Radiohead was excellent at artistic invention in a musical sense, so much so that even Kid Rock namechecked them in a song on the matter on his own 2001 Cocky album on the matter. Radiohead, by this point in time, abandoned their EDM experiments of their earlier Kid A and Amnesiac albums, returning to a much more straightforward Rock sensibility on the previous album, 2003’s Hail To The Thief, which was continued on this album set. Radiohead were keen to keep their flame of postmodern Rock alive, and this album was very well received by the public upon release. This proves that even as they got older, Radiohead still could deliver some excellent music. This is the first half of a double album, which had two discs released separately from each other in 2007 and was initially released as a pay-as-you-want download only from a special website upon first release, before being released later on to the general public. Without further hesitation, let’s explore this album, and hopefully, it should be a decent music listening experience.

15 Step begins with some electronic drumbeats, and minimal digitally processed sounds, with Thom Yorke entering with his classic falsetto into this tune. It is surprisingly good for a Rock and EDM mash-up, and the song gradually evolves into a pseudo-Jazz piece of artistic beauty. A great mesh of both old and new, Radiohead once again hit the right notes. A great combination of Jazz, Drum and Bass, Rock and EDM, this is completely different from anything the group has done before. Some layered drums enter in the middle, along with some real and groovy bass guitar work on this song. A really unique, interesting and joyous listening experience, time was obviously not wasted here at all. Towards the end, this builds up nicely and Thom Yorke sounds a bit like the Arctic Monkeys here in his singing style. Still, great music for this album. It ends with digital sounds galore that are excellent.

Bodysnatchers begins with some fuzzy bass guitar styled sounds, which are really different. Vocals and drums quickly enter, and this tune gets underway. Thom Yorke’s falsetto vocals sound really terrific here, and the tune itself is energetic, artistic and brilliant. After some time, some wordless harmonies and warped melodies enter. A really great, pretty and interesting listening experience, this is consistent and varied enough to be enjoyed to the full. In the second half enters a really cool melodic guitar line, sound effects galore and Thom Yorke sounds intense and amazing here singing, although, by this point, 10 years had passed from OK Computer. Great music regardless, a worthy and interesting listen. The ending sounds chaotic, with loads of strange guitar licks and a noisy conclusion. Great.

Nude begins with some rather unusual electronic sounds and reversed harmonies (by the sounds of it), quickly entering into a very pretty piece of music, with minimal percussion, deep basslines and Thom Yorke singing beautifully here. This album is likely better than the previous offering, 2003’s Hail To The Thief, by a long shot. This song is simply beautiful and sonically excellent to listen to. Thoroughly good, this is a great Radiohead song, with some crisp guitar parts, sweet singing and unusual digital sounds throughout. There is even a mellow string section present in this song. In the second half, Thom Yorke sings over the top of it all, with his voice being the main driver of the melodies and the brief pause here. Radiohead definitely knew how to make great music, period. This is no different, a great listen.

Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi begins with clacking drumsticks, quickly launching into some intricate drum beats and some great guitar arpeggios. These sound very mellow and are definitely worth your time and ears. Thom Yorke sings in an inspired way, and very beautifully on this tune. He questions existence, possibly from a fish’s perspective. Still, for all its unusual artistic nature, this sounds really excellent and brilliant. A really different and fascinating listen, Thom Yorke’s voice sounds excellent on this song. The guitar arpeggios in the background supporting him are also excellent sounding as well. Radiohead had found their stride in Rock music, once again. In the second half, a change at the drop of a hat occurs, which has drum and bass style drumming, floating sounds, wordless vocal harmonies and other interesting sounds to boot. Thom Yorke resumes singing towards the end here, and this tune is really awesome music to hear. Fine and fantastic listening, definitely worth your ears.

All I Need has some electronically generated sounds, a slow yet choppy drum part enters and a dark and eerie sound pastiche reveals itself. Thom Yorke sings well here, and this tune is eerie, dark and moody. It is not the greatest tune from this album, but even so, it is artistic and nicely done for its strange and unusual sounds. Xylophones enter here after some time, and this tune sounds very impressive and musically interesting. A dark tune throughout, this is undoubtedly one of the darkest tunes that Radiohead has made to date. Clanging piano and loud drumming enter towards the end, with Thom Yorke singing gorgeously over the top of it all. Neat, a fine tune.

Faust Arp begins with a counted intro, mellow acoustic guitar parts that are multitracked and some rather surreal lyricism present. String sections quickly enter and this is a two minute excellent piece of Radiohead melancholy and postmodern beauty. Fine and fantastic, this works wonderfully and powerfully on a musical level. A short, sweet and great listening experience, this is a melodic ballad that still sounds amazing today. Fantastic work by Radiohead.

Reckoner begins with some real drum loops and percussion, which instantly sounds catchy and brilliant. Some pseudo-Jazz guitar parts enter, and we are underway in this tune. A great example of a fairly minimal wall-of-sound, this is joyous and uplifting throughout. Thom Yorke’s falsetto rises above it all, along with some great piano parts as well. The lyrics are partial, yet interesting: “You are not to blame for, bittersweet distractor”. About as arty as music gets, not even Pink Floyd come close to Radiohead in that respect. A fine, interesting and absolutely beautiful piece of songcraft. In the middle, the drums and percussion stop, just leaving the singing and guitars present in this song. Soon enough, a dark and moody string section enters, swamping the mix nicely. Excellent, this is very colourful, abstract and artistic sounding music. It’s like walking through an art gallery listening to this album, with Radiohead as the main exhibition. Choppy drums and percussion eventually return, and this tune wraps up nicely with a fade out. Neat song, and very enjoyable to listen to.

House Of Cards begins with some loose guitar riffs, basic drumming and some weird vocal styled sounds in the background mix. This five minute long piece is another gem about being in love, which is an oddity in terms of the subjects that Radiohead write about in their songs. A really excellent listening experience, everything about these songs are very much perfect. String sections return again, along with some rather spacey science fiction styled percussion. Radiohead have made and delivered a very near perfect album for us to hear, and this is their best Rock album that they have delivered since 1997’s OK Computer. Simple, melodic and elegant, these songs are truly wonderful to hear today. Thom Yorke sings repeatedly about denial on this song, and the whole tune is spacey and gorgeous. A really fantastic piece of music, there is no doubt that this is a very special musical listen. Brilliant.

Jigsaw Falling Into Place begins with fingerpicked acoustic guitars, hi-hats and the sense that something exciting is present in this song. Drums and bass guitar enters, followed quickly by Thom Yorke’s gorgeous harmonies. A really interesting and gorgeous musical piece. Thom Yorke’s vocals and lyrics are very Impressionistic. This isn’t a wannabe group of the 2000s like other artists were at the time. Instead, Radiohead carve out new musical territory that nobody else has yet discovered. There are some acoustic guitar solos present here, which are rather subtle to listen to and sound pretty and excellent. In the second half, Thom Yorke’s singing becomes manic and this tune builds up in volume and intensity. Another excellent tune, there are some flowing and melodic guitars, along with a simple yet gorgeous string section to finish up this song. A really great listening experience, it ends suddenly.

Videotape is the final song in the first half of In Rainbows. It begins with sad and moody piano, with Thom Yorke quickly singing. He sings about reaching heaven and other simple matters, in a melancholy way. A really brilliant and fantastic tune to listen to, even with its minimalism, this works incredibly well. Some drum hits enter here, along with some delicious harmonies. A rather odd listen, but it is so well done that most listeners will enjoy this regardless. A simple, pretty and listenable ballad, this ends the album on a dramatic high note per se. It eventually has an elongated section of instrumental playing in the second half of the piece, which is really cool. This track begins to conclude with piano and percussion being present before this stops with some sustained piano notes. The album ends here.

This album is a fantastic listening experience. It is a really awesome set of tunes that still sounds great to this very day. The music is intelligent, artistic and excellent throughout. Should you listen to this album? Absolutely, especially if you liked OK Computer and weren’t so keen on the Electronic Radiohead albums of Kid A and Amnesiac, and who thought that Hail To The Thief was lacking. This is a fine listen throughout. Part Two of this album will also be covered in another review.

Clever, cool and classy.

9/10