goodnightboy

Well, Radiohead aren't a band that require much introduction, but in case you happen to be living under a rock all these years, here is an overview, of sorts:

Radiohead are a British band from Oxfordshire, England, comprised of five musicians. Though often classed as alternative rock, they have been deeply influenced by music from a variety of genres. Radiohead is often praised as one of the most creative bands of their era, known for their multilayered songs and artistic evolution from album to album. They are seen by many to have maintained musical and political independence despite recording for a major label.

They first broke into the music scene with the album Pablo Honey, containing the hit single 'Creep', a song about low self-esteem and self-hatred that many listeners could identify with. The song was so huge, in fact, that critics wrote the band off as one-hit wonders - a label that seemed to have weight after subsequent singles such as 'Pop Is Dead' were savaged by critics. However, Radiohead bounced back in the form of their second album, The Bends in 1995 - a much more mature-sounding rock album that spawned Radiohead's highest-ranked single on the British charts, 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)'. Two years later came what many people have hailed their best album, OK Computer - an album that has made many "Greatest Albums" lists. Some have also derided their work for its bleakness and lack of instant accessibility - in part due to the double dose of nihilism in the next two albums Kid A and Amnesiac, but it is also proof of the band's willingness to experiment and explore the boundaries of rock. Their sixth album, Hail To The Thief - controversy still reigns over whether the title alludes to American president George Bush winning the presidency, though the band has denied it - is seen to be a link, of sorts, between OK Computer and the next two albums, yet it is an album that has its distinct sound (a feature of all Radiohead albums).

On 10th October 2007, Radiohead released their newest album, In Rainbows. It is currently only available on the band's website in two versions: a limited-edition Discbox which includes bonus material and artwork as well, and as a digital download file available for whatever price the buyer chooses. This has been seen as an unprecedented move by the music industry, with the result of this being a very high-profile release despite the lack of promotion in general. However, this has not detracted from the music itself - we at the Radiohead thread are happy to announce that it is a very, very good album, and that we are waiting rather impatiently for 3rd December, when the made-to-order Discboxes will be shipped out. It is speculated that the album will be released via the traditional means some time in early 2008.

Thom has a solo album, The Eraser, however he does not like to refer to it as a solo album and says he is not splitting up with the band - much to the relief of fans everywhere! Jonny also has worked on solo projects, including the soundtrack to Bodysong and the upcoming There Will Be Blood. In addition, he works as the BBC’s composer in residence.


Several sites:
Radiohead.com
Dead Air Space
Wikipedia page
Green Plastic
At Ease
Citizen Insane
Piemerica

Radiohead's music videos, in order of release:
'Creep'
Missing 'Anyone Can Play Guitar' video
'Pop Is Dead'
'Stop Whispering'
Missing 'The Bends' video.
'My Iron Lung'. I'm not sure if this is the real video. I think so.
'Street Spirit'
'Just'
'Fake Plastic Trees'
'High and Dry'
'Paranoid Android'
'Karma Police'
'No Surprises'
'Pyramid Song'
'I Might Be Wrong'. No idea if this and 'Pyramid Song' are the correct videos, but I'm assuming so.
'Knives Out'
'There There'
'Go To Sleep'
Missing '2+2=5' video

chandelier2

ARGH I just downloaded mine and I'm not allowed to listen to it yet!

I'm going mad here knowing it's sat in my iTunes... probably making puppy eyes at me or something

Must.......... resist........

goodnightboy

Why can't you listen to it yet?

I JUST HEARD IT OMG. It is one of the best things I've heard all year... every single song is at least 10x better than the boots we heard. It's so lush and beautiful, and totally not like anything we've heard - they're the masters of invention, they are. There's so much strings, you feel like weeping. And all of it is so, so beautiful, I'm slightly overwhelmed still.

I was thinking, for discussion, shall we go song by song? Instead of having mega-long posts. And from the previous thread: Rhi, how did your station get hold of the songs? Is it because Australia is a lot faster in terms of time?

Oh and sorry for the huge picture - I love it, it's probably my favouritest picture of them ever, but it is huge. However, I don't have Photoshop in my computer anymore... so if anyone wants to resize it, just give me the resized image and I'll replace it

I am still dying at how incredible In Rainbows is. It has surpassed all my expectations. I feel like I'm floating in a Radiohead world. Thom, Jonny, Colin, Ed and Phil! You have done it again.

chandelier2

Because I promised Mr Sylv I'd wait until he gets home from work at 6

I'm an idiot

I tried resizing that pic for you but the quality went all sucky. Don't know what's up with that

ETA: OK ignore that last comment, I think my PSP was having a funny 5 minutes. There's a smaller version here: http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...adioheadBW.jpg

goodnightboy

Poor you. How long more? thanks for the resize, by the way. I've edited my post.

I was looking at the posts on MT and I was surprised by some of the negative reaction - I loved this album. I need to listen to it again, though, to remember more. So far the ones that I remember are '15 Step', 'Reckoner' and 'Faust Arp'... I think people get too attached to bootlegs.

Still, never mind. The haters will come around eventually

chandelier2

of course they will! I don't take much notice of people who don't like stuff straight away. Sometimes things take a little getting used to, and like you said some of this stuff is already so familiar through the bootlegs. Some people are bound to be negative at first.

I've got 6 hours to go! Although having said that I think it might be on the radio now. *runs off to find out*

goodnightboy

That's true. And anyway most of them like it. Oh, who cares. I like it and that's all that matters. Sitting on the floor listening to my iPod playing In Rainbows... it was a slightly surreal and incredibly amazing experience.

So is it on the radio?

chandelier2

yeah it's on right now

I missed 15 step and Bodysnatchers but that's all

goodnightboy

Ahh. So you're not going to wait for Mr Sylv? Well I guess you can watch him listen and then tease him mercilessly for whatever stupid expression he's got on. Kind of makes me glad I was listening to it on my own, now...

So, am doing more MT-surfing and I have to agree with this bit:

Oh yes. This album is minimalist and lush at the same time (Stanley was so right!) - it's warm and inviting and just achingly beautiful.

josebajm

Wow! That's all I can say after listening the album. What a great piece of art. I like all the songs but "Videotape" has definitely won my heart.

ETA. You know, I'm just listening to the album and right now the song that I like the most is "All I need".

Also, maybe it's just me and because I don't pay attention to the lyrics (I'm Spanish, so I sometimes I can't understand them) but the music seems more upbeat, doesn't it?

goodnightboy

Hello, welcome to the thread

You liked 'Videotape'? I was a bit disappointed by it at first... but it's won me over. My favourite is 'Faust Arp' though, it's so completely different from what they've usually done. But I like how this album is so completely different from everything they've done before, it's so strings-laden. Upbeat? Well I found the album a lot mellower than stuff like Hail to the Thief, definitely

josebajm

I think there are some songs that could perfectly fit in The Eraser such as All I Need, it reminds me a bit of the atmosphere that Atoms For Peace had. And yeah, I also noticed the strings.

I was thinking it was more upbeat because they've made songs like "We Suck Young Blood" or "Knives Out" that were very depressing and in comparison these have a happier (it's an awful adjective, but I can find the words) vibe.

And thank you for welcoming me , I like Radiohead a lot, I discovered them with Karma Police and they've never let me down. My fave songs are "Creep", "No surprises", "Fake plastic trees", "You and whose army" & "Where I end and you begin"

goodnightboy

Yes! That's a very valid comparison. And I was listening to 'All I Need' just now, I love it. It's one of my favourites. Did you listen to the bootlegs before the album release, though?

Yeah the lyrics seem - from what I can see anyway - not about such weird, "bad" subjects. 'Videotape' is like the happy version of 'Motion Picture Soundtrack', the kids shouting yay in '15 Step' is undeniably happy. It ties in with the title In Rainbows very well. I think that was the point of it. And now I see why 'Down Is The New Up' was left out of the album. It just wouldn't have fitted.

No problem! We're desperate for posters here I'm Gwen, by the way. Never let you down, huh? That's a nice way of putting it. They haven't let me down, either. 'Fake Plastic Trees' was a favourite of mine for a really long time until I overplayed it and a 'YAWA?' fan! I hardly find those. It's a really underrated track on Amnesiac IMO. And 'Where I End and You Begin', that's a great song too. One of the better ones from Hail to the Thief, along with 'There There', 'A Wolf At The Door' and 'Scatterbrain' (which is another really underrated track).

I just went to radiohead.com for fun - it leads directly to DAS now, not the In Rainbows site. Does this mean that the poor people living under a rock who didn't know about the album aren't able to order/listen to it now (unless they pirate it from BitTorrent or something)? Because that would really suck.

infinite sadness

I've been so giddy for the last several hours I can't even properly express myself...

But I just... I don't know how they do it. How does every album they put out not sound like one of their previous? Especially now, the 7th time around?


And I also think the album had an overall more upbeat feet, musically. Even though some of the lyrics are, you know, Radiohead lyrics.


"Reckoner" is my standout at the moment. It's NOTHING like it was before. But there's honestly not one I don't like.

Some of them didn't change that much-- 'Videotape', 'Arpeggi', for example. But I don't think it spoiled it, having heard them before-- maybe because I haven't listened in such a long time the only ones I really was familiar with were 'Videotape' and 'Nude'...

Oh, I can't wait to read Pauline's opinion...

Hey, josebajm -- firstly, welcome! And secondly, did you hear the bootlegs before the album? Or was this your first time through all the songs?


I'm pretty sure one of the lyrics in 'Faust Arp' is "I love you but enough is enough"-- if this song had been known before, that title would've been perfect for a thread before we knew about the album coming out.

So, song by song, Gwen? So we'll start with '15 Step':

So catchy. And much more intense than it was in the boots. I liked it so much upon first listen I had to listen to it twice-- and then I was like 'no, no... you have to listen to the whole thing through, no repeats until it's over'

Something I liked about it, and all the songs, were the vocals-- I thought Thom did a stellar job here. Well, all the guys did, naturally... but the vocals stood out big time on this CD.

I will say I don't think '15 Step' was an amazing opener, it's an amazing song by itself, but not their best in terms of openers... though it does effectively set the tone and is probably the best option out of what they had... it's just no 'EIIRP' or '2+2=5'. I don't know what it is, but I think we predicted that would be the case before hand.

Anyway, for now, '15 Step'=9/10 (which, I tell you now, the lowest any song will currently get from me is 8.5... but probably 9 actually... I can't rate them too low 'cause they're amazing! )

goodnightboy

I KNOW! I don't know how they manage to change their music direction so often, so effortlessly, and remain so consistently good. It's incredible. Geniuses!

I can't wait to hear what she thinks, too. Everybody, really. I know, I know! 'Reckoner' is nothing like the boots and I love this 100x more (I can't wait until our discussion goes to 'Reckoner', I have to say this now) - I didn't like the boots much you see. So it's one of my favourites.

Is that what he says? I've been looking for the lyrics to 'Faust Arp' (granted, not very hard). I would love to know what he's saying. Well, if LP8 takes another 4-5 years to come out (am praying not though) then we can use that

Ooh, '15 Step'.



I think what grabs your attention first is the heavy synth (for In Rainbows anyway) beats... I didn't expect that at all. It reminded me a bit of Modeselektor (well, I was listening to Thom's iTunes playlist before this!). And the kids cheering! I was waiting for the handclaps, not cheering. That was a surprise. I was listening to it on my iPod next to the window, so I thought it was kids outside playing at first then I realised it was from the song. But I think the electronica-ish sounds and the kids cheering is genius. Both just add to the song. It's a lot more intense, yes... but excellent.

Yeah it's not as perfect as 'EIIRP' and '2+2=5' (and how could you have forgotten 'Airbag'?!?!) but none of the material they have currently really shouted opener - mostly because it's, well, so mellow. Vocals, yeah, they were top notch. Hahaha, you had to rewind. I only rewound for 'Faust Arp' and that was because I had to open the door for my sister but we're drifting. I need to listen to it again (not now though, it's 1.08am and I need to sleep!) but it's very good. I love the boots for '15 Step' so it had a high standard to reach, but it more than made it. Put the boot to shame, actually.