SONG OF THE DAY (#206)

'all i need,' by radiohead

as most of you know by now, radiohead made their new album, 'in rainbows' available for download today. in an unprecedented move, they've decided to let the buyer decide what he or she wants to pay for the album. if you want to a pay a dollar, you can. if you want to pay f'ity cents, you can. if you want to buy it, head on over to http://www.inrainbows.com/.

let me preface what i'm about to say by saying this first: i'm no radiohead die-hard. i don't think 'ok computer' was the best album of the 1990s. i don't think 'kid a' and 'amnesiac' were the. best. albums. ever. i've listened to those albums several times and i've never really understood what all the fuss was about. decent? sure. great? ummm... thom york suddenly thinking his meandering yodelling was a sufficient substitute for melody and that the band's pre-programmed rhythms/percussion and navel-gazing knob twiddling were adequate substitutes for songcraft left a bitter taste and a lot to be desired.

it's all been downhill for radiohead since 'the bends,' [and i know i'm hardly the only person who thinks so] which, for me, is the bands' most impressive album and biggest statement. i think too many music fans have been conned into the unrealistic opinions of and allegiances to radiohead simply because a few critics trip all over themselves continually declaring radiohead's brilliance. because, you know, whatever critics say is gospel, right? [and don't get me started on music 'fans' [snobs] who decide what's great and what isn't based on a completely arbitrary 'score' from some website, i.e. pitchfork. decide for yourselves, people. don't let a 'score' dictate your choices]. i never subscribed to the 'it's radiohead, ergo it's brilliant' mentality. i even had a friend once say to me, 'ok computer is the best album of the last twenty years. just admit it.' i'm not making that up. sure, radiohead is a great band, but the best band on the planet? well...

so having said that, i've listened to 'in rainbows' twice this morning and all i can say is that it rocks the friggin' world. i'm on my third listen now and 'in rainbows' is the sound of a band completely and wholly reinvigorated, full of purpose, intent, and direction. the songs are focused and restrained and thom yorke's finally rediscovered melody. and the band's finally rediscovered organics. are those live, acoustic drums i hear? you betcha.

is it radiohead's best album? i guess it depends on your criteria for 'best' [and since it's impossible to prove that one album is better than another]. all i know is that i've not enjoyed a radiohead album this much since i first heard 'the bends' some 12 years ago. really, it's a wonderful album. and since you can pretty much pay whatever you want for it, there's no reason not to buy it. if you want to pay $9.99 for it, at today's exchange rate, enter 4.89 british pounds at the check out. do it. it's a great achievement.

→ radiohead: all i need
→ radiohead: bodysnatchers