In Rainbows, cont'd (again)

The remainder of the review, as promised...

6. Faust ARP
Serves as a transition track of sorts, but it shouldn't be disregarded or breezed through. The string composition on this track, props Jonny Greenwood, is exquisite. Layered with the sweetly understated acoustic guitar, plus Thom Yorke's rhythmic, not-quite-singing pseudo-rap, this track is quietly beautiful.

Key lyric: I love you/but enough is enough/there's no real reason
Mood: Revelatory

7. Reckoner
One of the most layered, complex tracks on the album. The tambourine/cymbal percussion + guitar riff a la Chili Peppers provide the beat. The vocals, consisting of Yorke's high, liquid-like utterances, complemented by distant oohhs and aahhhs which come to the foreground in the bridge, create an eerie, haunted effect. During the bridge, the icy, ghostly vocals are penetrated by the deep, warm honey of the violin. The cold-warm juxtaposition completes the song, and the ensuing remainder of the track is perfection. The strings endure for the rest of the song, and are highlighted again in the last 30 seconds of the track, ending this song which started icy on a warm note, yet the haunted feeling remains. Subtly layered throughout, with such precision that the end result is flawless.

Key lyric: You were not to blame for/bittersweet distractors
Mood: Pensive

8. House of Cards
This track and All I Need are songs that you have sex to. It's true. They're sexy. The lyrics say it all in this song. Yorke sings about being your lover, denial, falling off the table, getting swept under, etc. etc. You get the idea. It's a great song to listen to, but I can't help but think about sex when it's on, so I get distracted. The track's driven by a cute lil' guitar riff (again, a la Chili Peppers, it seems to me), along with insect-like clicks in the background that occur every so often. Plus, throughout the whole song, it sounds like there's wind tumbling through amidst the rest of the sounds. It comes charging in and roars for a few seconds, then slowly fades away, then comes back in, then fades. It's beautiful. There are other little subtle variances, which are great, but again, even as I'm listening to the song right now to find things to write about it, I can't concentrate. Because this song=sex. Sorry.

Key lyric: I don't want to be your friend/I just want to be your lover
Mood: Lustful (SEX)

9. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Hmm. What to say about this song. It's up there with 15 Step and Bodysnatchers as the most upbeat tracks on the album. Again, eerie ooh-ing, this time more pronounced, as if Yorke is actually being chased by an entire fleet of assorted evil spirits. This track truly builds to a clear climax, which occurs about 40 seconds before the end of the song. Like Bodysnatchers, you can sense paranoia here. But while Bodysnatchers asserts itself from the get-go, Jigsaw builds up to it, until the tension has reached its pinnacle and it's about to explode everywhere. But it never really does. Yes, the song climaxes (near-orgasmically), but it never explodes. Both Bodysnatchers and Jigsaw clearly express worry and anxiety, but the raw, rock-out explosion of Bodysnatchers is not nearly distressing as the controlled panic of Jigsaw.

Key lyric: Wish away the nightmare/You've got a light/You can feel it on your back
Mood: Terrified

10. Videotape
Without a doubt, the most unsettling song on this record. If you listen to the lyrics, you can deduce pretty easily that this song is a suicide note. And he mentions Mephistopheles, which = Satan, which = Hell. Accordingly, the sounds are creepy, creepy, CREEPY. It never picks up, never slows down, just stays at the same, steady tempo, led by the four-note piano that introduces the track. Those four notes are disquieting enough, but then the mysterious who-knows-what-it-is wind-like machine comes in with the off-putting beat of the snare drum, and this song becomes truly strange and, frankly, scary as shit. If you're about to jump off a building, or slit your wrists, put this on, along with Gary Jules' "Mad World." There you go. There's your Suicide Mix, those two songs. Don't get me wrong - this song is pretty close to perfect. It leaves you with chills, doubts, fears, maybe even tears. In this way, Videotape stands out on this record, amongst all of the other songs that feel so familiar, easy, smooth. The two-song closer of Jigsaw and Videotape create quite the unsettling little combo, and they make you perk up and go, whoa. What just happened? Where am I? What am I doing here? And the end of the album is exactly where Videotape should be. There would not be a better closing track than this song.

Key lyric: This is one for the good days/and I have it all here/in red, blue, green
Mood: (not really a mood but it's the best way to say it) Final


IN RAINBOWS:

Overall feel: Familiar, smooth, simple, subtle
Overall review: 9.7/10
Overall ranking amidst other Radiohead: As of right now, it's #2, right under OK Computer. But I need to listen more to Kid A.


In summary, go download In Rainbows. It's the most gorgeous chunk of music I've heard in some time. Radiohead were already legends, and with the release of this album, they've shown that they still are and will go down in music history, without a doubt. HOORAY for good music!

C'est tout.