Life's A Picnic

Win luxury hampers plus Waitrose vouchers & guidebooks

Navigation - link to other main sections from here

Skip Navigation

From The Sunday Times
October 14, 2007

Radiohead

Dan Cairns

In Rainbows
www.inrainbows.com

This album’s method of distribution (online only, as a digital download, at a price decided on by purchasers, or as a £40 “discbox”) has generated a huge buzz. What, though, of its artistic merits? Fans of each of the band’s phases will find much to love here. Reckoner and Weird Fishes/Arpeggi construct layer upon layer of dense, oppressive sonic and lyrical architecture; 15 Step’s playground noises chill the blood; Bodysnatchers sounds like PiL covering Day Tripper. If the stodgy, meandering film-noir electronica of All I Need and the overuse of drum-and-guitar introductory frameworks attest to how insular and aimless Radiohead can sometimes seem, Videotape’s marriage of kick drum, rumbling piano and Thom Yorke’s defeated and forlorn vocal reminds you that, at its best, their music can be overwhelming.

Nothing can prepare you for this collection of songs. Hats off to RadioHead, because they really have made people sit up and listen. By stripping away the distributors cut they have put the music at the forefront, where it belongs. I suspected this album would be rubbish. About 15 listens in and I realise this is on another plain altogether. I paid 1p+ 45p for this, but I'm already getting ready to stump up £40 for the box set just to listen to the other CD. I have thousands of songs on CD or MP3 but nothing has ever made this sort of impact on me, I honestly have never got this excited about an album before. To rate it with stars is wrong because it really is in a league of its own. Any self respecting artist should listen to it and think...'Why didn't I make that album?'

Anil Khandelwal, Leicester,

Have your say

* Required

Also in CD Reviews

Also in Music

Most Read

Skip Most Read

Today

MOST COMMENTED

Skip Editor's Pick

Today

MOST CURIOUS

Skip Most Curious

Today

Focus Zone

swimmer

London Triathlon:

Read the training tips and advice that helped our London Triathletes

Focus zone, pets, 100x100

Perfect Pets:

Times Online's new TV show helps you make the right decisions for your pet

Daniel Craig

James Bond:

Read our exclusive 100 Years of Fleming and Bond interactive timeline, packed with original Times articles and reviews

ba business travel clouds

Business Travel:

The latest travel news plus the best hotels and gadgets for business travellers

previous next

Popular Searches on Times Online

a level results 2008 | bollywood news | chess | dark knight review | fantasy football 2008 | fashion | london film festival 2008 | mortgages | olympics news | podcasts | property | recipes | redundancy | sudoku | wine

Shortcuts to help you find sections and articles

Soprano Danielle de Niese

Times Proms Podcast

Stunning soprano Danielle de Niese

Services

Laura Marling

How best to be famous?

Classifieds 

Cars

Skip Cars of the Week

Audi RS4 Saloon Quattro

06/2006
£40,850

Car insurance

Great car insurance deals online


Jobs

Skip Jobs of the Week
Regional Corporate Development Manager

£33,000
Macmillan Cancer Support
Central/South West

Leadership Programme

£50k
NHS
Nationwide

International Management Trainees

£ £30k OTE
Meltwater News
Nationwide

Finance Director

circa £70k
Central Office of Information
London

Properties

NEW PRE LAUNCH In Ajman UAE

5% below developer pre-launch price!

The Gardens @ Riverside Quarters Wandsworth

Luxury Appts, beautiful gardens w/ Thames views

One Housing Group

Great Homes Available on a shared Ownership Basis

Holidays

Skip Travel of the Week

Las Vegas

Visit the ‘entertainment capital of the world’
at great sale prices!

APT River Cruising

Christmas Cruises
From only £995pp

Australia savings

APTs East Coast now from only
£2425pp.

Travel insurance

Great travel insurance deals online


Place your advert now