Initially issued in October 2007 with little prior notice, Radiohead’s seventh full-length studio outing, IN RAINBOWS, took not only fans but the entire music industry by surprise. Released for a limited time only as an online download, the album was offered by the revered British rock group in a groundbreaking “pay what you want” format, allowing the listener to decide its digital value before an appearance in conventional CD form a few months later.

Innovative business practices aside, IN RAINBOWS also garnered attention as Radiohead’s most immediately engaging offering since its BENDS/OK COMPUTER days, returning to slightly more accessible pop/rock song structures, while never abandoning the arty experimentalism of subsequent albums. From the shuffling beats of “15 Step” to the amped-up energy of “Bodysnatchers” to the glorious gloom of “Videotape,” RAINBOWS presents the full spectrum of Radiohead’s artistry, while deftly avoiding vocal melodramatics or excessive technical noodling. When the record hits its peak with the restlessly beautiful “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” and the emotive, keyboard-driven “All I Need,” it’s a thrilling reminder of why Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and the lads are one of the best bands on the planet, and it solidifies IN RAINBOWS as an indisputably great Radiohead album.

Tracklisting
1. 15 Step
2. Bodysnatchers
3. Nude
4. Weird Fishes/arpeggi
5. All I Need
6. Faust Arp
7. Reckone
8. House of Cards
9. Jigsaw Falling into Place
10. Videotape

Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (p.82) – 4.5 stars out of 5 — “All of it rocks; none of it sounds like any other band on Earth; it delivers an emotional punch….[Yorke's] voice has an R&B lilt that suits the songs’ romantic directness.”

Rolling Stone (p.108) – Included in Rolling Stone’s “50 Top Albums of the Year 2007″ — “Radiohead haven’t sounded this aggressive and infuriates — so rock & roll — since OK COMPUTER…”

Spin (p.111) – 4 stars out of 5 — “[With] a handful of gorgeous quiet-storm ballads that seem to have been imported from a time even less troubled than the late ’90s.”

Entertainment Weekly (p.66) – “Using the full musical and emotional spectra to conjure breathtaking beauty, the collection is well named. It may have arrived via computer, but the vision is timeless.” — Grade: A

Uncut (p.86) – 4 stars out of 5 — “[T]he tender, if not sunny, mood is maintained across a beautiful suite of songs…”

Uncut (p.82) – 4 stars out of 5 — “[T]he shuffling fever-funk of ‘Down Is The New Up’ reaches a state of grace that very few bands ever get to achieve.”

The Wire (p.63) – “[T]racks like opener ‘15 Step’ are injected with almost Rephlex-like accelerating rhythms….The album is sonically diverse…”

The Wire (p.35) – Included in The Wire’s “50 Records of the Year 2007″.

Down Beat (p.77) – 4 stars out of 5 — “Subtle electronics and tastefully deployed string arrangements are woven into the fabric of the tunes…”

Q (Magazine) (p.107) – 5 stars out of 5 — “IN RAINBOWS still leaves Radiohead in the most enviable position: progressively perfecting their art while able to command autonomy beyond the record industry.”

Q (Magazine) (p.88) – Ranked #04 in Q’s “The 50 Best Albums Of 2007″ — “Beneath its approachable surface swam myriad subtleties, multiplying with every play.”

Mojo (Publisher) (p.96) – 4 stars out of 5 — “IN RAINBOWS is a necessary masterstroke….Rejoice in a glorious moment for Radiohead, and for the art and business of rock in general.”

Blender (Magazine) (pp.141-142) – 4 stars out of 5 — “IN RAINBOWS formulates a lush, sensualized ideal out of vague, layered discomfort….Far more pensive and reflective than its predecessor…”

Clash (magazine) (p.77) – “IN RAINBOWS shines as a magical, mysterious and multi-faceted album to cherish forever.”

Record Collector (magazine) (p.87) – 3 stars out of 5 — “[It] is a smashing record to actually listen to….Piano lines follow unpredictable patterns and cymbals get clipped at every other bar…”

1997’s OK COMPUTER turned the rock world on its ear by bringing visionary neo-prog rock touches to a Britpop format. Consequently, KID A was one of the most anticipated releases of its era, especially since Nigel Godrich, the man behind the mixing desk for the previous album, was again on hand for this outing.

On KID A, Thom Yorke’s passionate wailing is put through the aural wringer, and the band’s previous nimbly orchestrated full-frontal sonic assault is replaced by full-frontal electric piano, to iconoclastic effect. The ambient underpinnings and garbled vocals of “Everything in Its Right Place,” and the instrumental “Treefingers,” the electronic beats of “Idioteque,” and Yorke’s processed voice on the title track will come as quite a shock to diehard ’70s rockers who spent the late ’90s deifying Radiohead as heirs to the Pink Floyd throne. But these touches work brilliantly, while the more organic elements, such as the jazzy horn section on “The National Anthem,” and the comparatively conservative arrangement (though there’s some unsettlingly atonal orchestration lurking here, too) of “How to Disappear Completely” provide a counterpoint to all this incipient modernism.

Tracklisting
1. Everything’s In It’s Right Place
2. Kid A
3. The National Anthem
4. How To Disappear Completely
5. Treefingers
6. Optimistic
7. In Limbo
8. Idioteque
9. Morning Bell
10. Motion Picture Soundtrack

Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (1/4/01, p.106) – Ranked #8 in Rolling Stone’s Top 10 Albums of 2000.

Rolling Stone (10/12/00, pp.85-6) – 4 stars out of 5 – “…A clear-eyed space opera about a plausible future….this ‘is’ pop, a music of ornery, glistening guile and honest ache, and it will feel good under your skin once you let it get there…”

Spin (1/01, p.73) – Ranked #2 in Spin’s “Top 20 Albums of the Year [2000]“.

Spin (10/00, pp.171-2) – 9 out of 10 – “…The songfullness emerges from the strangeness, and a beautifully sequenced CD assumes the shape of a classic LP….KID A is not only [its] bravest album but its best one as well.”

Entertainment Weekly (10/6/00, pp.85-6) – “…A genuinely challenging work….a sonic journey…” – Rating: B+

Q (10/01, p.91) – Ranked #13 in Q’s “Best 50 Albums of Q’s Lifetime”

Q (1/01, p.93) – Included in Q’s “50 Best Albums of 2000″.

Q (11/00, p.96) – 3 stars out of 5 – “…Beautiful as it is strange….Musically, [its] best features are its keening, lapwing guitars and a thin, atonal orchestral drizzle….best enjoyed with the lights off…”

Alternative Press (11/00, p.95) – 3 out of 5 – “…Like the soundtrack to a movie that hasn’t been filmed….This is music that messes with your insides…”

Magnet (1-2/01, p.45) – Included in Magnet’s “20 Best Albums of 2000″ – “…This year’s version of R.E.M.’s UP: a genre-resistant sonic scuplture that plays wicked eardrum tricks at every turn…”

The Wire (1/01, p.34) – Included in Wire’s “50 Records Of The Year”.

Muzik (11/00, p.90) – 4 out of 5 – “…A record of experiments….This deserves your attention.”

CMJ (1/08/01, p.17) – Included in CMJ’s “Best of the Year” for 2000.

CMJ (10/2/00, p.3) – “…An epic audio experiment punctuated with raw emotion and inspiring innovation….an unquestionable masterpiece…”

Vibe (11/00, p.166) – 4 discs out of 5 – “…Richly sculpted with multi-colored chords, ebbing rhythms, and oddball time measures, KID A floats…through the galaxy in search of musical cliches to annihilate…”

Mojo (Publisher) (p.66) – Ranked #7 in Mojo’s “100 Modern Classics” — “[W]eeping icons of heartbreaking loveliness…”

Mojo (Publisher) (10/00, p.86) – “…Intriguing, eccentric, obviously a grower….It still sounds a mess, but that’s obviously the plan…”

NME (Magazine) (12/30/00, p.77) – Ranked #11 in NME’s “Top 50 Albums Of The Year” – “…Warp-style electronica, modern jazz….chill atmospherics and curdled, bitter soundscapes…”

Pitchfork (Website) – “[A] complete album, one where everything from production to arrangements to lyrics to album art were carefully crafted towards a unified purpose.”

Record Collector (magazine) (p.92) – 5 stars out of 5 — “[S]uitably liberated….These are recordings with soul…”