Radiohead - In Rainbows

Whether you subscribe to the church of Radiohead or not, you have to give the group credit for its earnest devotion to music. Far more than contemporaries of their status, they are committed to the production of fresh, creative albums that push their sound in new directions.

Unfortunately, this attitude has led them down a creative path that has alienated many of their former fans. After 1997's widely acclaimed OK Computer, Radiohead wasn't sure how to follow up what is still the greatest album of their career. The mounting pressure led the band to deconstruct its anthemic guitar-rock in favor of electronic experimentation. While many heralded their next effort, Kid A, as an artistic triumph, others decried its inaccessibility and wished the group would return to playing guitars properly.

Ten years after the fact, In Rainbows may well be the follow-up to OK Computer those estranged fans were looking for. Though it heeds the experimental lessons of Radiohead's last few albums, the group has made a pointed return to traditional songwriting. Excellent new songs such as "House of Cards" and "Reckoner" could easily have been highlights in Radiohead's pre-OK Computer catalogue, featuring traditional guitar hooks and inviting, accessible songwriting.

Of all the directions Radiohead could have taken, this seems the least likely. Songs such as "The Gloaming" and "Backdrifts" on 2003's Hail to the Thief pointed toward frenetic glitch-pop territory, while Thom Yorke's solo project The Eraser suggested a pretty mess of homemade agit-pop.

In Rainbows, however, is notably warmer and simpler than anything the band has done in its career. Strange electronic effects still haunt a few of the tracks (see the fractured drum introduction of "15 Step"), but the clear focus is on guitar, percussion and supple string arrangements.

So breathe a sigh of relief, OK Computer fans – Radiohead has decided to embrace actual songwriting again. Whether it's with the incredible love-sick buildup of "All I Need" or the frenetic, infectious guitar freak-out of "Bodysnatchers", it's clear this is Radiohead's most unabashedly melodic material in more than a decade. Many songs are among their greatest.


Radiohead - "All I Need"; live in studio 12/31/07
Sometimes, however, In Rainbows feels maddeningly basic. Though each track sounds great in the moment, the album as a whole may leave listeners unsatisfied. Compared to all of Radiohead's previous work, there is noticeably less substance to the music. Is the simplicity here an artistic choice, or indicative of a dearth of new ideas? The album's frustratingly short run-time (at a little over 40 minutes) does little to allay listener's doubts.

But fans know it's impossible to thoroughly evaluate a new Radiohead album in less than a week. Perhaps, given time, In Rainbows may prove itself equal to Radiohead's greatest albums (The Bends and Kid A, and of course OK Computer). Certainly, it's clearly superior to 2003's great-but-not-amazing Hail to the Thief, and an excellent return to form. Only repeated listens, however, will reveal whether In Rainbows will achieve "classic" status.

Originally published for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2007/oct/18/radiohead-returns-to-a-more-fundamental-sound/

Radiohead vs. the music industry.

It's no secret that the Internet is slowly but surely bringing music labels to their knees. Physical record sales are dropping by phenomenal amounts, online services like iTunes are converting more and more customers every day and consumers continue to turn to sharing programs to download new music. And now, as if the industry didn't have enough problems, one of the biggest-selling musical acts of our generation is giving their new album out as a free download.

The music world was shocked last week when Radiohead multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood announced that his band's new album, In Rainbows, would be self-released as a DRM-free MP3 download. What's even more startling is that the band is allowing fans to pay however much they want for the files. In effect, Radiohead is handing out their music for free and asking for a donation. In case you'd prefer to buy something physical, the band is also contracting the release of a box set (which includes the album on vinyl and CD, with bonus content) for £40 (roughly $80). All profits go directly to the band.

After 2003's Hail to the Thief capped off Radiohead's six-record contract with EMI, many speculated the band would take an unorthodox approach to the release of their seventh LP. Almost no one, however, had suspected the band would so totally ignore the traditional means of music distribution. Radiohead's market plan cuts out every single middleman in the business – there will be no single for radio promotion, and critics will not receive advance records for review. There will be no label to manage the printing and distribution of the album, and promotional companies will play no part in the hype surrounding In Rainbows.

Does this approach mark the beginning of a massive retooling of music distribution?

Not for all bands. There are only a select few artists who would be able to pull off a coup like this. Radiohead, with more than a decade of major label promotion and critical acclaim behind them, is in a particularly enviable position. As one of the biggest bands in the world, it boasts an extremely devoted fan base, one that is willing to pay for music even if it doesn't have to. Would the latest *emo* boys on Pete Wentz's Fueled by Ramen imprint be able to do this with any degree of success? It's doubtful.

Radiohead could, however, be blazing a new promotional pathway for other, similarly gigantic music acts. In fact, the Oxford-based quintet is not the first to try a stunt like this. Just a few months ago, pop superstar Prince had label managers pulling their hair when he handed out free copies of his new album Planet Earth with issues of the British tabloid The Mail on Sunday. At first blush, this might seem like an odd and expensive way to promote one's music. Prince's critics, however, were quickly silenced when he proceeded to sell out no fewer than 20 shows at the London's O2 Arena. With a capacity of 20,000 people and ticket prices roughly five times the price of Planet Earth, Prince found himself raking in a tidy profit.

Forward-thinking musicians such as Prince and Radiohead are embracing a distribution approach that has the potential to cut the music industry out of the loop entirely. Will their bold experiments spark change in an obviously outdated system?

Guy Hands, the president of Radiohead's former label EMI, as quoted by the Telegraph, recently described Radiohead's move as "a wake-up call which we should all welcome and respond to with creativity and energy" before going on to declare EMI will have to either embrace the online medium or go out of business.

We can only hope other labels will take his words to heart. In the meantime, we have the incredible opportunity to listen to the latest album from a great band without the critical bias of music reviews or the commercial hubbub of radio singles and unneeded promotion. For once, it really is just about the music and the musicians who created it.

Original written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2007/oct/11/as-free-as-the-radio/