"RA D IOHE_AD IN/RAINBOWS" continuing discussion thread part iv

[lazarus]

Not to mention a complete lack of passion in most songs, and Thom's lazy delivery time and time again, a complete turn-around from many of the live performances.

I love when my favorite Interferencers agree with me.

 

[lazarus]

Are you joking? The band sounded bored to tears throughout Hail To The Thief. It explained why most of it was simply a worse retread of things they had already done. The band actually sounds like they give a damn about recording music again, which is the most exciting part of all. Plus, Thom doesn't sound like he's dying anymore, which always helps.

...and I hate it when they don't.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Is there some problem with liking both HTTT and IR? and for that matter The Bends, OKC, Kid A and Amnesiac?

I like how know one likes Pablo Honey

 

[LemonMelon]

Listen to Bodysnatchers again. Thom hasn't sounded that confident at the mic since OK Computer. No irritating wailing, no slurring words together, just a fantastic rock performance. He absolutely nails Nude.

 

[LemonMelon]

I like how know one likes Pablo Honey

I do.

 

[coemgen]

I must say, it's a great day when R.E.M. and Radiohead are two of the top stories on CNN.com.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I do.

I didn't even think RH liked PH!! I'm willing to bet Mr Brau does

 

[LemonMelon]

I didn't even think RH liked PH!! I'm willing to bet Mr Brau does

It's "completely underwhelming", I'm sure.



There is nothing to hate about IR. Let go of your precious live versions and soak in what's here.

 

[joyfulgirl]

It's way too early for me to compare this to previous Radiohead efforts. But I'm listening through for the 6th time, and I think it's just a beautiful album. I'm very pleased with their effort.

It's funny, because I see some folks criticizing the record for this reason or that, but I'm just not attached to them having to come out with music of a certain style. This is a great gift of music.

Well said. I don't get the rush to compare. I'm enjoying it on its own merits. It doesn't have to be better or worse than anything else.

 

[LemonMelon]

RateYourMusic has this thing at a 4.08 rating, which is pretty fantastic, and the rating keeps rising:

http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/radiohead

 

[Dalton]

The problem with reviewing an album right away is that it is MUCH easier to tell what an album is not than tell what it is.

The first few times through the album, I was hearing all the things that it did not do. I was hearing all the places that a song didn't do what I have come to expect and love from a radiohead song. The more I listen to it, the more I can appreciate what it does do.

The more I listen, the more I like. That doesn't mean that its perfect or even great, but there is a lot to like on this album when you let it be what it is.

 

[lazarus]

Lemon, Bodysnatchers is not the whole album. Do you not see what Lance and I are talking about? How many times on this album does Thom really sing? I know you find his vocals poor on much of HTTT, but at least he's putting some effort into it. It works on the mellower songs for the most part, but even then I wish he would sell it a little better.

The emotion to me seems more in the music than the vocals this time around, with some exceptions.

As for Pablo Honey...well, Lurgee's a great song.

Not much else I can say about it.

 

[LemonMelon]

Lemon, Bodysnatchers is not the whole album. Do you not see what Lance and I are talking about? How many times on this album does Thom really sing? I know you find his vocals poor on much of HTTT, but at least he's putting some effort into it. It works on the mellower songs for the most part, but even then I wish he would sell it a little better.

The emotion to me seems more in the music than the vocals this time around, with some exceptions.

All I can base my opinion on is whether or not my nervous system reacts positively to the sound waves that it's being exposed to. I like what I hear, regardless of what emotion and kinetic energy he put into it (something I really can't tell from a 160 kpbs recording ). On the rockers, he tore it up, and on the mellower tunes he was pitch-perfect. The only two songs I didn't care for vocally were 15 Step and Videotape. Both were about on par with some of the sloppier moments of Amnesiac. Other than that, I really have nothing negative to add.

I don't think I can agree with anything namkcuR or Lance bring to the table anyway, what with all of this talk of horrible production, Reckoner being the highlight, and Backdrifts being better than Nude.

 

[GibsonGirl]

I also think it's waaaaay too early to begin comparing this album to the rest of Radiohead's catalogue. To everyone on the lower extreme, my advice would be to give it some time. Sometimes the best albums are the ones that grow on you. I'm on my fifth listen right now (listened to it three times during lectures - sitting in the back of the lecture halls and ignoring everything your profs say ftw ). My early impression is good. I didn't listen to any of the live tracks beforehand, and judging by the responses so far, this was a good thing!

My song-by-song analysis:

15 Step
Right off the bat, I'm thinking lose the fucking drum machine. I'm starting to get tired of Radiohead's obsession with drum machines. It's a cool beat, no doubt, but I'm all drum machined out. I think The Eraser is to blame for that. Otherwise, good song. I really enjoy the guitar work (it's semi-Amnesiac) and Colin really shines in parts. Particularly after "etcetera, etcetera". Brilliant little bass lick. It would have been nice if he had thrown in more of that throughout the remainder of the song. 2:39 - 3:10 is perfect (even with the drum machine).

Bodysnatchers
Holy fucking shit. It's perfect from start to finish! After I finish this post I'm going to get out my guitar and start learning that riff. It's top-notch stuff. Again, it's early, but I think this song could become one of my favourite Radiohead songs of all time. How great is the little National Anthem reference that starts in at about 1:04? LOVE IT. "Has the light gone out for you? Because the light's gone out for me." Crazy guitar in the outro. Hell yes, Jonny!

Nude
Absolutely beautiful. This one is just a pleasure to listen to. I saw people complaining about the reverb-drenched vocals a couple of pages back. The reverb sounds great to me on this one, gives it a very ambient kind of feel. And my god, the strings. I get goosebumps at the end of the song. Thom's vocals give me goosebumps too. Particularly between 2:45 - 3:09. Great song.

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Another one that's just plain fantastic. It's all in the drums and the guitar. Thom's singing in the verses is really good. It flows incredibly well, especially in that first verse. This is somewhat close to the Radiohead that I fell in love with. The sound buildup in the middle is lovely. Another one that I can forsee becoming an all-time favourite.

All I Need
I'm trying to decide whether or not this is the best song on the album. I cannot find a single thing wrong with it. Someone mentioned Peter, Bjorn and John a while back - an apt comparison, because the drum beat here sounds a bit like "Amsterdam." Speaking of cities, that's kind of the feel I get from the music in this song. I can close my eyes and imagine someone walking down a deserted city street at night with this in the background. Great stuff. "I am all the days that you choose to ignore." The outro is wonderful.

Faust Arp
Really nice song, I have to learn the lyrics ASAP. I love Thom's delivery. I'm really digging the guitar and the strings. Beautiful. I wish this one was a bit longer. Maybe it could have had a longer intro before launching into the vocals.

Reckoner
The reverbed drums at the beginning sound fucking incredible. This is another one where Thom's vocals give me chills. I love the melody. Is Ed in here too or is Thom just harmonising with himself? Strings sound fucking incredible again. Hell, I think the strings might just be one of the best things about this whole album.

House Of Cards
Kinda meh on this one. I don't think I'd skip it on repeated listenings, but it doesn't really do anything for me so far. Maybe it'll grow on me. I think I can agree with the reverb naysayers on this one. There's so much reverb that I can barely make out what Thom's saying. Overall, a bit too repetitive for me. On the plus side, the melody is rather good.

Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Great acoustic guitar: it's just so typically Radiohead. I enjoy this one quite a bit. Thom's delivery is very nice, another one I really have to learn the lyrics to. Build up is very good, especially during the last verse. I think this one might grow on me more as time goes on.

Videotape
Now, I hadn't heard any live versions before listening to this, so I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that people were praising it to high heaven. For the first minute and twenty seconds, I knew exactly why. That first minute and twenty seconds is absolutely beautiful. And then...WHAT THE FUCK? Those drums! Why?! Why?! Why?! They're utterly pointless! Jesus Christ, what a way to ruin a perfectly fine song! I wish there was some way to get rid of the drums and keep the piano/bass there. Underneath it all, though, I can tell that it's a really good song. I love the lyrics. They're just overshadowed by the production, which is a shame.


So overall, I'm really enjoying this album. My only real gripe (aside from the individual songs that I've mentioned) is that there isn't really anything new here. It's great in the sense that it's what you'd expect a Radiohead album to sound like, but at the same time, that's almost a bad thing. I was kind of hoping for something a little different. Regardless, the songs are good and I can appreciate the album based upon that alone. I'll be listening to it a lot in the days and weeks to come. I kind of feel bad now for paying nothing for it. It's worth a lot more than that, in my view. I don't have a credit card. I had no other choice. I fully intend on buying the album when it's released on CD though. I might even buy a second copy for my sister to assuage my guilt.

All I know is, I have to see them live. I don't know how, but I have to. I've been a Radiohead fan for too long now not to see them. ILU RADIOHEAD.

[/ramble]

 

[GibsonGirl]

I like how know one likes Pablo Honey

If Pablo Honey had have consisted of Blow Out x10 it would have been a great album. I haven't listened to Blow Out in ages...Will put it on now. That outro is simply the greatest thing Radiohead did between 1993-1997.

 

[LemonMelon]

My rationale for the Videotape drums:

They're meant to mimic the sound of a videotape reel in motion. Listen to how it slowly speeds up as the beats get closer together and then dies. It's easy to be distracted by it, but it's actually quite hypnotic. Somebody mentioned that on the hodiau direkton board and it really stuck with me. I find it really creepy now.

 

[GibsonGirl]

My rationale for the Videotape drums:

They're meant to mimic the sound of a videotape reel in motion. Listen to how it slowly speeds up as the beats get closer together and then dies. It's easy to be distracted by it, but it's actually quite hypnotic. Somebody mentioned that on the hodiau direkton board and it really stuck with me. I find it really creepy now.

Yeah, it's a good theory. I thought about that too when I first heard it.

I still think it sounds fucking terrible, however.

 

[LemonMelon]

Yeah, it's a good theory. I thought about that too when I first heard it.

I still think it sounds fucking terrible, however.

It took me about four listens to get used to it (listening to it on regular speakers helped a lot). It doesn't really fit, but at least there's a reason for its existence.

 

[Dalton]

Am I the only one that likes the drums in Videotape?

 

[Dalton]

Actually the one thing I would change on Videotape is I would give Johnny the chance to play some Love is Blindness type of guitars in the background.

I would love to hear him create that sort of feeling on a song like this.

 

[phanan]

I think the song would be better off without them, but I don't think it ruins the song completely.

 

[bollox]

put me in the column of people upset that they took a coathanger to the beautiful fetus that was the live version of videotape. babykillers!!!

 

[PookaMacP]

I'm curious to know if anyone who's listened to it has any theories as to what the title "In Rainbows" means within the context of the album.

'In Red Blue Green
In Red Blue Green'

And re the drums sound on Videotape, how bout someone marching to their death? Given that the song is a suicide note.

It's grown on me by now. Great sound. Though House of Cards remains the highlight for me. Excellent.

One more thing: after listening to the album first I had wondered what happened to the kids that were invited into the studio, then in the last minute of 15 Step there they were shouting 'yeh!' Blink and you'll miss it stuff.

 

[LemonMelon]

Poor Videotape.

 

[bgmckinney]

Am I the only one that likes the drums in Videotape?

No.
I think some of this has to do with who listened to the live versions and who didn't. I didn't, because I didn't want to spoil the surprise of the album - or to have specific expectations for the album. People who know the live versions of videotape and reckoning may start to think the songs are somehow supposed to sound that way, and then have difficulty digesting how they actually sound on IR.
Also, as a passing thought, no band is perfect, but a band that made the bends, ok computer, kid a and amnesiac does not spend 3 1/2 years working on a new album and then release something crappy. That just doesn't happen. I have no idea how I will feel about this album in six months, but these guys deserve way more than a day's worth of listening from me before I start getting negative.

 

[xaviMF22]

I also think it's waaaaay too early to begin comparing this album to the rest of Radiohead's catalogue. To everyone on the lower extreme, my advice would be to give it some time. Sometimes the best albums are the ones that grow on you. I'm on my fifth listen right now (listened to it three times during lectures - sitting in the back of the lecture halls and ignoring everything your profs say ftw ). My early impression is good. I didn't listen to any of the live tracks beforehand, and judging by the responses so far, this was a good thing!

My song-by-song analysis:

15 Step
Right off the bat, I'm thinking lose the fucking drum machine. I'm starting to get tired of Radiohead's obsession with drum machines. It's a cool beat, no doubt, but I'm all drum machined out. I think The Eraser is to blame for that. Otherwise, good song. I really enjoy the guitar work (it's semi-Amnesiac) and Colin really shines in parts. Particularly after "etcetera, etcetera". Brilliant little bass lick. It would have been nice if he had thrown in more of that throughout the remainder of the song. 2:39 - 3:10 is perfect (even with the drum machine).

Bodysnatchers
Holy fucking shit. It's perfect from start to finish! After I finish this post I'm going to get out my guitar and start learning that riff. It's top-notch stuff. Again, it's early, but I think this song could become one of my favourite Radiohead songs of all time. How great is the little National Anthem reference that starts in at about 1:04? LOVE IT. "Has the light gone out for you? Because the light's gone out for me." Crazy guitar in the outro. Hell yes, Jonny!

Nude
Absolutely beautiful. This one is just a pleasure to listen to. I saw people complaining about the reverb-drenched vocals a couple of pages back. The reverb sounds great to me on this one, gives it a very ambient kind of feel. And my god, the strings. I get goosebumps at the end of the song. Thom's vocals give me goosebumps too. Particularly between 2:45 - 3:09. Great song.

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Another one that's just plain fantastic. It's all in the drums and the guitar. Thom's singing in the verses is really good. It flows incredibly well, especially in that first verse. This is somewhat close to the Radiohead that I fell in love with. The sound buildup in the middle is lovely. Another one that I can forsee becoming an all-time favourite.

All I Need
I'm trying to decide whether or not this is the best song on the album. I cannot find a single thing wrong with it. Someone mentioned Peter, Bjorn and John a while back - an apt comparison, because the drum beat here sounds a bit like "Amsterdam." Speaking of cities, that's kind of the feel I get from the music in this song. I can close my eyes and imagine someone walking down a deserted city street at night with this in the background. Great stuff. "I am all the days that you choose to ignore." The outro is wonderful.

Faust Arp
Really nice song, I have to learn the lyrics ASAP. I love Thom's delivery. I'm really digging the guitar and the strings. Beautiful. I wish this one was a bit longer. Maybe it could have had a longer intro before launching into the vocals.

Reckoner
The reverbed drums at the beginning sound fucking incredible. This is another one where Thom's vocals give me chills. I love the melody. Is Ed in here too or is Thom just harmonising with himself? Strings sound fucking incredible again. Hell, I think the strings might just be one of the best things about this whole album.

House Of Cards
Kinda meh on this one. I don't think I'd skip it on repeated listenings, but it doesn't really do anything for me so far. Maybe it'll grow on me. I think I can agree with the reverb naysayers on this one. There's so much reverb that I can barely make out what Thom's saying. Overall, a bit too repetitive for me. On the plus side, the melody is rather good.

Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Great acoustic guitar: it's just so typically Radiohead. I enjoy this one quite a bit. Thom's delivery is very nice, another one I really have to learn the lyrics to. Build up is very good, especially during the last verse. I think this one might grow on me more as time goes on.

Videotape
Now, I hadn't heard any live versions before listening to this, so I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that people were praising it to high heaven. For the first minute and twenty seconds, I knew exactly why. That first minute and twenty seconds is absolutely beautiful. And then...WHAT THE FUCK? Those drums! Why?! Why?! Why?! They're utterly pointless! Jesus Christ, what a way to ruin a perfectly fine song! I wish there was some way to get rid of the drums and keep the piano/bass there. Underneath it all, though, I can tell that it's a really good song. I love the lyrics. They're just overshadowed by the production, which is a shame.


So overall, I'm really enjoying this album. My only real gripe (aside from the individual songs that I've mentioned) is that there isn't really anything new here. It's great in the sense that it's what you'd expect a Radiohead album to sound like, but at the same time, that's almost a bad thing. I was kind of hoping for something a little different. Regardless, the songs are good and I can appreciate the album based upon that alone. I'll be listening to it a lot in the days and weeks to come. I kind of feel bad now for paying nothing for it. It's worth a lot more than that, in my view. I don't have a credit card. I had no other choice. I fully intend on buying the album when it's released on CD though. I might even buy a second copy for my sister to assuage my guilt.

All I know is, I have to see them live. I don't know how, but I have to. I've been a Radiohead fan for too long now not to see them. ILU RADIOHEAD.

[/ramble]

nice review

 

[martha]

Am I late to this party? What happened to the damn download site?

 

[ShipOfFools]

This version of Videotape is growing on me, though. It's...different, but it's still very good.

 

[Dalton]

martha, what's your email address?

 

[xaviMF22]

Another thing.

wow I must be listening to some other record..cause this the best Thom has sounded in years.

Thom's voice is a great and upfront..and not hidden like before.

I think Nigel did a great job..and the binaural recording adds something great to the songs .