When the clock struck 12:00 this morning Radiohead fans clamored to their website and downloaded their new album In Rainbows in record numbers, causing the server to crash as expected. With a digital copy safe in my clutch I, at the same time as any music critic in my time zone (no promos for the big mags), will listen to the album.

Radiohead, without a label, have released an album where the consumer names the price (I paid $8), with all marketing done in a respectable fashion (read: no media schlepping).

Without further ado here’s the track-by-track review of In Rainbows:

“15 Step”

Right upon the first flurry of beatwork on “15 Step” its noticeable that Radiohead’s cold, terse electronics - paging Kid A - have been ditched for the brighter corners of IDM. Tinny drum machine beats (reminiscent of Autechre’s “Dael” from Tri Repetae - an opener as well) dart and shuffle around Thom Yorke, whose lyrics are far less oblique here than on past recordings (mentions of natural progression are abound). Nothing groundbreaking, but a cryptic listen nonetheless.

Pundits may call “15 Step” a slightly-too-light version of “Idioteque”; while the comparison to the most brittle of Radiohead’s tracks may not be far off the mark, it doesn’t do “15 Step” full justice. As a frayed, sunrise-type of opener the song succeeds. It would fit snugly into Hail to the Thief’s tracklisting, which can mean a number of things depending on your opinion of that album.

“Bodysnatchers”

The simplicity of “15 Step” rears its head on “Bodysnatchers,” a more colorful attempt at the midtempo chug-along. Distorted, multi-tracked guitar (courtesy of Jonny Greenwood) muddies up an otherwise by-numbers Radiohead affair, complete with a rambling Yorke and slippery bassline.

The ending coda teases the structure to a fine degree, echoing the frazzled and fried jangle of “Electioneering” from OK Computer. Satisfying but curiously lacking, to be honest. Read More »