4.5/5.0 - Highly Recommended
A short time ago, I was surprised with the news that Radiohead was releasing their seventh studio album, titled In Rainbows. Now, two weeks later, I am listening to the album I have been looking forward to since 2003's Hail To The Thief and I can honestly say it was worth the wait.
This album is defined by its simplicity. Gone are the weird glitchy synthesizers that were arguably used to excess in Radiohead's most recent efforts, replaced instead by simple guitar riffs and muted drums which take a back seat to Thom Yorke's signature falsetto (which itself has been left surprisingly free of any sort of distortion or effect save for reverb). This is Radiohead's sound purified and boiled down to their Platonic form. Tightly produced and still as haunting and beautiful as fans should expect from the band responsible for OK Computer , In Rainbows does not disappoint or feel forced throughout its 43 minute runtime.
It should be noted, however that even with the simplicity of the production, Radiohead has managed to create an array of different sounds in each of their songs which not only reflect an evolution of their music, but also echo earlier iterations of their music. The crunchy electric guitar on 'Bodysnatchers', for example evokes the more mainstream sound seen on Pablo Honey and The Bends, while the orchestral 'Faust Arp' reminds the listener of the cinematic OK Computer.
As far as I am concerned, this album is easily one of Radiohead's better offerings and I would highly recommend it to longtime fans or new listeners.
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