Radiohead: In Rainbows

Okay, I know this is review is very, very late. Everyone who likes Radiohead, and many who are just now joining the party, already have In Rainbows. So this review may only be useful to future fans not yet conceived. Nonetheless, it's one of my favorite releases of the past year and I want to comment on it.

Almost every Radiohead album since OK Computer has become my favorite within a week of acquiring it. In Rainbows is no exception. This album seems to integrate everything they've learned in the past fourteen years. Fairly straightforward rockers and ballads like those from The Bends rub shoulders with the spastic electronic experiments typical of later albums. Above all, Radiohead communicate with an air of authority and integrity. Rather than posturing and reveling in how cool they are, they just are. In Rainbows works because Radiohead agonizes over every detail, struggling to meet their own nearly impossible standards, rather than trying to guess what their audience will like. Subsequently, every new album alienates some fans, strengthens the devotion of others, and intiates more acolytes into their world.