Radiohead
In Rainbows

The Radiohead have become a band on which it is difficult to express oneself without having some kind of bias, because so much has been written and said about them that for better or worse, it's no longer possible to be completely objective.
The release of each new album is loaded with such expectations that for a month, only overly enthusiastic or overly disappointed opinions are heard. No middle ground, except with the uncertainty that "some further listening will provide guidance".

In fact, regarding "In Rainbows", Thom Yorke's band has offered so many non-musical cues that the discussion has thickened well beyond the circle of fans and enthusiasts. The decision to distribute the "virtual" digital version of the album on a pay-what-you-want basis received great attention from the media and, in a sense, even overshadowed the actual content of the project, that is, the music. This choice, in its own way, definitively dismantled what still resisted: a group under contract with a major label, considered a cult, and used to selling a lot that decides in that direction is significant.

Less significant, in the end, seems to be the evolutionary path of Radiohead, which after Yorke's solo and minimalist outing returned to guitars, electroacoustic sounds, and a more traditional intimate approach, while maintaining a very specific trademark. Inevitable, in my opinion, that the solution of an increasingly rooted use of electronics and experimentation applied to the song form could not have a future. "Kid A" had spawned a courageous turn that emancipated the future of the group from the overwhelming presence of "Ok Computer"; but it had not invented anything new.... it simply grafted a different sound approach onto the Radiohead style.

"In Rainbows", today, seems to take a path halfway between "The Bends" and "Amnesiac", leaving out the more obvious ingredients and focusing on non-catchy and melancholic ballads with guitar scratches, without many concessions to keyboards and focusing - obviously - on Yorke's vocal interpretation; which here more than elsewhere seems to make the difference.

At first glance, the album does not seem to have particularly interesting sparks. Indeed, it's difficult to listen to it entirely with the same attention. Then, gradually, more captivating themes and arrangements emerge, and each track assumes its own precise profile.

The atmosphere is pervaded by a mood that is certainly not sunny, at best nostalgic. However, here the rainbows are present, and unlike the unsettling chapters of "the fall of the Western Roman Empire" (Ok Computer and Amnesiac, for the uninitiated), here the music condenses between man and nature, between thoughts and gestures. Thus, giving an unexpected sense of renewal that starts from some steps backward and still manages to astonish.

"In Rainbows" does not appear to be particularly lavish in post-production, nor is it lavish with an extraordinarily inspired writing. But perhaps this is its strength: a balance that sets aside the desire for yet another masterpiece to thrill with nuances and small details.

You listen to "Jigsaw", or "15 Steps", and catch glimpses here and there that induce you to listen again. Each track a chapter unto itself. And the album probably becomes the least Radiohead of all while still having all the Radiohead ingredients at the forefront.

However, I will buy the tangible and special edition, because I like albums to have their graphic and iconographic accompaniment. For now, I enjoy the mp3s and applaud.