Megan's Top 18 of 2008 - #1b* - Radiohead

The Bends is my favorite. OK Computer is second. But In Rainbows might just have supplanted Pablo Honey as my third favorite Radiohead album of all times.

I'd like to take just a moment to address the issue of why Radiohead is sitting here at #1 (well, #1b with asterisk) on my list in the first place. Yes, I do in fact realize that In Rainbows was digitally released last year. However, as I addressed when I wrote about this record back in January, the actual, physical manifestation appeared in that very month, thereby rendering it fair game (in my books, anyway) for my 2008 list. So there, purists. We're a little more relaxed about things here. Now back to the album.

It took me approximately ten seconds to fall in love with In Rainbows. Ten teensy, tiny seconds into opening track "15 Steps" and it was all over. It's as though they're just mocking everyone, by making yet another great, great album. Every single track is pretty much brilliant, adding to just how prolific this band has always been. "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi"? "All I Need"? "Reckoner"? Great, greater, greatest. And don't even get me going on how much I love "House of Cards". I mean, even the Grammy folks have recognized how fucking good this song is. It's that undeniable, and it kills me. Every damn time.

I know the popular opinion is to be more into the later works of Radiohead, but until this record I was a member of the Older is Better minority. Well, I still think older is mostly better. But there's something about In Rainbows that makes it sound truly comprehensive. In this album is the ghost of Radiohead past, and yet another peek into the future.

Album Review: Radiohead – In Rainbows

I’m the kind of girl who’s usually fashionably late to a wide variety of social functions. However, and I have to hold my head in shame, I’m embarrassingly late to the Radiohead party this go round. I have only this week heard the wonder that is In Rainbows, after procuring a hard copy for myself on New Year’s Day. Call me crazy, but I had this wacky, old-fashioned notion about needing to keep my Radiohead album collection tangible, and thusly defied my urges to download the album months ago (like the rest of world’s general populace did). And after listening I have but one question: is it too late to change my mind about my number one album of 2007? Because as much as I loved the National’s latest effort, it (and everything else) falls well short.

I would hope you’re already familiar with Radiohead, so we’ll skip right over the bio and background information. For those of you that don’t yet know, there are ten tracks on this album. They’re all unfathomably awesome, ridiculously remarkable, and majestically stunning. There are so many sounds and textures on this album it almost overwhelms, but being that Radiohead know how to make a record it never quite becomes too much. It’s the kind of album that makes you shut your eyes, turn the volume up as loud as your eardrums can stand, and wish you could drown in the music. In Rainbows will take you to a haunting yet ultimately beautiful place. Already it has sent shivers down my spine, given me goosebumps, and made my heart ache with joy. That’s not me blowing smoke up anyone’s ass, them’s just the facts, folks.

Sure, Radiohead have become one of the World’s Biggest Bands, and it’s probably even trendy to scoff at them. If it was any other band, I might just be among the scoffers. But let’s not kid ourselves, Radiohead has been a steady source of heart-breakingly magnificent music for over ten years now, and In Rainbows is no exception. While The Bends remains my personal favorite album, I will always passionately love Mister Yorke and co. for continuing to twist and mutate their sound, shape-shifting and metamorphosizing all the while managing to remain unmistakably Radiohead. If you don’t already own In Rainbows, please take whatever steps necessary to immediately rectify the situation. You owe it to yourself, your eardrums, and your soul.