In Rainbows (LP)


Radiohead

BUY
$16.98
SHIPS FREE in U.S.

Amoeba Review

John Schacht 01/01/2008

For all but blinkered loyalists, anticipation and trepidation ebbed and surged as the wait for a new Radiohead record stretched on and on and on. There were label issues, solo records, side projects and break-up rumors, but the big question was creative: Where could they possibly go after the Kid A/Amnesiac experiments seemed to cul de sac with 2003’s Hail to the Thief? The answer, two years in the making, mixes the band’s adventurous inclinations with their earlier accessible guitar rock and lyricism for an evolution both familiar and fresh. Here, a host of acoustic instruments – guitars, piano, and glockenspiel, for instance – offer organic counter-balance to the processed beats and synths, which sound less aggressive overall and add space rather than fill it. That mirrors Thom Yorke’s maturing narratives, as he tones down the existential dread for a kinder, warmer – if still resigned -- acceptance. Opening cuts “15 Step” and “Bodysnatchers” bridge eras, the trip-hop beats anchoring computer glitches, Yorke’s soaring falsetto, and Johnny Greenwood’s jazzy or fuzzed-out guitar riffs. Then the record shifts gracefully with the ballad “Nude,” whose operatic vocals and subtle synth textures are more akin to OK Computer or The Bends; ditto for the more traditionally structured and up-tempo “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” and “Reckoner.” The penultimate cut, “Jigsaw Falling into Place,” completes the circle and would tuck in neatly anywhere in the band’s catalog, as acoustic guitars and straightforward rock drumming recreate what would have been done synthetically four years ago. Sometimes, it seems, the way forward requires a step back first.

Read More


Track Listing



Side A Titles
Artist
Length
1.
15 Step 		Radiohead 03:57
2.
Bodysnatchers 		Radiohead 04:02
3.
Nude 		Radiohead 04:15
4.
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi 		Radiohead 05:18
5.
All I Need 		Radiohead 03:48


Side B Titles
Artist
Length
1.
Faust Arp 		Radiohead 02:09
2.
Reckoner 		Radiohead 04:50
3.
House Of Cards 		Radiohead 05:28
4.
Jigsaw Falling Into Place 		Radiohead 04:08
5.
Videotape 		Radiohead 04:39

BUY
$16.98
SHIPS FREE in U.S.

Register


New customers, create your Amoeba.com account here. Its quick and easy!


Register Close

Register

Become a member of Amoeba.com. It's easy and quick!

All fields required.

An error has occured - see below:

Already have an account? Log in.

Close

Forgot Password






To reset your password, enter your registration e-mail address.




Close

Forgot Username





Enter your registration e-mail address and we'll send you your username.




Close

Amoeba Newsletter Sign Up

Submit
Close