thewisefool's Full Review: In Rainbows [Digipak] by Radiohead
Radiohead has been one of my favorite bands for quite some time. Their willingness to experiment with unusual chords and time signatures always makes them intriguing for me even though I rarely have a definite sense about what their songs mean. In Rainbows (2007) happens to be representative of much of their work the last decade, so it's another win in my view in spite of not being what I'd consider a five-star effort.
Starting with "15 Step," we have classic Radiohead rhythmic oddness (the song is in a 5/4 time signature). Thom Yorke sings and Jonny Greenwood plays the guitar in a brooding manner, which plays off the frenetic beats in such a way that it challenges whatever auditory expectations you had in mind beforehand. "Bodysnatchers" drives into even weirder territory, but I don't enjoy it as much. The opening is a little too reminiscent of "There There," yet the song instead builds in dissonance and whininess rather than something pleasant. I am not against dissonance on principle, but when it is combined with nasal ramblings and something too familiar, I'll tune out the tune.
After that, "Nude" comes to the rescue and restores my overall admiration, although the lyrics don't effectively capture the soaring beauty of Yorke's voice (when not pouting, it's amazing how splendid he can sound). I know how ironic these guys can be, but still - I got "big ideas" at this song's outset, and they truly did "happen," no joke about it.
"Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" is the most relaxing track on In Rainbows, with the light airiness of the drums and guitar giving a sense of perpetual motion and impressionistic visuals. "All I Need" is characterized by a slow and steady approach with the rhythm rising and falling abruptly enough in some places to prevent too much predictability - and the eventual crescendo is well-placed, as this kind of song really needed one.
I can't say I was as impressed with "Faust Arp." The verse takes me back to "A Wolf at the Door," a track of theirs I never really liked in the first place, and goodness knows if I'll ever figure out what Yorke is going on about when he says things like "the elephant that's in the room is tumbling, tumbling, tumbling, duplicate and triplicate, plastic bags in duplicate and triplicate," etc. He and Tori Amos must take the same stuff.
In my mind, the real highlight of In Rainbows is "Reckoner." I don't get teary-eyed at many songs, but this is one where I do. In fact, during one sad point last year, I think I played this song eight straight times. The way the lonely guitar tones work with Yorke's despairing falsetto is simply heart-ripping, and the lyric "because we separate like ripples on a blank shore" is one of the most meaningful and straightforward they've ever penned, fitting this song's mood perfectly.
"House of Cards" is more on the fun side, and the vibes are a heck of a lot like Gary Numan's "Cars" in places, which isn't a bad thing since the verse melody here is completely different. Since Radiohead loves to shake things up, they decide following it with something vaguely creepy like "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" is a great idea. Halloween is coming up as I write this review; feel free to play this song when that day arrives. I like how this one threatens to explode at any second, but decides to dance along the edges and tease with its scariness.
Unfortunately, "Videotape" is rather anticlimactic. It has a monotonous sense of resolve both lyrically and musically, which in and of itself isn't problematic - but as an album closer, and one where Thom Yorke insists that it's "been the most perfect day [he's] ever seen," I'm left wanting more.
At any rate, most things can't be OK Computer, so I can't fault Radiohead for not putting out a masterpiece along those lines. In Rainbows is still a fine album with some very nice pieces, "Reckoner" in particular. If you like them and somehow haven't picked this up yet, by all means get it.
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