Radiohead
In Rainbows

THE REVIEW

I have all the Radiohead albums (except the first one, the one with Creep, that is, which I find rather bad). As for the comparison with Pink... it's a somewhat overused thing: everyone has said it, at least since 1997, the year of release, I believe, of "OK COMPUTER".

I believe, very succinctly, that the similarities between the two bands are really few. The only points in common are these.... in my view: 1) both English, 2) both manage to make a kind of Stadium Rock and simultaneously carve out a nice slice of "Alternative" sympathies (translated: they make a lot of money, fill stadiums, but at the same time can be defined as a band that doesn't follow trends, often surprises, and doesn't cater to expectations). Good job. Period.

A lot more can be added about the music, but I would say that the definition of "New Pink Floyd" could be offensive... a bit like saying "copycats". There are, however, bands that, although managing to be quite good, can aspire to belong to the category of followers of the "Pinkfloydian" genre... for example, people like Radar Bros (who, by the way, I also like) or Explosions In The Sky (interesting). Even Mercury Rev or Grandaddy have sometimes been mentioned... and the Flaming Lips in their latest album included a piece "Pompey Am Gotterammerung" that seems to have come off a Pink album, but scratched and damaged! Wonderful.

So: I finally listened to the new Radiohead album two or three times. Before giving a judgment, I usually have to listen to a whole album at least twice in a row, on headphones. Then, if I feel like playing it again, it means it has something special: it comes almost naturally. I don't dislike it at all, that is, it doesn't seem bad to me, but I find it a step below the previous albums. Let's say that if I had to make a ranking, I would put Kid A in first place, OK Computer and The Bends in second, Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief in third, along with this "In Rainbows" (I wouldn't even rank the first album).

The tracks are good, but they don't get under my skin: maybe it takes more time to offer them to my ears, still intoxicated by certain things I heard this year... The album in general sounds a bit monotonous and flat, memorable melodies are lacking. The impression is that of standing in front of a collection of B-sides, or rather C-sides, since I have a B-side, "Airbag/How Am I Driving?" which contains some incredible tracks, worthy of being on an "A" album. I don't
know. Maybe I need more time to process it. Nonetheless, their pop-rock-neo-psychedelic blend is certainly above the "commercial" standard, but since we've waited quite a few years for a new album, one would have expected a little something more: let's say that this hasn't amazed me like others have recently.