In Rainbows-Radiohead

This record is long overdue for review. Radiohead has, in recent history, released their seventh record, and even more impressive, they did this one without a record label, after their contract with EMI Records ran out...and I may say, that they have out-done themselves this time...even for Radiohead. The record encompasses everything that it is to be human. The flaws in this record, in a way make it stronger.

This record is the soundtrack for human existence, if one was to be compiled. The reasoning behind that judgment isn't so much in the music itself, but rather the tempo that it poses. It starts out with a catchy, up-beat anthem called 15 Step, signifying birth and early childhood, how everything is fast, and really catchy, and up-tempo, and restless. Then, as the record progresses, it starts to get a little slower, and then picks up again here and there. Just like mid-life. All of the sudden, you're at the end, and it just stops. Now, I'm not trying to give the entire record away, rather telling my readers what to expect when the turn on 15 Steps, and start the hour long ride of your life...literally.

As for the actual review of the record, I hold true that it is one of the best records of 2007-2008, and it makes it even more special because this was made completely on their own, with no help from the label. They jumped one of the most difficult hurdles in their new record, and that is pulling a complete 180 on their sound, and turning it in to something that is monumental for them as a band. Which is why I agree with Rolling Stone Magazine when they say, "The Future Belongs to Radiohead." They've done something that, in a way, is impossible to do. They changed their genre. They went from being a typical rock band, with "something about them" to being known to me now as "God knows what that is, but it's damn good." That, my friends, is what I say Radiohead's new genre is.

The one, true downside I could find with this record, is that you can't understand a lot of the lyrics, and I think that actually adds to the signifigance of the music itself. Although, I would like to have been able to understand some of the lyrics that Thom Yorke had put into the record without having to look them up. It's an outstanding record, with vocals that compliment the background noise in flying colors. I really hope that Radiohead stays the same way for their next record (also hoping that it doesn't take them two years to release it.)

So, to In Rainbows, I give 5 stars. It took me almost an hour to find a flaw in it. Absolutely go out and buy it. By far the best self-released record that I've ever heard (even though self-released records come from up-and-coming artists who have little money or talent for that matter.) It's brilliant on almost every level.