IN RAINBOWS

Radiohead can be a difficult band to follow; with every twist and turn of their career, they find themselves reinvented. With every album, the band delves into something new. 'In Rainbows' is no exception.

What we have here is a sensible art rock album, that seems to develop upon the idea of a more guitar-based band with 'Kid A' leanings. The music here is definately not as hard to get into and appreciate as 'Kid A' was, but there's alot of stuff in this album that won't click in on first listen.

Radiohead has not spawned a masterpiece here, but certainly an innovative work. Even while the songs themselves have rather tame lengths and there aren't any 'in your face' progressive moments, there's certainly stuff here to make one raise his eyebrow. The first track '15 Step' (and one of my favourites from the album) has a welcoming jazz-toned guitar riff, children cheering, and strange electronic effects to make for a very irregular album opener. While the album is (for the most part) very forward thinking, there are also a few moments that tone down the 'weirdness' to make way for uncompromised beauty. The closer of the album for example 'Videotape' has a beautiful, heart wrenching piano riff playing under Thom Yorke's grief stricken vocals. It's a very moving song.

The lyrics are a bit obscure and abstract, adding to the foreboding feel of 'otherworldliness' the band fashions with the music. The sonic atmosphere of the album is very dense, and plenty of ambience makes the production worthy of note on it's own.

At times, 'In Rainbows' can be a bit dry, but it's a great art rock album with alot worth exploring in it. Having listened to the album over ten times now, I can safely say that with each listen, something new is discovered and a new echelon of appreciation opens up. A great alternative to the droves of symphonic prog and metal that floods the prog scene.

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