2008 Woodie Awards
Radiohead's latest masterpiece
Chris Essig/Online Interactive Editor
Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: Arts and Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
Before Radiohead's Radiohead's release of In Rainbows, the idea of changing the music industry before you put out an album seemed imbecilic. How in the world is that even possible?
But change the industry they did when they announced they were digitally selling (or, possibly giving away) their new album on their website before it was released physically to the public. Adding to the punch was, of course, the user's ability to decide how much he or she wanted to pay for it.
And yes, that includes $0.
Basically what Radiohead did was they got rid of the middle man: the record company. By offering the album exclusively online at an unsolicited amount, they ensured that all the album's profits would go to them. This was not done for the money, however, as the fans don't have to pay for it. In short, both the band and the fans profit (literally and figuratively).
Only a band of Radiohead's caliber could have pulled this move off. Smaller bands need record labels to promote their material and need stores to sell them. Radiohead, on the other hand, caught everyone's attention by simply releasing a new album, let alone how they released the album.
Earlier this week, TBD Records/ATO Records Group announced they will be releasing a tangible version of In Rainbows In Rainbows in North America on January 2, 2008. But with the release date still a month and a half away, Radiohead's digital downloading expose is still very much a hot topic.
Since their original announcement original announcement to release the album digitally, the media frenzy surrounding the album has only thrived. Some, like Oasis's Liam Gallagher, say they would never let their album be given away for free free. Knowing Gallagher's egoego, I'm not surprised.
British singer Lily Allen went a step further by calling the move "arrogant" arrogant. "It sends a weird message" to up-and-coming bands, she says. I would say the move is more generous then arrogant, but then again I'm not in Allen's shoes. And what exactly is a "weird message"? Oh, never mind.
But not everybody who is weighing in on the issue is a naysayer. Jay-Z for instance, called the move "genius" genius.
If Radiohead were hoping this "publicity stunt" publicity stunt would attract attention, they were right. CNN CNN and the Chicago Tribune Chigago Tribune ,just to name a few, have both written pieces on Radiohead's uncanny business move alone, not to mention the music itself claims great raves.
And they've written these pieces with good reason. People inside and outside of the music industry were wondering how fans would react. How much would they pay for the album? Would they pay for it at all?
The initial results are in and the answer is no, they won't pay for the album if they don't have to. Sixty percent of the downloaders paid nothing while the other 40 percent paid $6 on average
The results aren't really that surprising. Who is going to pay for something they don't have to? The real surprise, however, is how much attention this album is receiving outside the music industry, particularly in the business pages.
But all of this begs the question: how is the music itself?
Well, I've listened to the album a few times now and let me put it this way: if you're not a Radiohead fan to begin with, this album isn't going sway your opinion. That being said, most Radiohead fans will rejoice because the band has created another masterpiece.
In Rainbows is somewhat of a logical progression from Hail to the Thief. The album isn't political but isn't experimental like Kid A or OK Computer, either. Instead, it's off-branch of Hail to the Thief, filled with landscapes that are once again crafted predominantly by singer Thom Yorke and his ability to turn people inside out. Matching him step by step is no easy task, however, and as much credit should be given to the rest of the band as is given to Yorke.
"15 Steps" begins the album appropriately with Yorke proclaiming "You reel me out when and you cut the string." Like Radiohead's other releases, In Rainbows tosses the listener into a great abyss and creates their environment one step (or song) at a time. Unlike the ill-fated Yorke, however, the listener is somehow reeled back in by the album's conclusion.
The waning half of "Bodysnatchers" showcases Yorke's incredible vocal range. He hits the high notes with "Has the light gone out for you?/Because the light's gone for me/It's the 21st century" and a few, short lines later he's vehemently spitting out "I've seen it coming." The rest of the band compliments the shift by sluing the song into a distorted frenzy.
"Nude" is exactly that: bare. If there are two attributes of Radiohead that nobody can argue, it's Yorke's range and the band's patience. Both are prominently on display on the track and throughout the album.
While any other band would have probably made a mundane love song out of "All I Need," Radiohead doesn't. Like "Bodysnatchers," the song continues to build from the opening beat and is matched harmoniously with Yorke pleading "I am a moth/Who just wants to share your light." Even the most cold-blooded individuals will be shaken to the core as the song's piano riffs fade out.
The album's possible highlight is "Reckoner." In what may remind some of Kid A, Yorke's soaring falsetto is so high-pitched that it is practically indecipherable. Unlike traditional pop songs, the tune is molded by his voice's tranquility, not its content.
"Jigsaw Falling into Place" picks up the album's tempo and is sent into a whirl as Yorke exclaims, "The beat goes round and round." "Videotape" serenely fades the album out, leaving the listener emotionally exhausted, yet refreshed.
I could go on but all efforts would be futile: it's impossible to capture In Rainbows using practically any medium besides music. The songs, like always, are more than instruments and words, but entire sounds permeating with vibrancy, color, and, most importantly, life. The album is bursting with so much life that it will take more than just a few listens to capture it all. This may take months.
But change the industry they did when they announced they were digitally selling (or, possibly giving away) their new album on their website before it was released physically to the public. Adding to the punch was, of course, the user's ability to decide how much he or she wanted to pay for it.
And yes, that includes $0.
Basically what Radiohead did was they got rid of the middle man: the record company. By offering the album exclusively online at an unsolicited amount, they ensured that all the album's profits would go to them. This was not done for the money, however, as the fans don't have to pay for it. In short, both the band and the fans profit (literally and figuratively).
Only a band of Radiohead's caliber could have pulled this move off. Smaller bands need record labels to promote their material and need stores to sell them. Radiohead, on the other hand, caught everyone's attention by simply releasing a new album, let alone how they released the album.
Earlier this week, TBD Records/ATO Records Group announced they will be releasing a tangible version of In Rainbows In Rainbows in North America on January 2, 2008. But with the release date still a month and a half away, Radiohead's digital downloading expose is still very much a hot topic.
Since their original announcement original announcement to release the album digitally, the media frenzy surrounding the album has only thrived. Some, like Oasis's Liam Gallagher, say they would never let their album be given away for free free. Knowing Gallagher's egoego, I'm not surprised.
British singer Lily Allen went a step further by calling the move "arrogant" arrogant. "It sends a weird message" to up-and-coming bands, she says. I would say the move is more generous then arrogant, but then again I'm not in Allen's shoes. And what exactly is a "weird message"? Oh, never mind.
But not everybody who is weighing in on the issue is a naysayer. Jay-Z for instance, called the move "genius" genius.
If Radiohead were hoping this "publicity stunt" publicity stunt would attract attention, they were right. CNN CNN and the Chicago Tribune Chigago Tribune ,just to name a few, have both written pieces on Radiohead's uncanny business move alone, not to mention the music itself claims great raves.
And they've written these pieces with good reason. People inside and outside of the music industry were wondering how fans would react. How much would they pay for the album? Would they pay for it at all?
The initial results are in and the answer is no, they won't pay for the album if they don't have to. Sixty percent of the downloaders paid nothing while the other 40 percent paid $6 on average
The results aren't really that surprising. Who is going to pay for something they don't have to? The real surprise, however, is how much attention this album is receiving outside the music industry, particularly in the business pages.
But all of this begs the question: how is the music itself?
Well, I've listened to the album a few times now and let me put it this way: if you're not a Radiohead fan to begin with, this album isn't going sway your opinion. That being said, most Radiohead fans will rejoice because the band has created another masterpiece.
In Rainbows is somewhat of a logical progression from Hail to the Thief. The album isn't political but isn't experimental like Kid A or OK Computer, either. Instead, it's off-branch of Hail to the Thief, filled with landscapes that are once again crafted predominantly by singer Thom Yorke and his ability to turn people inside out. Matching him step by step is no easy task, however, and as much credit should be given to the rest of the band as is given to Yorke.
"15 Steps" begins the album appropriately with Yorke proclaiming "You reel me out when and you cut the string." Like Radiohead's other releases, In Rainbows tosses the listener into a great abyss and creates their environment one step (or song) at a time. Unlike the ill-fated Yorke, however, the listener is somehow reeled back in by the album's conclusion.
The waning half of "Bodysnatchers" showcases Yorke's incredible vocal range. He hits the high notes with "Has the light gone out for you?/Because the light's gone for me/It's the 21st century" and a few, short lines later he's vehemently spitting out "I've seen it coming." The rest of the band compliments the shift by sluing the song into a distorted frenzy.
"Nude" is exactly that: bare. If there are two attributes of Radiohead that nobody can argue, it's Yorke's range and the band's patience. Both are prominently on display on the track and throughout the album.
While any other band would have probably made a mundane love song out of "All I Need," Radiohead doesn't. Like "Bodysnatchers," the song continues to build from the opening beat and is matched harmoniously with Yorke pleading "I am a moth/Who just wants to share your light." Even the most cold-blooded individuals will be shaken to the core as the song's piano riffs fade out.
The album's possible highlight is "Reckoner." In what may remind some of Kid A, Yorke's soaring falsetto is so high-pitched that it is practically indecipherable. Unlike traditional pop songs, the tune is molded by his voice's tranquility, not its content.
"Jigsaw Falling into Place" picks up the album's tempo and is sent into a whirl as Yorke exclaims, "The beat goes round and round." "Videotape" serenely fades the album out, leaving the listener emotionally exhausted, yet refreshed.
I could go on but all efforts would be futile: it's impossible to capture In Rainbows using practically any medium besides music. The songs, like always, are more than instruments and words, but entire sounds permeating with vibrancy, color, and, most importantly, life. The album is bursting with so much life that it will take more than just a few listens to capture it all. This may take months.
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