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". 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. is a musically laid-back number, and the lyrics express fear of the society. The sophisticated acoustic guitar solo on , formerly , are excellently put down. Ending track features a minimal music backdrop, offering a sparse atmosphere and a dark ending.