Quite possibly the oddest marketing decision of Radiohead’s interesting musical career was to release the 2007 album In Rainbows as two separate album discs. It was also an album (along with Disc 1) that was supported as a pay-what-you-want download-styled format. Having had initial disappointment with leaving EMI (as their recording contract had ended), Radiohead encountered further disappointment when, after a silent period of hiatus in the group’s activities, they went nowhere attempting to record new songs with Mark “Spike” Stent. Perhaps Radiohead had listened to the rather jumbled-up releases by Oasis, namely the 2000 release Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants and 2002 release Heathen Chemistry, intending to duplicate it somehow? Regardless, they went back to their main producer who the group had previously worked with, Nigel Godrich and self-released this album. This Disc, along with Disc 1, received a great deal of praise from album critics all across the world. In any case, let’s take a quick listen to Disc 2, and although it is less than half an hour in full, let’s hope it lives up to its promises and the fact that Thom Yorke thought it was the best Radiohead release, period.

MK 1 begins with warped piano and irresistable processed vocals from Thom Yorke. This is amazing, psychedelic and above all, brilliantly done. It sounds very different to anything else musically. Nice start to the album, with some decent piano playing in the right channel to conclude. Awesome stuff.

Down Is The New Up launches into a very good song from the start. With whimsical harmonies, clanging piano and reversed drums, this quickly launches into a really fine and fantastic tune that sounds pretty and animated. This is less socio-politically oriented than previous Radiohead works. Instead, it is total artistry and beauty set to music. Thom Yorke in particular sings well here, showcasing the world of music with his unique falsetto vocals. This is layered with different guitars, breakbeat-styled drums and artistic vision that would make the living members of Pink Floyd very jealous. A trance-inducing string section is present here. The lyrics are like a painting, whilst the music is the paint itself. A really wonderful and lively listening experience, this music sounds solidly gorgeous and fantastic throughout. The second half is more emotionally moving, with string sections galore and a very inspired and driven musical approach. Radiohead really should be proud of this release, it sounds beautiful and worth listening to. Sure, it may not be as popular as OK Computer, but the music present is top-notch and fantastic. Towards the end are a strange mixture of well-mix vocals and a great Psychedelic mixture of Rock styled sounds to be heard. Effortlessly brilliant, it fades out nicely at the end. Really great.

Go Slowly begins with some warped delayed Electronic sounds before some excellent meshing of guitars and keyboards occurs. This is sensationally good and sounds like the sort of thing that many could easily enjoy a bit of weed listening to. Regardless, this sounds slow, relaxing and different. Thom Yorke enters with some fantastic vocals and sounds like a textural addition to the song, rather than just singing or screaming over the top of a song, like most singers do. A dynamic, pretty and Psychedelic listen, this is the side of Radiohead that is frequently overlooked. A strummed acoustic guitar enters, and this piece heads more into a traditional song structure than what preceded it. Thom Yorke’s vocals are fantastically mixed and delayed here. Rock and Roll will never die, well into the 21st century at this point. This postmodern and brilliant music sounds top-notch. A great and interesting listening experience that sounds artistic, colourful and different. Fantastic job Radiohead.

MK 2 is a sub-one-minute-long piece. It begins with spacey sounds on the keyboard and sounds extremely warped as a result. Nonetheless, this does sound really cool anyway. This pastiche continues on for a bit before it quickly ends. Nice.

Last Flowers begins with some rather sad-sounding and moving piano sections and is the centrepiece of the second half of In Rainbows. Thom Yorke begins singing nicely, and he sounds really bittersweet here. The music and musicianship, despite it being fairly depressing to listen to, is really world-class. Thom Yorke sings about wanting to be heard in a world of mediocrity over piano and acoustic guitars, which is a nice and enjoyable listening experience. Despite the music being fairly down, not up, it is very original, different and consistent to listen to. Surely Coldplay would be incredibly jealous of wonderful songs on this album such as this? In any case, a lovely listen, although be warned, it is very depressing to listen to. Musically a real winner, this song has a huge amount of pristine production, colourful textures and acoustic guitars galore. The singing is amazing here as well. A really great job here Radiohead. Worth listening to from start to finish. It ends with lone piano playing and a nice conclusion. Well done.

Up On The Ladder begins with a multitude of Electronic sounds in the right channel and guitars in the left channel by Jonny Greenwood. This has a kick drum beat enter and sounds really suspenseful and great. This has some nice subsonic bass guitar work and builds up into a piece that is definitely a political tune. It’s about those who are millionaires and billionaires who don’t deserve respect in a world where we are judged by our position solely based on that said latter. The music matches this set of lyrics perfectly and is a really nicely layered Rock song to listen to. In the second half are some static sounds, warped vocals and other interesting musical textures to match. If you agree with Radiohead’s political stance, then this very left-wing Socialist statement will definitely appeal to you. Having said that, all political beliefs and ideologies have their pros and cons. Regardless, this is a straightforward expression of that. The tune ends with some spacey and trippy musical textures to fade on out with, primarily by a keyboard. Great.

Bangers + Mash begins as a rather random sounding Rock based jam with looped real live breakbeats, and continues on into a repetitive, yet enjoyable listening experience. Thom Yorke sings with a natural falsetto and a melodic voice and launches into a strange piece of melodicism and delivery that is very different to anything else out there. Another solidly interesting and consistent tune, this music is light years ahead of most of Radiohead’s contemporaries in terms of artistry, consistency and creativity. Political themes run through this tune, once again. There is a weird vocal-led breakdown in the second half of the song before a stand-alone guitar riff leads this back into a great and upbeat listening experience. A really cool listen, this ends with a lyrical reference to The Prodigy. Different, all right.

4 Minute Warning begins with some Psychedelic and spacey keyboards, and sounds absolutely brilliant as a result. It sounds just like adrenaline set to music here. These Electronics continue on for a while and sound really deep and different, even as this tune goes on. Some extra sounds eventually enter, namely multitracked bass guitar and some random vocals and guitar melodies in the left channel. This is a gentle song that is actually about having a prolonged nightmare in one’s sleep. Talk about being plugged into The Matrix. Nonetheless, this completes a wonderful and beautiful second side of an album that is just as interesting and compelling listening as the first side of In Rainbows. This is gorgeous and seriously awesome listening and is likely about premonitions in sleep. Therefore, a warning indeed. Regardless, this does sound really beautiful and quintessential listening for Radiohead fans. Good to hear, and it indeed finishes after four minutes in length. The album wraps up here.

This is definitely an album that lives up to its promises, and rightfully so. By all means, this is a colourful, artistic, Psychedelic, Electronic and fantastic listening experience that is underrated and under-represented in the back catalogue of Radiohead. Should you listen to this album? Definitely do, especially given you are a big fan of Radiohead or Rock/Electronic Music and you want to hear something beautiful and great to listen to.

Imaginative.

9/10