IN RAINBOWS

I have been a huge fan of this band since 'OK Computer' really blew my mind. I have always looked forward to their releases and have always been suprised and challenged by their music, even with they missed (as with their underwhelming 'Amnesiac'). With high expectations, I was underwhelmed by 'In Rainbows' when I first heard it. I felt it was nice, but lacked boldness and was perhaps a little same. It felt like the similar ground they had already covered, which would have been fine, but with the long gestation period, it was doubly disappointing.

What a suprise it was then to put the disc in and realize what a powerful album it truly is. What I originally felt was bland, has now revealed itself to be perfectly subtle. This is a very tasteful album that is innovative in its restraint. I find it very remarkable that a band who could really go all out and make a loud statement, have chosen to almost underplay. It feels like a very personal statement. Yorke's always incisivive lyrics are perfectly matched by the quiet, plaintive mood that the band creates. Greenwood (clearly the man behind their sonic uniqueness, but the entire band really shines in their contributions) creates a complex sense of mood on songs like All I Need with its rising and falling synth.

While there is not a bad song on the album, the highlights are Faust Arp (soft, lush, yet with an insistant vocal), Videotape (Yorke's mournful piano drives the songs sense of regret and hope), Reckoner, and House Of Cards. The only weak areas are Bodysnatchers (the jangly guitar and rapid fire vocals are something they've done on every album) and Nude (which really has little momentum).

I also want to note the great drum sound and feel that Selway has when he plays. Truthfully, one of things I appreciate most about this band is how much they each contribute to the sound in a very selfless way. As a band they are true artists, looking at the whole.