Viernes 12 Oct 2007, 15:41
Well, it was exactly 1,584 days between the release of Radiohead's In Rainbows this week and their previous album, Hail to the Thief, back in that magical summer of 2003. I know the exact number of days because I carved each one as a tally mark onto my chest (or maybe i used this website: http://www.timeanddate.com/date/durationresult.html?m1=6&d1=9&y1=2003&m2=10&d2=10&y2=2007).
ANYWAY, basically no other band can cause me to freak out over a release of an album more than Radiohead. Especially when they decide to release it many months before expected and only 10 days after they announce it. And for whatever price you want to pay. And directly from their own website. And also offer a whole deluxe box of goodies (including eight bonus tracks). So yeah, that kind of thing is really exciting to me.
Radiohead toured last year and played a bunch of new songs throughout the tour, some of which i was blown away by, and others not so much. The album features some from both categories. I'll just go through them one by one…
1.) 15 Step - This was a pretty cool one to hear live last year, but it didn't blow me away. The highlight of this one is the crazy complex beat, which is either in 5/8 or 5/4. The song is hectic and really energic, much like the incredible opening track from HTTT, 2+2=5. 15 Step (another Radiohead opening track with numbers!) is a solid opener, but cant hold up a light to previous album openers (2+2=5, Airbag, Planet Telex, Packt Like Sardines…). Still, it has a bunch of kids shouting something every now and then throughout the song, which is pretty neat. **** (out of 5)
2.) Bodysnatchers - This one starts off with one of Radiohead's fuzziest and bounciest basslines ever. The rest of the song is fast, loud, and intense. However, there isn't really anything that totally jumps out at me as unique. After several listens, I still can't recall how the song sounds just by looking at the song title, which is totally uncommon with Radiohead songs, but this song has it, as do a few other In Rainbows tracks later on. Still, sounds great. ****
3.) Nude- This song was a contender for OK Computer, which was released in 1997, so that shows how old this one is. Nude is one of the gentlest songs Radiohead has ever recorded. I've always thought that the band's best songs were their ballads, the slow and beautiful ones. This is by all means one of them. ****
4.) Weird Fishes/Arpeggi - Kind of like 15 Step, this one was fun to hear live, but I wasn't into it 100%. Though, this was the one all the press and other fans were raving about. On the album, it's SO much better than the old live version. Especially the dreamlike 'Weird Fishes' segment between about 3:00 and 3:45. It's one of the best moments on the album. ****
5.) All I Need - Another very 'gentle' song and a big highlight of last year's tour. It's also one of a few apparent love songs from Thom, which is a nice departure from all the anti-government, technology, and end-of-the-world themes. This song also has one of the most beautiful climaxes/endings you hear in any song. ****
6.) Faust Arp - This is the only song on the main disc of the album that no one outside of the band and the people who worked on the album had ever heard. With kind of a strange title and a spot in the middle of the tracklisting, many, like myself, believed it would be some sort of instrumental or short, experimental transition of a song, like Radiohead have done in the past with songs like "Treefingers" on Kid A or "Hunting Bears" on Amnesiac. Instead, this shortest song on In Rainbows is a gorgeous Beatles-esque and even Elliott Smith-esque acoustic guitar and strings-heavy song. It has Radiohead best acoustic guitar picking and string arrangements since, well, ever. A VERY welcome surprise. Makes me wonder what "MK1" and "MK2" on the bonus disc are all about. ****
7.) Reckoner - After the first several listens of this track, I almost had to label this one as being filler material. But certain aspects of it have shown up to make me think otherwise. Thom's falsetto here is in prime form. The melodies are excellent, as are the piano chord progressions in the background. Oh, and the drums are great too. It's all a bit repetitive but nothing short of great. ****
8.) House of Cards - The is the track I most wanted to hear before release. House of Cards was my favorite new song from last year (just barely over 'Videotape'). This one has held a special place within since I first got into it back in June 2006. I saw Radiohead on June 29 last year and heard this song. The day before, a very close friend of mine died in St. Louis and I spent most of the sad trip to St. Louis listening to my new Radiohead bootlegs, and something about this song really stuck me throughout that experience. It was something hopeful and positive. This is the gentlest and finest moment on In Rainbows. ****1/2
9.) Jigsaw Falling Into Place - Formerlly 'Open Pick' from last year's tour… this one had a crazy distorted guitar driven lead. It was kind of a turn-off to hear should a loud guitar sound in a Radiohead song these days, but luckily on the album, those loud guitars are wisely replaced by acoustic guitars. Still, the sound of the guitars can't conceal the truth, that this is a very rare but authentic form of Radiohead filler. There's just not too much going on with this one. ****
10.) Videotape - The barely runner-up to my favorite new song from last year. This was an absolute experience to hear live and Thom Yorke's solo version from From the Basement was pefection. The song is simple enough, so it should be pretty impossible to screw this one up, right. RIGHT?? Well, they didn't completely EFF it up, but they did add this weird drum/percussion thing that I believe takes away from the whole song. The beautiful piano and background noises are overwhelmed by the awkward sounding percussion. But, nevertheless, the song is amazing in its own right. And well, I'll always have the mp3 of the From the Basement version of 'Videotape'! ****
So. In Rainbows is yet another thoroughly solid Radiohead release. No surprise. However, it does have a few songs that are the closest things to Radiohead filler since (besides 'We Suck Young Blood') the filler-fest that was Pablo Honey.
My favorite Radiohead albums in order as of now are:
1.) OK Computer *****
2.) Kid A *****
3.) Amnesiac ****1/2
4.) The Bends ****1/2
5.) Hail to the Thief ****1/2
6.) In Rainbows ****
7.) Pablo Honey ***