IN RAINBOWS

In Rainbows is the seventh full-length studio album by UK experimental rock act Radiohead. I found the band´s previous effort Hail to The Thief (2003) to be a good album but not really impressive and it´s one of my least favoured albums by Radiohead. So I´ve been a bit reluctant to get In Rainbows. Of course the method in which this album was released needs to be mentioned as it was a very unique release method. The band gave fans the opportunity to download the album and name their own price or simply download it for free. What a great initiative from a band that probably doesn´t really need more money. Metallica could definitely learn something here.

The music on the album continues the less experimental rock style of its predecessor. As usual with Thom Yorke´s emotional and melancholic vocals in front. There are electronic beats on a couple of songs but the album mostly employs ordinary rock instrumentation. The songs are a good quality but I struggle to find as much interest in this album as I did in their three most experimental albums Ok Computer (1997), Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001). It´s not that In Rainbows is a bland album or anything like that, but I miss the will to experiment and In Rainbows does come off as a bit of a safe affair to these ears. Good but seldom really excellent.

The production is warm and pleasant and the musicianship is of high standard. So no surprises there.

In Rainbows is a sure 3 star album for me. A kind of middle of the road/ run of the mill affair and I really hope Radiohead will cook up something a bit more experimental for next time. For now this is an enjoyable album that could have been better.