Very good album. That's all I have to say.

trust me you should. it takes a second or third try, particularly if you already had a version of these tunes in your head to compete with.

I've listened to it 5 times. It's perfectly acceptable music, just nothing special. I mean, it's Radiohead, they're not a bad band at all, and there are moments of definite beauty. They could shit on a mic and make it sound compelling.

However, the reason I'm into Radiohead is their experimentation, their ability to do something a bit different. This album.. hmm.. it seems like.. OK Computer-era with a bit better production and some more effects pedals. It's just so so underwhelming and .. honestly, it's pretty fucking boring! I mean, I got this CD the same as day as Squirrel Bait: Skag Heaven and Toddle: Dawn Praise the World, and those CD's are about 500000 times better than this!!!! So, it makes me question myself a bit -- do I still actually enjoy Radiohead? But then I put on "Hail to the Thief" and go, "Holy shit, this album's brilliant!" And I put on Kid A, and my mind melts.

Basically, Radiohead... they didn't do the obvious, but then they never do; they did the "safe". Just seems like a very lazy and underwhelming album which takes little chances. I'm sure some people will say that they're "making this album for the fans!" or something; I'm sure everyone's into Radiohead for difference reasons, but... The whole thing seems rushed (which would perhaps explain the whole "internet download in 10 days!!!" thing). It's not bad, but it's by far, like I said in the other post, their worst album since Pablo Honey. It's kinda sad, I think the drumming is absolutely amazing, (drums are my favorite instrument) and the music is good, but the whole thing just seems kinda.. hmm.. I can't put my finger on it. And Thom sounds like he just doesn't give a fuck anymore.

Let me reiterate before I get flamed: IT'S A GOOD ALBUM. Just... their first album that's disappointed me since I became a fan (after The Bends came out). Also, the album is very oddly ambient... I usually pay total attention to every little detail in thier songs, but after the first few songs on here, the album just kinda falls into a void. It's certainly lovely, but... eh. Just something very odd about this album. Maybe it'll grow in me in 5 years when I listen to it again.

I don't why you think you'll be flamed because I agree with a bit of what you wrote. Next to the rest of Radiohead's discography, it doesn't really stand up. But I'm wary of the "something new or it sucks" concern (Mr. Expletive went into it more somewhere else) and, apart from novelty, In Rainbows has some very beautiful parts that are great to discover after a few rotations. As far as I can tell, Radiohead got sick of the same mentality and said "fuck it, let's make something we want to play instead of what people expect" (i.e. coming up with some new sound for the critics). They're getting older so I understand this. Saying "fuck you" to expectation is like driving against traffic except the traffic is quick to match your direction, it takes skill to keep up the u-turns. Perhaps this album is just to dupe traffic a bit and give them a breather. But really I'd rather have Radiohead do something safe but beautiful instead of a vain attempt experimentation that falls on its face under its own force. (the parallels here with Sonic Youth are interesting here).

But it is right to say this isn't up to par with their previous efforts as those have both quality and novelty over In Rainbow's quality. Of course those that don't see quality in the previous albums won't see quality here but they hardly matter. But Radiohead isn't a band to stay comfortable in a chair for very long so I expect a shift of some sort on the next release (if there is one). But, true to course, this is only a half-expectation.

I figured I'd be flamed for being obstenant or something, since most every review I've read on this has been good. But hey, I'm glad I'm not alone. I guess I don't really NEED for this album to be something different, but it just seems... it seems they regressed in a way. It just doesn't hold up compared to their other albums. It's not... brilliant. And it just seems lazy to me. I dunno. It's a good enough record, but.. I dunno. Meh.

Indeed. there are comparisons to Sonic Youth's own career here... Around the time of NYCG&F, a lot of people were astounded by the blandness and utter banality of that album, but what many didn't realise, myself included, was that that album was a way of exorcising demons. As Sonic Youth have never been all that interested in playing the music industry game, and were more interested in playing music, so are Radiohead. So it is true, in a sense, that they are playing what they want now. They are, much like Sonic Youth, artists in the true sense of the word, and all they can do is create art. This is Radiohead at their most generic.

I think it's a pretty decent album. Some songs remind me of Kashmir, or was it the other way around.

i'll take anything dave does over anything thom does.

Hell yeah, Bastro are amazing, love them. Love their first EP, which sounds identical to Big Black, and then the next two full lengths are flawless. Dave always works with amazing drummers, holy shit!

Of course, Gastr Del Sol is one of my all time favorite bands.

And I've never heard Bitch Magnet and whatever else Dave does now.

well, it's obvious this time they didn't experiment or took chances; basically, they did an album of the best songs they could do, they focused on the songs instead of the sound and the songs like they usually do. it reminds me a lot of the bends although it's like if they did the bends after ok c, kid a, httt, amnesiac, etc.

still, the songs are incredible and they did evolve, a lot, they sound very fully realised even if they sound safe for them.

my guess is that their experiments either a) didn't work so they retreated to something familiar or b) were so far out that they will come out on the box set, so the vast majority of their public won't hear them and get bummed out and the ones into their far out side will go the extra step to hear them.

I've listened to it four times, most of the tracks are starting to grow on me, although I find Reckoner and House Of Cards a bit dull.
All I Need is my favourite although it sounds a lot like Roygbiv by Boards Of Canada.
At the moment it's my least favourite Radiohead album although it took me months to get into Amnesiac, so who knows..

reminds me of what they said and thought about zappa fans

I'm not into Zappa. However, if Beefheart had recorded an album of silence, I would have bought it (which probably explains why I have Bluejeans and Moonbeams.. ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh).My girlfriend is an absolutely huge Radiohead fan. Like, HUGE, like.. downloaded-every-bootleg-on-her-56k modem-for-like-5-years and posted on message boards about them every day and all that lame shit (heh). And I burned this new album for her and I didn't tell her how I felt about it and she said, "Wow. This is probably their worst album." and she looked very sad. Aww. My other friend, who's huge into Radiohead, heard it and said, "Yeah, it's okay." Weird. Then, I get online, and every fucking review site gives it a perfect score. ...I see myself listening to most of Radiohead's output well into the future but not this CD. And that sucks, because it's NOT A BAD CD at all. I dunno why it just feels so underwhelming to me.

Dunno, kinda went back to the bends era songwriting, but the actual "things" they play are really interesting, to me it's a great record because you "hear" a classic-radiohead sound when listening to the songs, but if you "slice" them properly it's actually a pretty weird record. Not groundbreaking, far from avantgarde and experimental music, but still....
It just has that "radiohead mood", you know, and nowadays probably people hope/expect something different from them on each release they put out.
Who cares, I want to see them live again, tooourrrr soooonnnnn pleeeeaseee.

It's actually Radiohead rocking again, 12 years on; in the future; from The Bends. It's future rock. As a local DJ used to say, it's the now sound of the future.

Exactly what Everyneurotic said. I mean, take Amnesiac and the song "Like spinning plates". Album version of that song is horrid, with all the clicking and reversed sounds and stuff. Then you take the version of the same song that they did live for "I might be wrong EP" and a whole new universe just opens up in front of you.

This is why I was so pissed at my back-in-the-days former favourite band, that they were just ruining good tunes when it was not necessary (vast majority of "Amnesiac" was crap). And that is why i love In Rainbows. Yes, it might be polished and it might be dull and lacking experimentation, but then again, if I need experimental, I put on Autechre or something. Radiohead will always remain for me a band that can produce emotionally striking, strong music that can be a bit pretentious at times but can crush me into pieces like few other bands can.

See, I like the studio version of "Like Spinning Plates" and the whole of Amnesiac. But that's me.

im really wanting to hear the 2nd disc of in rainbows now.

YEAH!
That's what I said from the start, I've a feeling those will be the most interesting (if not the most beautiful) tracks of this release.

Yes, just like Blue afternoon for Tim Buckley In rainbows could be seen as a step backwards musically, but it's beautiful music and that's what matters (experimentation for the sake of it is does not always work).

What the fuck?

The album version of Like Spinning Plates is one of their best songs.

well, I kind of agree with _slavo_, the arrangements on Amnesiac ruin very beautiful harmonies. I wouldn't say it's crap though, but it's difficult listening :D

spinning plates is one of their best songs, but i guess the live version does it a little bit better for me.

on pull/pulk revolving doors (and the rest of amnesiac): amnesiac is brilliant in being a record. if you cut the songs loose, of change order it will be mediocre, but a full spin is mindblowing. so, never skip a track!

Overzealous programmers shouldn't be allowed to listen to music.

The binary theory of In Rainbows and OK Computer.
http://puddlegum.net/

Yes. I regret they didn't play Weird fishes/Arpeggi in Rock en Seine last year:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NCLv1tYoXl0

Thanks for posting the tabs... I finally realised what In Rainbows vaguely reminds me of... Liars...

It's an ok album, but all in all it's pretty underwhelming. Half the time I'm listening and I'm asking myself, "Where the hell is Radiohead?" At times it seems like a continuation of Thom's solo album. I also think it is insane that some of the reviews have it ranked almost at a "classic." There really aren't that many outstanding moments (which we've come to expect) even though they are probably deliberately going towards a more "mininmal" sound. My favorite songs are def. Reckoner and House of Cards.

I second that... The part where he sings "Because we seperate/It ripples our reflection" then he goes ooh/ooh/ahh :)... It's just beautiful... And the way he croons 'denial' on house of cards is positively sublime...

Exactly, the "denial" part is great.

It gets me everytime... On the bus home from school, staring out the windows, looking at the evening sky, with the world swirling around me like a mad carousel... And he sings, 'denial'...

i heard it breifly and found some sopngs ok but was kind of bored...
maybe it needs a deeper listen. but i dont feel like it

the CD will be available only in 2008!! but even if I have the mp3 this album is so great that I'll think to buy the CD

do you only get the 2nd disc in the box set or will it be in the CD release?

Radiohead - Faust Arp (Webcast video)

Radiohead covers New Order - Ceremony (.mp3)

here's my review:

i fucking love it.

I want to hear it. I haven't heard note one. The CD's out in January, right? EDIT: Oh, yeah, duh, I guess it would pay to read some of the thread!

That's brief but clear :D

Reckoner has grown on me, I didn't get it at the beginning but I love it now.