Album of the week: Radiohead - “In Rainbows”

Full disclosure: I’ve been fully enamored and reverential towards Radiohead for nearly 30 years. Their debut album didn’t resonate with me, but as soon as The Bends dropped in early 1995, it was obvious that something major had been unleashed within this band. The depth of their songwriting and the very creative use of sonics on that record began a run of fearless creativity; music that still sounds ahead of its time.

With every album moving forward, Radiohead has taken risks and changed the rules along the way. Just as Kraftwerk are said to be the most influential band of the past half century (for good reason!), I’ll say that Radiohead deserve that distinction as well. They are certainly the most innovative band in the past few decades that use guitars, yet calling them a ‘guitar band’ would be a fallacy.

While OK Computer may be their undisputed masterpiece, in recent years I find myself equally transfixed by In Rainbows. This is an album that oozes such confidence, it’s a wonder that its creation was so difficult that it nearly broke the band. Thankfully, despite their management suggesting they break up rather than try to force an album, the band decided to forge ahead. At the very least, they would take the opportunity to end on a high note. Simpatico producer Nigel Godrich was able to help the band find their way, and turn out one of the finest records ever recorded.

Clocking in at a concise 42 and a half minutes, the album works as a singular listening experience. After many years of listening , I still need to check the titles of a few of the songs - BUT, it doesn’t mean that they are unmemorable. It just means that they are part of this great work, that is art as a whole. The songs that do stick out, stick out in a massive way; ‘Bodysnatchers’ essentially rewrites and reinvents rock n roll. ‘Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi’ drips with gorgeous guitar arpeggios. ‘House Of Cards’ stands as one of their most anthemic. ‘Faust Arp’ is beautiful, unintelligible acoustic weirdness with nonsense lyrics that convey mood. It’s a staggering album, and one that I never grow tired of.