The unprecedented move to release the album online first, according to lead singer Thom Yorke in published news reports, will force consumers to assess how much they are willing to pay for art and music. Yorke also voiced desire to leak the album himself since the band’s previous four albums had been leaked prior to scheduled release dates. The content of the album matches the ambience of the release of the album: singular and upbeat, though not as experimental as 2000’s Kid A or 2001’s Amnesiac. Structurally and lyrically, any one of these songs could have been chosen as commercial singles, which makes this album much more accessible than previous endeavors.
There isn’t a dull moment in this digitally-bound piece of art, and the hype leading up to the release of the album delivers with one of the band’s strongest efforts to date. The opening syncopated rhythms of “15 Step” practically beg the listener to gambol down the hallway, something the listener apparently should not stop doing once the album transitions into “Bodysnatchers.” Punctuated by spastic electric guitars and Yorke’s singularly eccentric voice, rhythmic boldness and accuracy characterize this catchy tune. “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” evokes 1997’s OK Computer with references to summer and carefree days and is a strong tune with drummer Phil Selway’s constant beat and Jonny Greenwood’s nonchalantly precise lead guitar. Slow-love droning ballad “All I Need” and love-trance tune “House of Cards” incorporate explicable, sentimental and maudlin lyrics (for a change) and relive moments some fans may have thought Yorke had abandoned with 1995’s The Bends. The album’s penultimate tune, “Jigsaw Falling Into Place,” is the single from the album, but perhaps this decision was only necessary and arbitrary. The bittersweet and melancholic closing tune, “Videotape,” is dizzyingly ethereal like gossamer to the ears and slowly brings the album to a cessation. Unlike some Radiohead albums, this one is accessible for a mainstream audience. This isn’t a slight on In Rainbows. Rather, it’s a credit that the band is able to transition seamlessly from computer-influenced music on 2001’s Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief and art music in 2000’s Kid A.
After the band's five year hiatus punctured only by a short tour in 2006, the initial release of the album was a brilliant idea on the band’s part. Forget 99 cent songs purchases at iTunes or purchasing through retailers like Amazon or Borders. These are just ways the consumer would have to pony up the dough. Forget even trying to download the album illegally and risk infecting your computer with a virus. In typical Radiohead fashion, the band went a new route that other bands, perhaps too aligned and tied to their record labels, couldn't attempt. Just as the consumer can choose how much to pay for the album – and thus, assess their allocated value for music – I shall not give this album a star rating. The consumer has the power with this one. Yes, that means you, folks. You choose what you want with this one.
