| Radiohead In Rainbows Review |
[Jan. 9th, 2008|02:34 pm] |
Ok I'm a little late to the party, but, I missed out the on-line release completely and today is the first time I heard of "In Rainbows" And, I got hold of it as quickly as I could. I guess all of you would've been stuffed in your beds for the past two months listening to it secretly.
As soon as I pressed play, A smile surfaced on my face, "15 step" has a very very Radiohead sound, the opener, creates an edgy, stark and minimalist sound that sets up the album. This gorgeous, guitar riff and Kid A-esque closure is followed by "Bodysnachers," a song building in complexity every second and you're wondering here is another OK Computer, they're finally going back to the terrifying, the rage that arises from everyday boredom that makes you want to scream.
You're wondering and comes out "Nude" with the same "Creep" or "Paranoid android" like controlled aggression. There is something special about the way anger is presented in the mellow sounds of "Nude." Thom Yorke's voice so ably carries it off as only he can do. You wonder where is this going? This is way too organic and laid out, way too organized a song for Radiohead to be playing.
Only to be followed by "Arpeggi," The song usese drums, base, electronica background, guitar and piano. It epitomize the fusion of all of Radioheads influences over the years to create an astonishing sound… The smile returns.
The lyrics on "All I need" are disappointing to say the least. The song is beautiful, though. What appears to be assortment of leftover sounds from a OK computer session is made into a love song of sorts, and as the songs nears end, an assortment of musical accoutrement, employing echoey bells, a fuzzy synth and Phil's crashing cymbals, a booming piano completes the raucous and jarring to almost noise.
"Jigsaw Falling Into Place" seems like it fell out of "Hail to the thief" when no one was looking. The song has a lot going for it, it builds at it progresses and has a constant beat to it. Easy to like for people who are not necessarily used to the Radiohead sound.
All in all the album that took four years to complete does cover the whole breath of the various antics that Radiohead has indulged in over the years. The album does not flow as well as "Hail to the theif," but, "Hail to the thief" was a much controlled album, this album seems like an earnest effort to look back and pick and choose from their 20 years of music creation.
The album has far less aggression and ends with a rather gloomy finale: Videotape. The musical song has very grim lyrics. In this haunting proposition a lingering piano progression is joined by background vocals of morbid howling along with military drum beat that, over time, morphs into a stuck videotape player.
My copy has a disc two with eight more songs, I leave them for another time.
In Rainbows is a much subtle record. It's almost like hearing a remix of old favorite songs. Though lyrically disappointing and it seems to lose its way in the middle with "Fraust Arp" and "Reckoner." The album succeeds in representing sheer uncomplicated beauty. |
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