Finally, In Rainbows

On my top 10's of 2007, I gave Radiohead's much talked about 7th album, "In Rainbows", the coveted #1 spot on the "albums I was pissed I didn't listen to in 2007." For those who didn't hear the endless amount of hype which seemed to overshadow talk of the music itself in just about every review published last year (a.k.a. "articles published 2-3 weeks ago), Radiohead offered up the album at a supposedly revolutionary "pay-what-you-want" download from their website in October. You could pay a million dollars for the songs, or jack shit itself! And this was a full 3 months from its announced street release.

So the fact that I didn't take the bull by the horns and listen to it made me angry come year’s end. Oh, and I had my chances. There was the time I filled out the form on the website and opted for procrastination rather than hit the "complete" button. Then there was the week when I was thinking of my favorite albums of '07 and remembered Radiohead. "Should I listen to it in rushed manner?" I thought, wanting to give it the time of year. Finally, I wound up hopelessly angered by my lack of knowing how to complete any task that involves the internet, downloading, or music files, even if it was the all mighty Radiohead.

Cutting to the chase, I've finally given "In Rainbows" its due. And I must say I love it.

The first thing I thought about after "buying" the real album, complete with liner notes, was Windows Media Player. You know when you pop in a c.d. and those lame squiggles rape your computer screen? You watch it and fall deep into a trance as tacky, futuristic colors pulsate to the music. No matter what c.d. you put on, those squiggly vortex worm holes appear, loop endlessly, as colored graphics rape your skull. I hate that dumb feature. However, that's what Radiohead's "In Rainbows" sounds like. And I mean that with ALL due respect.

This album is what that original designer who created the Windows Media Player color montage set out to do. "In Rainbows" creates those colorful squiggles, throbbing EKG-esqe lines across your brain. When listening to the album, especially with headphones, you become that Windows Media Player, minus that useless feature that allows you to purchase Paula Cole singles straight off the internet.

At first, I thought, maybe I had reached this theory due to the colorful artwork and the fact that "rainbows" is in the title. But that is not so. Radiohead has created the proper follow up to "OK Computer", as a lot of reviews I read have mentioned. The perfectly balanced layers of guitar noodling, electronic assistance, tight drum patterns, and the crooning of Mr. Yorke reach a utopia they tried but failed on with their previous "Hail to the Thief."

The moods on this album fluctuate track by track, which works rather well in all areas. The guitar tapestry woven out of both speakers on "Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi" is fascinatingly simple and well missed. The slow sadness of "Nude", “Faust Arp”, and the piano haunted closer "Videotape" are familiar, yet refreshingly updated Radiohead areas of past exploration. "Bodysnatchers" boasts all the great indie rock influences Radiohead continually cite but never replicate, all in one. But the danceclub-on-the-brink-of-collapse, falsetto opener, "15 Step" sets a perfect pace for the whole Windows Media Player color attack. When I finally heard this track the anger of never downloading the album began to lift. All good things come to those who wait (and there is a cliché' to sum up everything you ever wanted to describe in metaphor).

Overall, Radiohead has delivered an album that crushes all of that "can you believe they're letting you pick your own price for their album" talk of last fall. I must admit, I was pretty caught up in that for a few days, and still think it was a cool move. Still, the music here is pretty amazing. The band has always strived for bigger ambitions, sometimes pretentious, other times unfathomably amazing. Here, I feel Radiohead has finally made an album that comfortably shows natural growth and eases in far less obtuse song writing. Sometimes in life, when you strive for nothing, you can achieve a lot more. That's why I'm sleeping with my copy of "In Rainbows" tonight.


Oh yeah… and the packaging is pretty cool too