How could Radiohead outdo themselves again with their seventh studio album release? They’ve already set themselves apart from every rock band today, consistently producing their unique brand of art-rock and diverging from a more classic style.
This time they focused not only on their sound but how they delivered it to the public.
The strategy to release “In Rainbows” on Oct. 10 for download only on their official Web site spawned much buzz and debate among fans and critics. Was the exclusive release a promotional tactic rebelling against the politics of the music industry, or just entertaining the digital age?
When I saw Radiohead in 2003 at a concert days before the release of “Hail to the Thief,” singer Thom Yorke said he was surprised fans congratulated him on the quality of the album when it hadn’t even hit stores. As lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood told Rolling Stone, their reason for releasing the album the way they did was “to get it out quickly so everyone would hear it at the same time.” And the reason for allowing people to decide whatever sum, if any, they would like to spend on the download was “to make people stop for a few seconds and think about what music is worth.”
Computer geeks and file sharer snobs have their Ethernet cords in a twist about the quality of the MP3s which are available for 160 kilobits per second, a speed thought to be of shoddy quality compared to say, 190 kbps and higher – still inferior to CD quality speed.
The only way to obtain a physical copy is to order the $80 “diskbox,” to be delivered in December, or wait until after the New Year when the album will be sold in stores.
But enough business talk. Let’s get down to what really matters: the music.
There’s a divide between diehard and less extreme Radiohead fans. There are those who just want to rock, a release the band’s freshman and sophomore albums (“Pablo Honey” and “The Bends,” respectively) allow, and those who subscribe to the more conceptual, exploratory avenue (“Kid A” and “Amnesiac”).
Then there are fans who drool over every morsel the Brit rockers dare to dish out. “In Rainbows” accommodates every fan category. Listeners might not be satisfied with the album as a whole, which is a challenge -and a testament – to its diversity.
Radiohead is a band that only borrows from itself and no one else, an efficacy quite evident in the new album. The hyperactive opening track, “15 Step,” drenched with synthesized percussion and a tribal influence, could easily have been a “Hail to the Thief” song, while “Body Snatchers” sounds like a “Bends” offspring, not to mention that it will have the listener cranking the volume knob all the way to 11 and dancing wildly around his or her apartment.
The appropriately titled “Nude” is stripped down and minimal, “Reckoner” is emotionally piercing with beautiful string work and “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” is layered with upbeat tempo and swooning guitar.
I want to shout from every rooftop this side of the Mississippi how much I love this album. I’ll be including the diskbox set in my letter to the North Pole this year.
Sally Tunmer can be reached at [email protected].
