Radiohead: In Rainbows

[Mortis]

Right now, no art forum on the planet is without a topic on Radiohead's new album, In Rainbows. Since we're all jolly bandwagoners here at Slowdays dot org, why not have on of our own!

I was lucky enough to be able to get the download link sent to me in the morning, just before I was leaving for university. I had just enough time to move the album onto my cell phone and I have been listening to it for a bit now.

So far, I think this is the album people (i.e., an educated guess one would have made based on the musical progression of the band, starting from demo recordings, over from Pablo Honey to the Bends) expected them to make after/instead of OK Computer. I mean this in a good way: It's heartfelt, light, airy and melodic, but also very immediate and tangible. The most interesting bit here, I think, is the fact that I don't think Radiohead could afford making an album like this (one that gleams and gloats in its apparent - I daresay experimental simplicity) unless they were, in all actuality, Radiohead!

Personally, I think this is also the album they should have made instead of Hail to the Thief

[Mortis]

I should also add, I guess, that the interest in this album has resulted in the following: The unofficial official forum, Mortigi Tempo, has gotten its account suspended by their service provider (you can be sure that's "bandwidth limit exceeded") and At Ease's Wordpress is currently not making database connections. I guess people are eager to hear how the album is!

Green Plastic have jumped their guns and stated the following in their most recent newspost:

Our verdict: Quite possibly the best Radiohead album ever made.

My download in the morning was 100kb/s all through, though, so it seems the actual In Rainbows site had a staff that knew to allocate enough bandwidth. One can not underestimate the backlash there'd be if people had trouble downloading the album.

[Mortis]

As you know I've lost it for good now... so I would like to call some attention to certain points that the Radiohead release has brought up:

• People are complaining about the quality of the download, which is 160kb/s. You know me to be a big-time audiophile, anally lossless all the way, but come on - why complain? Not only will you get a CD version AND a vinyl version when you buy the discbox! REEP EET! The damn thing will also be released on CD later by a label if you really need to support those bloody exec crooks currently heading the music business to death!
• People are complaining about the price tag - I've seen two reviews claim they paid too much for the album (come on! This is music for fans! The idea here is, if you value it, you pay, if you don't, you don't!) AND did not notice there was a 0.45$ credit card fee. It says right there on the store page if you read it. Since when have people stopped finding out the details about things they buy?

I'll update my list as we go.

[Darkelth]

Hihahe. The new album sounds good, I like it I don't know is it the best or not, I haven't compared it yet But it is great stuff

[Mortis]

Phil Selway, the drummer of Radiohead, interestingly mentions in an interview that Hail to the Thief was "not one of our strongest records". See more of the interview here.

Glad that's out there!