All right, Cincinnati, it is time for this town to get *down*! Now, you got Johnny... Doctor Johnny Fever, and I am burnin' up in here! Whoo! Whoo! We all in critical condition, babies, but you can tell me where it hurts, because I got the healing prescription here from the big 'KRP musical medicine cabinet. Now I am talking about your 50,000 watt intensive care unit, babies! So just sit right down, relax, open your ears real wide and say, "Give it to me straight, Doctor, I can take it!"
Friday, June 10, 2011
Radiohead-- In Rainbows (2007)
Once more, Radiohead proves with their latest release, IN RAINBOWS, that a band which strives to break their own sound is a band that creates magic. IN RAINBOWS isn't a monumental departure from the last two albums, but it's obvious they've found a niche of sorts and are trying to find all its boundaries, while still creating melancholic and politically aware songs. They really know how to lay down all those neat little blips and tweaks that make an ordinary song something different and special- i.e., Eno- and Lanois-esque. There's a rich layered electronic keyboard ambience to every song, commingled with mostly restrained, yet still powerful, bass lines and guitar work. And yet…there is a deceptive simplicity to their sound. At times it belies description, a description that somehow steals the magic by putting it into words.
As usual the star of the music is Yorke's unmistakable voice-as-instrument. He moans with true emotion, sending echoing wails in the background that cause the small hairs on your arms to stand at attention. His lyrics are haunting and beautiful- a perfect match for the soundscapes created.
Despite all the carbon copies that have tried to perfect the Radiohead formula since THE BENDS, no one comes close to making the kind of music RADIOHEAD does. IN RAINBOWS may have the distinction of winning several awards this coming year, and may find its place in history as a one of a kind album by a one of a kind band.
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