Finally we come to my favorite band of all time. Initially when I thought of compiling this list my intentions were to include just one album for each band only. However, when it comes to Radiohead I find it next to impossible to comply with this rule. I really want to include Kid A as one of my all time favorite albums but if I were torn between making a choice I believe the release of their seventh studio album, In Rainbows, should be more highly regarded.
Amid speculation that the band were directionless, frustrated and on the verge of splitting up, they released this gem from nowhere and it was the release itself which got people talking before even a note of music was heard. Not only did they release In Rainbows as a download only, they also introduced the pay-any-price-you-will policy. It showed a realization of the inevitability of today’s means of acquiring music and appealing to people’s consciences to actually pay for music. If nothing else, it was a triumph of marketing.
Surely after five critically acclaimed albums they couldn’t repeat the same feat again and make it six? Yet again, they proved they are master musicians and did make it six. This album certainly doesn’t sound like a band contemplating their direction. Radiohead sound complete and confident, a band at the peak of their powers no less. Incoorporating both avant-garde electronics and more straightforward guitar rock with the usual political undertones throughout it feels the band have liberated themselves from their self-imposed pressure to innovate. Given the fact Thom Yorke was given the opportunity to vent his more experimental tendancies on his solo album, it showcases just how good the band are when they are actually doing what they do best, play music. A special mention to Phil Selway whose drumming which is firmly back.
However, it also shows an exploration into an area which is never touched upon by Radiohead, that of emotions, romance, and love. It’s a gentle and even subtle affair using the full musical and emotional spectra to conjure breathtaking beauty.
The multifaceted opener, ‘15 steps’, is a great introduction and harks back to a more experimental sound we have become familiar with from the band; clattering beats, dub-style bass but also with a relaxed guitar based sound kicking in through. More importantly, it uses the much underused 5/8 time signature to create, overall, a rather interesting piece. ‘Bodysnatchers’ is a great rock number with aggressive outbursts from Yorke as a propulsive distorted bass riff. If there were any doubts Radiohead couldn’t rock anymore, this lays them firmly to rest. Next up is the long overdue ‘Nude’ which has been lingering around in their live shows for almost a decade and has finally been committed to an album. It’s simplicity is the key here, simple drums, undistorted guitars, a modest bassline reminiscent of an organ, and the well known Yorke warbling throughout. ‘Weird Fishes/Arpeggi’ brandishes drums behind its drain-circling arpeggios and we are treated to some amazing Yorke metaphors which make the band so lyrically satisfying. Next is "All I Need", which dresses up what begins as a skeletal rhythm section in cavernous swaths of glockenspiel, synths, pianos, and white noise. ‘Faust Arp’ is a simple yet effective piece using just finger-picked guitar and strings throughout. Next up is the stunning ‘Reckoner’ with Yorke’s falsetto playing off brilliantly with clanging percussion and meandering guitar lines and ranks up there with some of the best work the band have created. ‘House of Cards’ pounds along with a rather unsettling pulse, chipped guitar chords and waves of reverbed feedback. ‘Jigsaw Falling Into Place’ rides a propulsive bass and drum part coupled with moaning from Yorke before we are lead into a great song but admittedly feels rather pedestrian at times. Finally, we are treated to the almost funeral march quality of ‘Videotape’ but it is more dreamy than dreary. Overall, a great album by a great band, here at number 5 is Radiohead with ‘In Rainbows’.
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