Radiohead - In Rainbows
Alternative – Released October 10, 2007 – 10 songs, 43 mins
REID
What started as an idea to share thoughts on music between friends has evolved into a very fun hobby. Too Sweet Reviews are at album 50! Crazy to think. Aside from a few throwbacks along the way, I had next to no idea what the boys thought through the first 49 until we shared our reviews. Number 50 is different. Number 50 is special. I know exactly what they think. Where do I begin?
For my money, Radiohead is the best band in the world. Their discography is unmatched. They have experimented with and absolutely nailed multiple styles of music. They’ve been doing it for over 35 years and still produce quality records and incredible live performances. Everything Radiohead does is at another level artistically. Despite their success, they continue to push the envelope, evolve and challenge the status quo.
Although becoming popular in the early 90’s with Creep and blowing up with The Bends and Ok Computer, their sound is far from mainstream. They’re not for everyone. It took me a while to really appreciate everything they brought to the table but once I did, there was no turning back. I was hooked. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them live three times; Osheaga Music Festival in Montreal in 2016, Miami in 2017 and Toronto in 2018. Experiences I’ll never forget. They have multiple albums that flirt with perfection. Not many artists can say that. As the years passed, my fandom grew and I listened the shit out of their work, it became clear In Rainbows was my favourite.
Like every great album, things begin on a high with 15 Step. After a brief drum intro, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and co hit you with this incomparable seductive melody and never look back. I haven’t heard anything else like it. The complexity, intricacies and transitions are mind blowing. You can play the music repeatedly, focusing on different instruments each time and marvel at the ingenuity. And I haven’t even mentioned Thom Yorke’s voice which is, in a word, beautiful.
A question arose on social media years ago posing the best 3-song stretch on any album. In Rainbows has TWO entries to this question. Bodysnatchers – Nude – Weird Fishes and Reckoner – House of Cards – Jigsaw Falling Into Place. At ten songs and 43 minutes, it’s the perfect length and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I could gush about every song. Even the B-sides are a treat, particularly Last Flowers, which gives me goosebumps every time.
From start to finish, In Rainbows is ingenius. It’s a no-skip album. It’s (currently) my favourite of all time. What more can I say? In honor of TSR’s 50th album – Hard work pays off, dreams come true. Bad times don’t last but perfect albums do.
Overall Rating – 10/10
Favourite Song – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
LUNDI
Nifty nifty, look who’s 50… reviews old. We celebrate with the greatest album ever made: Radiohead’s In Rainbows.
Everyone has a golden record. That one you never get sick of. The Mount Everest of music. A desert island disk if you will. It’s subjective but simply put, it’s the best of the best, your favourite album ever. Some find it hard to choose, but for me In Rainbows stands well above the rest.
The album is extraordinary. A masterpiece. It is a crafted perfection of music years in the making. Thom Yorke and Co. did everything right on In Rainbows. Unique and groundbreaking on release and stands the test of time as one of the most influential rock records ever.
Everything is in its right place. It’s Colin Greenwood’s song elevating bass line on Nude and brother Jonny’s string and synth work on All I Need. It’s Phillip Selway’s drums on Weird Fishes/Arpeggi and Ed O’Brien’s crunchy guitar on Bodysnatchers. It’s Thom’s iconic falsetto on Reckoner and hell it’s even Nigel Godrich’s flawless work as the album producer. And all this doesn’t even begin the scratch the surface on the quintessential album. Just cannot possibly state enough how perfect this compilation is.
Carve yourself out 45 minutes with a pair of headphones and no distractions. Close your eyes and experience the musical beauty that is In Rainbows. It doesn’t get any better.
Overall Rating: 10/10
Favourite Song: Reckoner
ROZ
Fifty albums. Fifty damn albums have been reviewed by Too Sweet Reviews and it’s hard not to take a look back and see how far our little project has come. How fitting it is that the crew decided on reviewing In Rainbows for our half-a-centennial, as our Radiohead concert trip to Miami in 2017 was nothing short of legendary - a word that describes this album just as well.
This band is as iconic as it gets, and it’s quite an exorbitant task to give them the justice that they deserve. What I will say is that In Rainbows is a perfect album. From 15 Step all the way to Videotape, Radiohead takes you on a musical journey unlike any other with a vast array of timbres, tempos and melodies, making it near impossible to not close your eyes and absorb the sounds directly into your consciousness.
This album is flawlessly crafted and beautifully haunting; every guitar note, every piano key, every lyric sung, every beat of the drum echoes throughout my nervous system and releases a barrage of serotonin and dopamine within my brain. I am completely lost between each groove of the vinyl as it spins slowly against the needle that holds it firmly down. A mixture of emotion overtakes me while the record plays on, as it reminds me of the connections with people in my life that have faded yet fills me with the anticipation of what's left to come.
Because we separate,
Like ripples on a blank shore,
In rainbows.
Cheers to Fifty, cheers to the Boys and cheers to motherfucking Thom Yorke.
Overall Rating: 10/10
Favourite Song: Reckoner
Thank us later. -TSR