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Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood on “In Rainbows”: “It’s Fun to Make People Think About What Music is Worth”

10/10/07, 1:09 pm EST


Unlike the fans who haven’t removed their headphones since 2 AM, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is able to focus something other than In Rainbows right now: We talked to him this morning for an upcoming story about his experimental orchestral work, Popcorn Superhet Receiver, which will be making its U.S. debut in New York this January. But Greenwood was also kind enough to share some thoughts about his band’s industry-shaking new album. Here’s a sample:

Why did you choose to release the album this way?
Partly just to get it out quickly, so everyone would hear it at the same time, and partly because it was an experiment that felt worth trying, really.

Why the variable pricing?
It’s fun to make people stop for a few seconds and think about what music is worth, and that’s just an interesting question to ask people.

How would you respond to complaints about the sound quality — that 160 isn’t a high enough bitrate?
I don’t know, we talked about it and we just wanted to make it a bit better than iTunes, which it is, so that’s kind of good enough, really. It’s never going to be CD quality, because that’s what CD does.

What goals did you have for the album itself?
I suppose we wanted to get back slightly to Kid A in that we were spending longer experimenting and trying stuff out — it wasn’t so much of a performance-based thing, like Hail to the Thief. Other than that, it’s the usual thing of turning up with these songs and the pressure is, “Don’t fuck it up, don’t record them badly, don’t do bad arrangements of them, and do them justice.” So that’s what we’ve done.

What are your touring plans?
That’s exactly what we finally started talking about. Now that the album’s out, we can get together exactly how and where we’re going to tour.

For full coverage of In Rainbows, check out the next issue of Rolling Stone. Popcorn Superhet Receiver will be performed by a thirty-five-piece orchestra on January 17th in New York’s Church of St. Paul the Apostle.

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Comments

Bangers-N-Mash | 10/10/2007, 1:57 pm EST

I will sell my left arm to see them again when they come back to NYC.

Sweet Pete | 10/10/2007, 2:01 pm EST

I’ve been through the album four times now, and it’s absolutely earth shattering. I’m baffled…

Joshua | 10/10/2007, 2:32 pm EST

i hope comes to Mexico…

good call | 10/10/2007, 2:34 pm EST

pretty incredible that NEARLY EVERY person posting about the album is raving about it…

and for those of you complaining that it doesn’t push the boundaries enough…so what. After all, they completely shattered the boundaries with how they released the record.

Constraint is a good thing…Radiohead is already radical enmough. They don’t need to be anarchist.

CurtMayfield | 10/10/2007, 2:47 pm EST

me too, I saw them in west palm a few years back, fucking amazing, this album really holds up, they have done it again.

Like every radiohead album, it takes a few listens to really understand it. But it really is a triumph of both musicality and a band that has the power to change the music business.

God bless radiohead.

Donovan | 10/10/2007, 2:52 pm EST

Holy holy shit. I have been listening to the album since 4:15am when I downloaded it. I feel that the $81 I paid for the discbox is absolutely worth it. I am stoked to get the second CD. I am still amazed at how crisp the sounds are in this album. Thom Yorkes voce is as clear and delicate as on The Eraser. Simply beautiful music. I will be amazed if this album gets any less than 4 1/2 stars in the next RS issue.

4thHorseman | 10/10/2007, 2:54 pm EST

Yeah, see them on tour if you can. Best show I’ve ever seen on HTTT Tour, played for almost 3 hours and sounded great.

ak$ | 10/10/2007, 2:54 pm EST

I can only hope they set up some measure for the next tour to keep “ticket brokers” (read: scalpers) from botting all the tickets and reselling them for 300, 400 bucks a pop.

Legions love this band, so brokers will pay extra attention to this upcoming tour. Something like that “name on the credit card has to match the name of the person using the ticket” idea that was recently used, but not so much, ya know?

dude... | 10/10/2007, 3:02 pm EST

“I can only hope they set up some measure for the next tour to keep “ticket brokers” (read: scalpers) from botting all the tickets and reselling them for 300, 400 bucks a pop.”

So true…makes me even more happy to have bought a ticket from some guy outside Madison Square Garden for $100 bucks in the summer 0f 2006. I offered him $110 but the guy took $100 (his friends didn’t show up). I paid the guy as dozens of people around me looked on amazed (and probably with more $ to offer than I did.)

Probably won’t get away with that ever again.

schneilob | 10/10/2007, 3:03 pm EST

One of the best pieces of music to come from the great Radiohead yet. Long may they continue to bring us great music in a ground breaking way.

pedro alves | 10/10/2007, 3:11 pm EST

i am listening track 2 now its pretty good until now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LONG LIVE RADIOHEAD…i will get the cd later on..i am a true fan of music.

steve | 10/10/2007, 3:12 pm EST

Personally, I’m not sure of the whole thing. Perhaps its because its because I’ve been listening to all the live versions (which are startlingly similiar to the album versions…) for far too long. I dunno what I was expecting but this album just sounds incomplete to me. Some cool ideas in it, but it doesn’t have the cohesive sound of OK Computer or Kid A. It’s not nearly as groundbreaking as their past work has been, something which radiohead was synonymous with (at least in pop and rock circles I think). I feel like this album is more like a collection of songs rather than an album, and it sounds like there hasn’t been a whole lot of thought as to creatively interpret the songs but a lot of mostly obvious, radiohead ideas. That being said, on the other hand the songwriting is better than its ever been I think. It’s a more matured and self-confident sound that i haven’t heard from Thom Yorke before. The album feels put-together and not complete, which I’m not willing to say is a bad thing because it seems like the songs are just more focussed on the song writing.

beniak | 10/10/2007, 3:19 pm EST

Maybe Radiohead should come to Poland second time… at last. They were here when they wasn`t so big stars as now.
By the way… album is great (better then HTTT.

Airbag | 10/10/2007, 3:24 pm EST

Fucken awesome album!

chuck | 10/10/2007, 3:27 pm EST

I’m still waiting for my frickin download code. Am I the ONLY sucker who didn’t get it?? Checked spam-mail and all that. And I actually paid for it too…

Keller | 10/10/2007, 3:30 pm EST

This is seriously a great album and kudos to Radiohead for challenging the music industry and rewarding their fans. Great band!

Diego - Peru | 10/10/2007, 3:40 pm EST

I´m still waiting for my code :(
but its a great idea,all the bands should do it.

Alex | 10/10/2007, 3:52 pm EST

After listening to this album 3 times in its entirety, I started to feel that Radiohead has changed, finally… Again. I think the best way to explain the album is that it achieves what ‘Hail to the Thief did’ not. Catchy guitar, cohesive synth, all while remaining a conceptual Radiohead album. I wish there was a way to dissect and re-equate Radiohead albums to see if what you’ve got not only measures up, but satisfies.
Well… I tried. And this one does.
My favorite thing about this album is that it moves and transcends sound much like OK Computer did. The songs have an incredible range. Bodysnatchers was the first song I became connected to. Waiting this long for an album, you just need something to rock to. And this song does rock. But finally Radiohead did something it failed to do on Hail to the Thief: It gave you more songs, on such a different plain, that you simply moved on from one song to the next. You become unattatched, allowing for a truly song-oriented album to evolve.
In Rainbows also has the atmosphere of Amnesiac. Only this time the mind-filling resonance is accentuating guitars and piano, and not quite keyboards and “pots and pans”. I could imagine perfectly Dollars and Cents appearing on this album.
But how much do I know? Radiohead is unique enough not to be grasped immediately, intricate enough not to be understood for a while, and risky enough to be hesitant in your first few thoughts and judgements. At least, for me, there was no hesitation. This is a stand-out album for the world’s most important band. Radiohead has picked up the guitars and seems to have built a new foundation out of what they do best… Change music.

Hunter | 10/10/2007, 4:21 pm EST

Pearl Jam & Radiohead are the best 2 bands today.

Jesse | 10/10/2007, 4:40 pm EST

For ages and ages people live and die. I’m just glad I was born during this generation…living my life without experiencing Radiohead would have been sad.

Anonymous | 10/10/2007, 4:44 pm EST

After the third listen, the enchantment of “In Rainbows” has taken hold. With the exception of a couple YouTubes of 15 Step, I stayed away from much of the live material these last couple years so my untainted ears were ripe for the new sounds. It was worth the wait.

I understand how those looking for another “OK Computer” or “Kid A” could come away with an empty feeling. Those days of experimentation are long gone and this album isn’t breaking new ground. Instead, we are left with a refreshing gem of a mature Radiohead at their most masterful.

Ironically this album may serve as a bridge for those fans alienated by “OKC” and “Kid A”. For those that don’t remember, some felt “OKC” unsettling and others found “Kid A” down right bizarre. It wouldn’t surprise me if those same fans embraced this creation and discovered a deep appreciation for OKC-HTTT in the process.

With its rich textures and sprinkles of past innovations, “In Rainbows” creeps up on you like a familiar kiss from a long forgotten high school sweetheart. There are no surprises here but those of us that have been around the block aren’t let down and it feels damn good. (8/10) – My favorite of 2007.

katey | 10/10/2007, 4:53 pm EST

bought the discbox too and now I really can’t wait to hear the other eight songs!!!

Anton | 10/10/2007, 5:08 pm EST

I paid 5 cents for the new album!

CarlosV | 10/10/2007, 5:19 pm EST

To ” Jesse” “For ages and ages people live and die. I’m just glad I was born during this generation…living my life without experiencing Radiohead would have been sad.”

Amen to that.

Enjoy it people, they don’t have to make another OK or KID A or a better one than those. Let them make music, and enjoy it ..ultimately, it’s not about the fans, it’s about the music.

EEDAm | 10/10/2007, 5:42 pm EST

What a fantastic album. What a sonic disappoitment. Jonny Greenwood is an electronics junky and sound genius. He says that a 160kbps rip is better than iTunes – yes it is. However he also knows that it is perfectly possible to produce 320 or FLAC rips which do give you CD quality and the Jonny Greenwood I’ve been following since pre Pablo Honey just doesn’t sound convincing. In Rainbows is fine on your hi-fi sounds *bad* and limited on a proper hi-fi and all for the sake of cutting a few cents per download out of the cost of the bandwidth.

I really hope the band do the decent thing and release a higher quality rip, if necessary for people who paid enough for the album (I gave 15 bucks) to cover the slight incremental costs of the bandwidth.

There’s a much fuller discussion of the sound quality and rip here;

http://www.electricdeath.c om/blog/1200

i don't have it! | 10/10/2007, 5:47 pm EST

I don’t have my code!!!!!!!!!!

Karamazov | 10/10/2007, 5:48 pm EST

October 10′th… Tonight, as I was waiting for the bus, I suddenly remembered. It’s October 10th. Rainbows day. Radiohead day. As any self respecting Radiohead fan, I’ve been waiting for this day for such a long time. Spam searching on Youtube for Open Pick and Arpeggi and writing “oh my god, I can’t wait for the new album” reviews. Then LP7 recieved a name: “In Rainbows”. And finnaly, the NEWS… Radiohead would release this album in a “pay as much as you want” digital version. I’d never came so close to breaking in tears, Radiohead was the first to do that, road-openers, pioneers. Has any other band ever given their fans such a present? I think not. And it would all happen on October 10′th.

I even forgot my keys on the outside, begging my pc to start faster. A few moments later I had the precious songs on my hard drive and, with my hands shaking, my earphones on, my eyes closed, I began listening. And well… how can I put this… let me explain. I started listening to Radiohead about one year ago, yes I’m a noob. Their last album, Hail To The
Thief had already been out since 2003. Since then, they began playing a few new songs on
their tours. All amazing. Radiohead are indeed amazing during live concerts. And they played
their new songs like geniuses. But they were probably TOO good. For me, the first impression
is very important. If I listen to a remix before I hear it’s original form, there’s a very
high probability that the original version will sound worse to me. But with “In Rainbows”
it’s different. Believe me, I’ve been patient. During this short evening I’ve gone through
the new songs twice, all their old albums, and all the live performances. And I’m
dissapointed. It’s not the songs, they’re nice, some beautiful, some art. But I just can’t
convince myself that what i’m hearing is the finished version of a Radiohead album. Of
course, the real release will have new songs, I’m not talking about that. It’s just that the
songs seem blank, the sound too thin, the words too clear, the screams too weak. This are
the same songs that, played live, completely blew my mind. In a brilliant review of an old
album, Amnesiac or HttT, a smart critic noticed that Thom’s voice was “just another instrument”. Indeed, Radiohead always had a sound haze, a complete feeling to their music.

Those were not just songs but much more. It was never just about telling things or playing tunes. It was all about atmosphere and feelings, every song was an experience in it’s own right, never the same. Every song was a whole, complete and perfect. My favourite example would be Like Spinning Plates, from the Amnesiac album. Some of the live verions of the new
songs, like Open Pick have the same quality. The sound is blurry, with a heavy feeling to it. You might even find my comment on Youtube, claiming that this song would become the new Paranoid Android. The song just screamed “loose yourself”. The finished song, now called Jigsaw Falling Into Place almost says “we just lost it”. And what about Arpeggi? The “weird
fishes” part of the live version used to give me the floating feeling of Hunting Bears. The
finished version is just blank and loud.

Ok,there are some good parts too. First of all, I’ve never seen the other songs on Youtube,
so I didn’t have any expectations. Sounds lame? It is, because this is Radiohead I’m writing about. Then there’s Nude. This song has been ten years in the making and it has finnaly earned it’s place on an album. It’s sounds great, but it would be hard to screw up such a
simple and beautiful tune. And they almost did it, by making the bass too loud. The live
version still sounds a bit better with it’s misty feel.
So is Radiohead moving in a new direction? I don’t think so. After Thom’s “The Eraser” solo
album I had such thoughts. But after finding the new live songs my fears were gone. Radiohead was back, in full force. And in all it’s “you’ll never hear this song on radio or see it on MTV” glory. Well… well… have I been wrong? Some might say “give them a break,
they’re just human”. I’m not about to give them a break and I’m very serious about this.
They’ve done a lot of work to finish these songs, I know that. But I say go back to
the studio, or find a good live recording, Wolverhampton on May 15′th 2006 is the best, see
what you did there, repeat it in the studio, loose yourselves again, put some effects on top
to make it sound far and blurry and then think about publishing it. You are so close to making a new piece of art album that you just can’t leave it like this. From one of your best fans…

P.S I hope “I want none of this” will make it on the final version.

CIRE | 10/10/2007, 5:52 pm EST

I think it would be contrived for Radiohead to change the formula now for the sake of change. They explored newer realms since OK-to-Kid A bridge, and this is the natural evolution of those explorations. You can hear all the distinct properties at times. It’s brilliant. This is a band for the ages, it’s really not about cliched accolades anymore. My name is Eric, and I live and die with Radiohead. Seriously.

alaska | 10/10/2007, 5:54 pm EST

overhyped crap

Sadolah | 10/10/2007, 5:54 pm EST

i cant speak thom is god of music
and he best man in world
thom god bless you
amen

Sadolah | 10/10/2007, 5:56 pm EST

kora eiwwwwwwwwwww
avasa shavash bo thom va korakan

Jimmy | 10/10/2007, 5:58 pm EST

Another collection of crap. I’m glad I only paid 0.00 dollars for it.

Anonymous | 10/10/2007, 6:15 pm EST

exclusive? really? I just read something simular in Gothamist. wtf?

kmb | 10/10/2007, 6:26 pm EST

for those of you saying the album is incomplete and that this isn’t the “actual” release, you’re right.

The solution – the DISCBOX.

matt lieb | 10/10/2007, 6:28 pm EST

where the hell is jonny in most of this album?

TV | 10/10/2007, 6:41 pm EST

Radiohead finally got the balance between live and canned instruments right. “In Rainbows”is like Kid A with a pulse. Simple jazzy guitar parts (”15 Step”) make the listen more interesting for the display of technique and the odd musician’s choice (”What do we play Here?”) than overall great song-writing. Steve Albini put it best when he called Radiohead “tinkering millionaires,” & the glitchy-yet-smooth production bears that out. The sound-scape should have a greater sense of space (perhaps a more extreme stereo mix) with more defined attacks on the synthesizers. Sharper vocalizations by Thom could carry the songs, rather than bobbing him along like a bouncing beach-ball. Some arrangements are weak, don’t move organically enough & get repetitious. As a musician I like it, but I’m a sucker for catchy songs, which they aren’t (by my fourth listen). My review sounds critical, but only because I favor succinctness in arrangement & editing, & clarity in production. Bottom line: I like it “In Rainbows,” worth the 5 Pounds I plunked down to stick it to the man!

TV

15 step program | 10/10/2007, 6:57 pm EST

I love this album… its beautiful and agressive too! This is the album we all knew that they could make. This is the 4th great radiohead album. (Bends, OKC, and Kid A are the other 3). Long live Thom and the boys and long live the best band in the world (again) Radiohead

15 step program | 10/10/2007, 6:57 pm EST

I love this album… its beautiful and agressive too! This is the album we all knew that they could make. This is the 4th great radiohead album. (Bends, OKC, and Kid A are the other 3). Long live Thom and the boys and long live the best band in the world (again) Radiohead

15 step program | 10/10/2007, 6:57 pm EST

I love this album… its beautiful and agressive too! This is the album we all knew that they could make. This is the 4th great radiohead album. (Bends, OKC, and Kid A are the other 3). Long live Thom and the boys and long live the best band in the world (again) Radiohead

15 step program | 10/10/2007, 6:57 pm EST

I love this album… its beautiful and agressive too! This is the album we all knew that they could make. This is the 4th great radiohead album. (Bends, OKC, and Kid A are the other 3). Long live Thom and the boys and long live the best band in the world (again) Radiohead

15 step program | 10/10/2007, 6:57 pm EST

I love this album… its beautiful and agressive too! This is the album we all knew that they could make. This is the 4th great radiohead album. (Bends, OKC, and Kid A are the other 3). Long live Thom and the boys and long live the best band in the world (again) Radiohead

15 step program | 10/10/2007, 6:57 pm EST

I love this album… its beautiful and agressive too! This is the album we all knew that they could make. This is the 4th great radiohead album. (Bends, OKC, and Kid A are the other 3). Long live Thom and the boys and long live the best band in the world (again) Radiohead

Brent | 10/10/2007, 7:03 pm EST

I wouldn’t know what the hell it sounds like, b/c I still don’t have the code. If the damn thing would have been released on CD, I would have had it by now. This sucks!

Sean | 10/10/2007, 7:18 pm EST

Just got the album and gave it a listen. I wasn’t disappointed, and it is a nice appetizer for the double-disk set. Well done, boys.

unbiased h_e_n_r_y | 10/10/2007, 7:29 pm EST

2 weeks ago, I didn’t expect to be saying this: Radiohead have made the best album of 07.

[4-and-a-half Stars, biotch!!!!]

Bones McCoy | 10/10/2007, 7:33 pm EST

Really love 15 steps. Great melody and drum beat. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi is pretty and powerful. First listen to the album and i was a little disappointed (maybe cause its so short?) but several spins…. its getting tasty. I love albums that take a while to soak. Its just damn good songs. Chalk up another for Radiohead.

Thom | 10/10/2007, 7:38 pm EST

this alum is so good that it melted off my face. i wish i had a finger’s nail worth of talent as radiohead.

really dude? | 10/10/2007, 7:52 pm EST

“Karamazov | 10/10/2007, 5:48 pm EST”

yo…what’s your problem bro! Somebody grab that dude’s mike!!

Yarp | 10/10/2007, 7:59 pm EST

OK Computer [Capitol, 1997]
My favorite Pink Floyd album has always been Wish You Were Here, and you know why? It has soul, that’s why–it’s Roger Waters’s lament for Syd, not my idea of a tragic hero but as long as he’s Roger’s that doesn’t matter. Radiohead wouldn’t know a tragic hero if they were cramming for their A levels, and their idea of soul is Bono, who they imitate further at the risk of looking even more ridiculous than they already do. So instead they pickle Thom Yorke’s vocals in enough electronic marginal distinction to feed a coal town for a month. Their art-rock has much better sound effects than the Floyd snoozefest Dark Side of the Moon. But it’s less sweeping and just as arid. Grade – B

disappointing. | 10/10/2007, 8:13 pm EST

Bland and dispassionate. Its hard to believe this is the product of studio experimentation because at best these sound like laptop demos. I’ve never heard Thom undersing like this and at moments, this sounds like the filler from a recent U2 album. We’ll see how I feel about this album come December. May be putting that boxset on eBay upon receipt.

B | 10/10/2007, 8:15 pm EST

I still can’t get the website to open! It asks for a user name and password. Anyone have any idea how I can solve this problem?

Just A Fan | 10/10/2007, 8:32 pm EST

Phil , Ed , Jonny , Thom , Colin
I love you guys more than anything … And I know you don’t give a flying fuck that i payed 0.0 and am not going to get the discbox … Nor that i’ll ever get to see any of your live performances … Love’s Blind :-) … And I love you all for what you did … See u in heaven :-) ) …

Donomite | 10/10/2007, 9:00 pm EST

Well, I can see that “Yarp” is a fan of Robert Christgau. So much that he had to take Christgau’s review of Ok Computer and copy and paste it into the discussion.

n | 10/10/2007, 9:15 pm EST

i like in rainbows is going back to kid a a ‘lil. the few bad things i would say is thom’s vocal is too loud in the mix. and down is the new up isn’t on the record. i think this is just so everyone has to get the entire lp when it’s available.(which anyone with a brain ordered the discbox)

PLEASE, THE GREEK HOLLYWOOD ‘08! the ‘06 shows where awesome.

boboon | 10/10/2007, 9:23 pm EST

I was hoping ‘videotape’ would be more climactic, explosive, even orgasmic. But it just meanders. That’s my only real disappointment. =/

DAVID | 10/10/2007, 10:15 pm EST

“For full coverage of In Rainbows, check out the next issue of Rolling Stone.” cLUE? rADIHEAD WILL BE ON ROLLINGSTONES NEXT ALBUM COVER? naw, that would be too easy.

nudesnatcher | 10/10/2007, 10:19 pm EST

brrrrilliant album!

imho, this is their very best work

el costurero | 10/10/2007, 10:52 pm EST

be careful…when you listen to this record after 47 times, you will start to spit a white and thick spit from your mouth…

jajaja It will be an EPIDEMIA!!!…

Rimpie | 10/10/2007, 10:58 pm EST

Hail to the drummers!

Oh my god. This is a beautiful album. I don’t think there is another Radiohead album I can listen to in its’ entirety like this one.

Just absolutely beautiful. Sometimes I think I’m hearing pure genius. Someone should sign those boys ;)

lphchld | 10/10/2007, 11:24 pm EST

DISCBOXXXX!!!

Charlie Miller | 10/11/2007, 1:08 am EST

Dang good album.

olie o | 10/11/2007, 2:13 am EST

After having literally just listened the the downloaded album in its entirety I feel that this is probably Radiohead’s greatest album.

Throughout musical history, the greatest compositions have created such a polorisation of opinions and from reading many comments this album elicits the same polorisation.

Listening to a Radiohead album is like going to a city that you have never been to before. At first it seems strange and unfamiliar and doesn’t seem to have any structure or life, but as you spend more time exploring it it becomes gradually more comfortable until you realise that its where you wanted to be all along. In Rainbows achieves this. Its not like anything that Radiohead have done before. It could be said that its a continutation of their previous albums but it is both this and also something completely different as well.

In Rainbows is a very introverted album. It seems to be suggesting that screaming and shouting about things isn’t always the best way and that to be laid back and let things happen works better. For those people who think the album lacks life and sounds flat, just relax and accept it for what it is, a true masterpiece by one of the best bands of all time

Yarp | 10/11/2007, 2:53 am EST

Robert Christgau is smart, real smart………….. Art rock in 2007 ? Ew. Punks killed art rock in 1977, art rock was so horrible a whole generation of youth rose up and killed it, God bless their silly mohawks. The world seemed safe from the likes of Yes, Alan Parsons,and Pink Floyd these past 25 years, then these knuckleheads had to put down their guitars and start twiddling with knobs. Ew. They remind me of a herd of nerds sitting cross-legged in Radio Shack pushing buttons on electronic gadgets. Ew. Hell, Christgau gave Kid A or whatever that album was called an A-. But i’m not brave enough to give it a listen. He also gave The Bends a D. I’ll skip that one too……

JHR | 10/11/2007, 3:15 am EST

They sell their album at as MP3 at 160 kpbs. That is even a lower quality than AAC 128 or 256 kbps, which iTunes sells. So I think Radiohead (Jonny Greenwood) does not know exactly what they’re talking about….

rexwst | 10/11/2007, 11:38 am EST

It’s a great album. When I read criticisms of the new album it’s sounds like these people are trying a little too hard to be dissappointed.

Wawawooah | 10/11/2007, 12:34 pm EST

Radiohead attracts nerds like a Star Trek convention with free Tribble giveaways…..a Star Wars action figure markdown at Walmart..
…….. c’mon nerds, put down your Xbox and Radiohead cd’s, go outside, get some sun, talk to a girl, get some exercise !!
NEERDS !! NEEEEEEEEEEEERDS !!!!

Hobbitville | 10/11/2007, 12:37 pm EST

Wasn’t the lead Radiohead Man in LOTR ? He is obviously a hobbit. Timmy the Lazy Eye Hobbit !!

Kraft Werker Permit | 10/11/2007, 12:51 pm EST

Entertainment Weekly -
By the sound of it, Radiohead have strayed off into the same territory Yes did over a quarter century ago — and two pieces of marginalia in a row don’t bode well for the outcome. ** Stars

MR. MANGO | 10/11/2007, 4:43 pm EST

Radiohead is one of the few bands this generation can grow with. I can only think of a few bands that actually evolve and change and continue to make new, excellent music. MOST bands are too afraid to explore and be creative. In Rainbows is a continuation of everything the band has ever done. 15 Steps and Arpeggi are as good as anything they have ever done.

other great bands that evolve:
kings of leon
queens of the stone age
the shins
the flaming lips
red hot chili peppers
john mayer

cesaruiz | 10/11/2007, 4:56 pm EST

The only song that’s really new compared to the live version is “Reckoner”. There’s not even the same lyrics.

cesaruiz | 10/11/2007, 5:00 pm EST

People are writing there own personal reviews about “In Rainbows” huh? I thought they could come up with a better name than In Rainbows for an album. And Jesse, those are really wise words you said.

Kraft Werker Permit | 10/11/2007, 5:03 pm EST

Nerds I tell ya !! NERDS ! Go outside, get a tan, you pasty shut-in’s….. go talk to a girl ! C’mon nerds ! Live ! Live I tell’s ya !!!

Dayton | 10/11/2007, 5:16 pm EST

TBH, the first listen, about .1 milsecs after the DL completed, my first words were something to the effect of “uhhhhhhh, okkkkk…” so as to not spoil my at the time milky, sleepless mind i decided to get some sleep and let it come back to me the following morning. so then i listened to it again the next day and my heart melted. you will see a lot of people using the term “melted” to describe thier reaction to this record. all of RH’s other records were always deeply and lavishly produced if not over-produced in a godly and ever flowing river of glory. this record is a break from that to a point. these are the boys you’ve all been chasing around for years biting your fingers off in anticipation for thier next move. now they’ve given you the chance to get on the inside and hear a raw realistic unair-brushed sound that gives you a glimpse into thier minds unlike ever before. and they didnt even make you pay them for it. and all you can do is bitch about it. and another thing..1000 generations of bitter punks could never kill art rock. good luck squashing art, mohawks.

Jonny G | 10/11/2007, 6:04 pm EST

it is beautiful

Anonymous | 10/11/2007, 9:30 pm EST

” people who doesnt like roses might like cactus “. Blogs

AudioSuede | 10/11/2007, 10:46 pm EST

I find it interesting how many people post reviews from other magazines…for other Radiohead albums…

Personally, I don’t really see this as a return to Kid A as much as a look back at their previous works as a whole, much the same way that Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ “Stadium Acrcadium” recalled sounds from their past. “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” sounds like it would have fit in fine on Hail To The Thief, while “House of Cards” could have been a split b-side with “Street Spirit” or “Fake Plastic Trees”. “Nude” recalls the more emotional moments of OK Computer (not a coincidence, as it was written at the same time that came out).

In all, though, what this album makes me think of most is that despite the sheer diversity and uniqueness of sounds that the band has displayed over time, somehow Radiohead has always sounded like, well, Radiohead; no matter how otherworldly their stuff may seem when it first comes out, it all makes sense sonically. The music isn’t just notes and words; the sound is formulated to evoke emotion and make the listener THINK.

And that concept of composition for purpose is the reason that Radiohead is the most important band of the new millenium.

here we go again | 10/12/2007, 9:29 am EST

the only humans on the face of the earth more self-important, mellow-dramatic, and infinitely elitist than wine-snobs and audiophiles are radiohead fans. ” i cried when i heard the album”

you’ve got to be kidding me with this shit.

Alexander | 10/12/2007, 11:27 am EST

This record feels to me like what they tried to do with hail to the theif, but nailed it on this record.

definetly some of the best music ever made by human beings.

[in]sane... | 10/12/2007, 1:43 pm EST

MEXICOOOOOO!!!!
Please come to México City!!!!!!!!!

albion | 10/12/2007, 4:37 pm EST

garbage…. just like most of there albums

Their They're | 10/12/2007, 6:15 pm EST

The here albums are much better, I agree.

Frederick Pina | 10/12/2007, 6:59 pm EST

I paid $500 just ’cause I felt like it (for the album) and um… Was happy about it too !

RADIOHEAD ROCKS !!!!

Nine | 10/12/2007, 11:22 pm EST

flawless, innovative. They NEVER dissappoint…….

I cant wait to see them in the US again, and again. Best live band Ive ever seen (& I feel like I’ve seen everyone).

have a good weekend.

pablo | 10/13/2007, 12:29 am EST

hhhhhhhhhhhhh

someone who cares | 10/13/2007, 11:45 am EST

someone said this is garbage, well music is all subjective to one’s opinion, but popular opinion says otherwise.

and another said Radiohead fans are snobs and overdramatic… can’t argue there. I’v never cried listening to a song despite the context. It could be Jeff Buckley at a funeral and I still wouldn’t cry. Some of the fans are that way though. I guess this stuff moves them.

DVSDen | 10/13/2007, 1:25 pm EST

Great album, but not enough separation from ‘The Eraser’, meaning, I wish there were more complex guitars and arrangements. Maybe the second disc will have more of that. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5. Not as good as ‘Hail to the Thief’, better than ‘Amnesiac’.

Anonymous | 10/13/2007, 7:37 pm EST

el sur tambien existe, radiohead come!!!!!! please to argentina

pablo | 10/13/2007, 7:37 pm EST

el sur tambien existe, radiohead come!!!!!! please to argentina

hume | 10/14/2007, 1:45 pm EST

They’ve done it again, another innovative album. I’m starting to wonder if radiohead is the solution to the void left by led zeppelin when they disbanded.

Carlos | 10/15/2007, 1:12 am EST

PLEASEE COME TO MEXICO MEXICOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Rui | 10/15/2007, 4:06 pm EST

The haunting sounds of Arpeggi are f****** incredible!! 15 step is the best opener ever and for those rock n’ rollers out there check out bodysnatchers.. pretty fine!

brenonion | 10/16/2007, 5:36 am EST

I love about half the new album… which is pretty much how I feel about Hail to the Thief. The rest of their albums I love in their entirety.

Hoodgrown_Magazine | 10/16/2007, 8:30 am EST

“I don’t know, we talked about it and we just wanted to make it a bit better than iTunes, which it is, so that’s kind of good enough, really. ”

Actually an mp3 with a bitrate of 160 is the exact same quality as an AAC file with a bitrate of 128…..

AAC files are higher quality than their mp3 brethren…

Alessandro | 10/16/2007, 9:02 am EST

Please, tom, come back here in Italy.

Please: ITALY IS THE WORLD CHAMPION!!!

Radio-had | 10/16/2007, 1:37 pm EST

You’re starting to wonder if they’re the answer to the void left by Zeppelin? Get a life, dude. I’m starting a new group. It will be called the running out of patience with Radiohead group. Experimental? Innovative? Take In Rainbows, HTTT, Amnesiac and KidA and mix them all up and anyone that hasn’t heard them before couldn’t tell the songs apart. Have any of you listened to Pablo Honey? The Bends? OK Computer? Do you honestly not hear the difference???? For the love of god, Thom and Jonny, bring back some rock n’ roll!! Indulge us with just a few big tearing edgy electric guitar based tunes!!!

The thief | 10/17/2007, 6:23 am EST

1.1 I think that Hail to the thief is much better than In Rainbows.

1.2 Arpeggi without ride in the center-break part: awful.

1.3 Tracklist doesn’t like me.

1.4 Suggestions:
— Open Pick at the beginning

— 4 minute warning as track no.3 —> The Fake plastic trees of In Rainbow

— Arpeggi (possibly with ride) at the end.

Notes:

— A wolf at the door is much better than Nude

— All I need = Climbing up the walls

— Other tracks = shit

ps I paid 0.00… ;)

The thief | 10/17/2007, 8:40 am EST

pps

– where’s guitar riff and the others piano chord on videotape: awful

– the eraser is much better than In rainbows and the eraser is only an average (demo sound) album

– lp7 is much better than In Rainbows

On a Friday | 10/18/2007, 11:51 am EST

I love Radiohead…but I agree that all songs from Kid A,Amnesiac, HTTT and In Rainbows are hard to date…the evolution of the band is not present like what you felt from Pablo H, the Bends and “the perfect” OK Computer…

On a Friday | 10/18/2007, 11:53 am EST

Going from OK Computer to Kid A was awsome…but the last 3 albums are a bit of a Let Down in some regards

Itch! | 10/18/2007, 11:58 am EST

I remember thinking after OK Computer came out….” all songs writin to date where very good…even the B-sides where stronger than 90% of other bands singles !! “

Incolor | 10/19/2007, 8:26 pm EST

Its perfect.

Indiafan | 10/25/2007, 8:05 am EST

Come to India!

HowCanYouBeSure | 10/31/2007, 3:43 am EST

Come to Thailand, Please…

ys | 11/16/2007, 12:06 pm EST

i enjoy the album.

it’s funny how these days everyone thinks they’re some sort of music critic. like it if you like it, dislike it if you don’t. the end.

cLive ;-) | 4/2/2008, 7:05 pm EST

“It’s never going to be CD quality, because that’s what CD does.”

Wow – one smart dude…

tomvacantnig | 4/14/2008, 4:10 am EST

well become in the with box we watched we just were the best, it’s name accomplish were about

radiobrain | 4/16/2008, 12:10 am EST

in rainbows…great..

trilogy completion | 6/16/2008, 1:00 am EST

ive been a fan since creep ,karma,no surprises,fake plastic trees,

DMZ | 7/11/2008, 10:26 pm EST

dSTguitar
pleasssssss!!!!!!!

and
come
to
terroria(ir.IR AN)

Nikola | 11/5/2008, 5:50 pm EST

In Rainbows-The best album ever seen

Nxvmubfh | 7/14/2009, 5:54 am EST

Eh2Eht

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