Benjamin Rizzo
Met with smiling eyes from Ireland to Los Angeles, rock giant Radiohead pleases the masses with their latest offering, “In Rainbows.”
After a four-year slumber, the band, led by front man Thom Yorke, made their new release available only through Internet download on Oct. 10. Fans chose how much to pay, if anything at all, for the album, sending shockwaves throughout the entire recording industry.
This reviewer paid absolutely nothing and received 10 tracks of harmonic bliss in return.
At first play, listeners might expect the band’s previous aggressive sound as the first track, “15 Step,” begins with the violent, synthesized beats Jonny Greenwood has become worshipped for on prior albums. The song is quickly smoothened out, however, as a mellow jazz guitar riff joins the synthesizer, only to be overtaken again at the end of the track by some fast-paced sound mixing.
For Radiohead rookies, the band has become known for its innovations in music recording, utilizing techniques and sounds many people have never thought possible.
Never is this more evident than on Track 3, titled “Nude.” The song begins with a looped sample of Yorke’s vocals played backward against a background blend of strings and percussion that, when mixed, create a pretty cool sound and a pretty cool song.
Easily the band’s best effort, Track 5, “All I Need,” is one of those songs that could be put on repeat and played for an entire afternoon. As close to a love song as Radiohead has come, the track displays a softer sound than most of the band’s latest recordings. The last 60 seconds of this song are as fine a musical composition as any found this year, as the track ends with a goosebump-triggering crescendo for which applause is necessary.
Anyone interested in the instrument-like potential of a man’s voice must hear Track 7, “Reckoner.” The beauty of Yorke’s falsetto is only matched by the skill of Phil Selway’s percussion, furthering the band’s soft, powerful, sound.
In all, Radiohead has produced yet another musical masterpiece in a long anthology of constant reinvention. The album achieves an operatic ambiance for which listeners should be charged an admission fee each time they hit the play button.
At a price of $0.00, this is the best money you will never spend.
Review Rating: A