Creep". The discussions fueled by the way the album was released are here because "In Rainbows" offers nothing musically. It is a misconception of what a "back-to-basics" would be like for Radiohead. "The Bends" brimmed with potency. The band was in danger of becoming a one hit wonder, so they worked hard to outgrow that status. In amidst of all Britpop of the mid-nineties, they scored a hit with an album that proved they are above average. "The Bends" remains their most notable guitar-driven output. Remember the lyrics "everything is broken", "immerse your soul in love" and "her green plastic watering can"? Well, that's what the band ought to be remembered for. With "OK Computer", Radiohead became critical sweethearts and they have been milking that status for all its good for the past ten years. "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" were pure triumphs, showing how the band was capable of toying with studio wizadry in order to make highly rewarding albums. They lost some of their power on the subsequent "Hail To The Thief", but the album still had the punch. It was at times fierce and showed that a beautiful lethargy with which they started the decade can transform into electro-rock excellence.

These days, Nigel Godrich and Stanley Donwood are the only real geniuses in the Radiohead world. The reality is, no matter how far the band runs, they end up running into themselves. They will always stay that overrated, perplexing group of people they've become in the latter half of the last decade. "In Rainbows" makes one reconsider his/her assessment of the band. Most get labeled as "detractors" or "fans". Hell, I was a fan until my eyes got wide opened. If you don't trust your senses when they are telling you that the artist is doing something wrong, you will never be free from opinions others force on you. Just because this is widely believed to be a work of art, does not mean you have to agree. I would like to believe that "In Rainbows" is a misstep rather than a beginning of the band's downfall. More often than not, Radiohead manage to prove that they can turn their (and our) world around, so it makes sense that if this is a little creative rut they fell into, they'll manage to pull themselves out gloriously. Let's hope that they'll start the next decade with another brilliant move, but let's not get attached to the idea.

Radiohead is a band who's releases continue to remain solid throughout over a decade of songwriting. While other bands dwindle in their creativity, they keep it up with every album. Every song on this album is great. "Nude" and "Reckoner" are two that practically give me a religious experience when I hear them. To call this album just "good" would be a devastating understatement and would rob Radiohead of their genius.

The popularity of Radiohead makes about as much sense to me as the popularity of Coldplay.
In my opinion... they are a Talking Heads knock off ( a band that's even WORSE than Radiohead )
Coldplay is even Dumber than Radiohead Because they are trying to be like U2!
Congrats to all the media's sheep who think these guys are "complex" and "brilliant" You're all heroes to me, because I just can't stomach that much crap!