jim | 
10.11.2007| 
I’m having a good day today. It’s beautiful outside and I went out to lunch so I got to feel a bit of it. Alabama is really nice this time of year.
Enough! Onward!
So. In Rainbows. There’s not a lot to say about this record that a few million other bloggers haven’t already said, but I’m gonna go out on a limb here and just say it: not that great. Now, I don’t mean “eh, not that great,” but more like “not that great.” The record is good for a Radiohead record. I hold them to pretty high standards because, well, they’ve proven what they can do (Ok Computer), and I expect no less from each release. Radiohead has gotta get graded hard. They’re one the smartest students in the class, and they should never fail to try their hardest.
The acclaim I’ve been hearing about it being as good or better than Ok Computer is absolute rubbish. In Rainbows is a good record. It’s enjoyable. It’s pleasant.
And I like it. But Ok Computer it is not. It feels to me like they mixed Hail to the Thief (which I loved) and The Eraser (which I didn’t particularly care for). There are times where it feels black and white, like a huge white canvas with drums, Thom’s voice and the other instruments just barely covering any of it; those parts feel kind of empty to me.
That said, I like it. If I’m being mostly negative here it’s because the positive has all been said and done.
- 15 Step: Probably my favorite song at the moment. The lead guitar line is pretty. I like the low-tone muted effect a lot. It could go a lot of places that it doesn’t go, though, which is frustrating.
- Bodysnatchers: Repetitive, a little bland, but pleasant enough.
- Nude: Big Ideas. Parts of it are good, but overall, it’s not stellar. It’s just another “Scatterbrain”-like song with a Rhodes, but much less original.
- Weird Fishes/Arpeggi: Catchy, poppy, radio-friendly. The beginning sounds like it could be a Sea and Cake song. Unfortunately, this song also seems kinda repetitive. It’s almost a minute of buildup before the vocals even come in. Has Thom been listening to too much Cure lately?
- All I Need: My least-favorite song right now. What does this song have to offer, really? It’s a bit like “National Anthem,” the way it adds layers and gets louder, but it never changes chords at all. It’s just variations of the same 4-bar measure.
- Faust Arp: This one is pretty good, if a bit of a rehash of “Wolf at the Door.” Super short, but good, folky fun while it lasts.
- Reckoner: Another good one. The lead guitar uses the same effect as “15 Step,” which wouldn’t bother me as much if it didn’t have the same two-note sliding, panned 100% left just like that song did. The vocals are different, so that makes up for it. And I really do like that muted effect. I kinda want to turn the tone all the way done on my guitar just for fun.
- House of Cards: *snores* [Cue the "Oh no he di-ihn!"]
- Jigsaw Falling into Place: This is another catchy song. Guitar still panned left, but a different tone. And I love the violins. Should’ve been put closer to the beginning of the album.
- Videotape: Pretty and haunting. This will take a while to get into, because by the end of the album I’m getting a bit bored with it, so I’ll have to start out on this track a time or two to fully get into it.
The album is short, but it’s not too short. If it were any longer, it wouldn’t hold my attention.
That said, I’m moderately happy with it. It’s well worth your listening time.
