Radiohead
In Rainbows
Release Date: Oct 10, 2007
Genre(s): Rock, Alternative
Record label: Radiohead (self-released)
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Album Review: In Rainbows by Radiohead
Exceptionally Good, Based on 5 Critics
Based on rating A
Perhaps not since The Jazz Singer marked the end of the silent-film era has a popular artwork’s format occasioned as much hubbub as Radiohead’s In Rainbows, which debuted on an untold number of hard drives in the wee hours of Oct. 10. It’s not just that the set is download-only; it’s that the band, now a free agent, is offering a pay-what-you-will policy on the album website (inrainbows.com), accepting the inevitability of file sharing while appealing to the conscience of its sizable and unusually devoted fan base.
Based on rating 4.0/5
Review Summary: With the addition of a second disc, In Rainbows loses some flow but maintains the original atmosphere and quality of the first disc.Shining white light through a prism creates the entire visible electromagnetic spectrum, wavelengths that span 380 to 780 nm (roughly). Often times, high school students study this in science class, but a rainbow serves as a more popular symbol for this spectrum. In history, the rainbow has stood for peace, diversity, Buddhism, homosexuality, and hope.
Based on rating 4.0/5
Review Summary: Another continuation in the overall Radiohead style, and one which executes its design with precision and skill. The music itself is not overshadowed by its hype or advertising, and instead draws in attention to its variety of moods and tones.With capturing the essence of an album, many music lovers tend to glorify their favourite bands. So many bands tend to be described as producing at a level of creativity or genius far and above the music industry as a whole.
Opinion: Great
A decade after technological touchstone OK Computer, Radiohead embraces the digital reality it predicted. Version 7.0, In Rainbows, scales back the preprogrammed paranoia that defined the seminal UK fivepiece's last three outings, relying instead on ethereal backdrops and swelling strings to accentuate Thom Yorke's crystal croon. The electronic beat-scape that opens "15 Step" back-drifts briefly into Kid A as the singer quivers in questions ("How come I end up where I started?") until Jonny Greenwood's guitar enters like a tranquilizer.
Opinion: Mediocre
From The Bends in 1995 to Kid A in 2000, Radiohead morphed from an artsy, grandiose Britpop band to an artsy, grandiose avant-rock group. That’s the obvious story, and it’s true. But there’s another way to look at Radiohead’s metamorphosis: 1997’s OK Computer begins a progression from presence to absence, from assertiveness to near-disappearance.
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