Euphoria

In Rainbows is the seventh album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead. This album was available for digital downloads before the standard CD release ,for a price quoted by the downloader ,one of the most daring experiments made by Radiohead ever.

The album starts off with a foot tapping number ‘15 Steps’. The song is as refreshing as it can get , with twisting guitar chords and rhythmic beats, it stands as a testimony to the continuing assimilation of different music styles by Radiohead. The sounds of cheering kids around midway of this song provide an interesting twist to this song.’Bodysnathchers’ is as heavily textured as its predecessor , and maintains the frantic pace and energy provided by the first song.

A speed breaker is provided in the form of ‘Nude’, a track with sensual humming and vocals, backed by soft strums of the guitar. The pace picks up a notch in ‘Weird Fishes/Arpeggi’, but is maintained at a pleasant level , making the track a melodious one. The song evokes a feeling of elation ,but a much darker melancholic emotion creeps once the song ends.’All i Need’ follows ,with strong and subtle sounds which make their presence even without raising the decibels or tempo. Johnny Greenwood’s skill can be seen throughout the album, through all the unique and stimulating abstract sounds. The lyrics in this album is universal and is at a very personal level with emphasis on being human. This nature is evident in the following song ‘Faust Arp’,which is also notable for a mesmerizing use of the Violin.

‘Reckoner’ starts with a much faster tempo and Thom Yorke’s hypnotic falsetto voice, backed by some unconventional musical instruments. It is a sure fire-breather.’House of Cards’ is as good as any Radiohead song can get with the full prowess of Thom Yorke’s trademark vocal skills. This is one of the songs which make ‘In Rainbows’ the most personal and non-political/social album ever released by Radiohead.

‘Jigsaw Falling Into Place’ is a song about random observations and partly about chaos,and is one of the most memorable songs of this album. The album concludes with a minimalistic piano ballad ‘Videotape’ which though minimalistic in style is as compelling as any of the band’s other acclaimed songs.

On the whole this is a major album released by a major band ,and is the gentlest and prettiest Radiohead compilation ever. It is a sensual record which conjures breathtaking beauty, rather than the band’s usual angst-ridden social/political commentary.’In Rainbows’ has no wasted moments or wasted tracks, and is pure unadulterated Radiohead.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 29th, 2010 at 5:22 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.