Radiohead: In Rainbows

Since Radiohead has one of the most dedicated followings of any band alive right now, I'm one of many who was willing to pay for this album twice. When it was released in October, I paid about $10 for it (supposedly I was one of the few who paid a regular CD price), and for some reason I still couldn't wait to get my hands on a packaged copy with artwork. It has taken those four months for this album to really sink in for me, but now I'm clear on this: this is the best album of 2007 (sorry, I was wrong about Joe Henry's Civilians), this will probably be the best album of 2008, and this will be one of the five best albums of this decade.

Here's a track-by-track:

"15 Steps": Radiohead completely tricked me for a few seconds by making me think this would be an electronic-based record like Kid A. After the techno beat and the atonal high-pitched singing, that warm guitar can in and I knew I was in for something different. This is still my least favorite track, but it's a good album intro.

"Bodysnatchers": The second track is another trick: is this album going to be a Pablo Honey throwback? This is the heaviest, fastest song they've done in ten years, but it seems like another intro to the heart of the album.

"Nude": After the danceable first track and the hard-rocking second, Thom York is ready to break hearts. This atmospheric waltz lulls me to sleep with a classic Radiohead lyric: "Don't get any big ideas, they're not going to happen". I have fallen asleep to this one many times.

"Weird Fishes / Arpeggi": This album is all about rythm, and this song builds such a great one that they let the intro play for a minute. I still don't get the lyrics to this one, but the guitar keeps me humming it.

"All I Need": What would it sound like if Radiohead did a love song? How about unnerving and terrifying. This song might not have worked for me if it weren't for the dramatic outburst at the end.

"Faust Arp": This song reminds me of "Wolf At The Door" from the last album, but is used here as an interlude between the halves of the album. It makes a much better intelude than "Fitter, Happier" did, and the orchestra is well-timed and not overdone.

"Reckoner": Maybe the best drumwork I've heard in a Radiohead song, and a new octave for Thom. Besides the drums and the vocalist, everything else about this song is very subtle, making for a gorgeous melody.

"House Of Cards": This is my personal favorite: a conventional breakup song, a simple rhythm, and the best singing this band has ever done. I love the drowning guitar noise for the past few minutes of the song.

"Jigsaw Falling Into Place": Again the rhythm is subtle and steady, and again it's Thom's time to shine. His voice works perfectly with the creepy humming in the background, and this keeps building to another great dramatic conclusion. This song summarizes everything great about this album.

"Videotape": Where does Radiohead go from here? A terrifying piano ballad about killing yourself on video, of course. This is a great song, but I'm not sure how it fits with the rest of the album lyrically.

And I'll listen to the entire album 100 more times trying to figure it out. That's why this is my favorite band of the past 20 years.

Buy it. Buy it for your friends. Buy it twice like I did!