The Revolution Is Here - NME
This is most likely true. The album was announced and released under 10 days' time. Although the quality of the download is not very, it already presents us the impact of this album. (Note: During the Kid A era, the album was leaked onto Napster with only 128kbps MP3s and we were so happy to get those tracks. So this time around, we accept that the quality of In Rainbows has already been improved.)
There is different atmosphere on In Rainbows, besides the surprise of how it is released, from the last album Hail To The Thief. Hail To The Thief is like the combination of the first 5 Radiohead albums, and In Rainbows is the result of the extracts. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood is moving forward to his classical direction, while experimenting electronic music with the band. The result is a perfect harmony of guitar, electronics and strings.
The opening track of In Rainbows, "15 Steps", begins with electronic beats, then come the texture of sound comprising real drums, drum machines, guitars and bass guitar, together with Thom Yorke's low-key vocal, the song is a different kind of opening track for a Radiohead album - calm and sparse. "Bodysnatchers" is like written to prove Radiohead can rock, and Jonny's guitar playing is still scorching. "Nude" has been here for 9 years for all the loyal Radiohead fans. It begins with a fantasy intro comprising Thom's dream-like harmony and backward string section. This album version is similar to the version played by the band during their 2006 gigs - with a huge cut-down of guitar parts - and the song keeps its heart-stirring emotions intact. Compare to the orchestra version performed live by Thom and Jonny, "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" has been diluted and becomes an exquisite song. The electronic beats during the middle part provides familiarity to that of Bjork. "All I Need", a touching love song, lyrically is like "Creep" and musically shares similarity with "No Surprises". "Faust Arp" is like "A Wolf At The Door", with acoustic guitar and strings. It seems like that the band has been playing with the string section on an open field. The most surprising songs are "Reckoner" and "House Of Cards". "Reckoner" is a different song to that song originally filled with heavy guitar sound. The version on the album has a slower pace, and the string synthesizer gives the song a psychedelic treatment. "House Of Cards" is a musically laid-back number, and the lyrics express fear of the society. The sophisticated acoustic guitar solo on "Jigsaw Falling Into Place", formerly "Open Pick", are excellently put down. Ending track "Videotape" features a minimal music backdrop, offering a sparse atmosphere and a dark ending.
In Rainbows is more sophisticated than the previous albums, and it feels like the band has returned to the basis, and kept the balance right. Similar transition happened to the Beatles as well during the change from Sgt. Pepper to The Beatles (a.k.a. The White Album). Radiohead music always has the sparse atmosphere, and with fine tuning and minimal music, the impact is much greater than in the past. On the other hand, there is a laid-back and relaxed feeling on the album, looks like the band is relaxed as they are freed from any contractual restraints.
The album is first released as a 10 track album, then as a double album. It redefines the Radiohead golden rule - not releasing a Radiohead double album. We are looking forward to the CD2 on the discbox version, and see if the 8 new tracks on CD2 can make the album tighter. No matter what the outcome will be, the impact brought by In Rainbows is of similar level to that of OK Computer and Kid A. In Rainbows has proved that Radiohead has reached yet another creative peak.