Radiohead - In Rainbows

HOLYSHIT

40 pounds :/

i knew they would pull a stunt like this, they were too quiet for too long, and it's precisely the sort of thing they'd do to regain some freshness. not for them the interminable anticipation, the scraps thrown to the hounds.

hopefully their work with mark 'spike' stent (he who produced mansun's 'six') will have brooked some major reward. LONGER SONG LENGTHS PLZ.

wau

is this nothng to do with the hoax then? was that just a coincidence?

It did get the internets chattering about them for a couple days.

So 80 fucking dollars for us in the States? Gee thanks, Radiohead. Fuck you.

The download price is "up to you", though. Srsly. Pay 50 cents if you want.

Also keep in mind that the $80 is getting you a deluxe edition double vinyl, a CD, and various extras.

I'm sure "regular" vinyls and CD editions are in the wings.

holy moly

Yeah, but god forbid that as a longtime Radiohead fan I'd want to buy the physical version.

Stanley Donwood, Dr. Tchock, Phil Allsopp, Max Kolumbus, Karolina Wihed

no other internet site IN THE WORLD seems to be talking about this.

This is the best thing ever.

Atease thread: http://www.ateaseweb.com/mb/index.php?showtopic=235019104

It was just announced like hrs ago dude plus it is Sunday. xpost

15 STEP
BODYSNATCHERS
NUDE
WEIRD FISHES/ARPEGGI
ALL I NEED
FAUST ARP
RECKONER
HOUSE OF CARDS
JIGSAW FALLING INTO PLACE
VIDEOTAPE

it's entirely possible to pay nothing for the download, which helps offset the costs of boxset/vinyl/cd versions that one may purchase in the future (plus it gets you on the mailing list)

no BANGERS AND MASH?

dont forget CD2

MK 1
DOWN IS THE NEW UP
GO SLOWLY
MK 2
LAST FLOWERS
UP ON THE LADDER
BANGERS AND MASH
4 MINUTE WARNING

ah.

This is a really stupid idea.

i'm going to tape it off the radio

This is a really great idea.

-- The Brainwasher, Sunday, September 30, 2007 6:55 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Link

This is a great idea. I wouldn't buy a Radiohead CD these days, but I'll throw in a couple of bucks for a download just to see what it's about.

http://radiohead.com/deadairspace/

I like that they're having a good laugh in the picture...

Gah I cant afford £40 for this and i dont just want mp3s.

atease doesn't really seem to be responding for me atm, what are those dudes saying? Do they have linxxx or anyfing??

Guys, the phys stuff doesn't begin shipping until December, by which point I'm sure they will have announced plans for alternative phys purchasing options.

Also, for us US-types, it's important to note that the $80 is also covering international shipping.

I think the Atease servers are overloaded with people going insane.

The song titles read like SNL parodies of Radiohead.

this is not my legal birth name. I am an artist. I passingly said I was selling cds for 1000 dollars as a joke. someone made a big thing about it, put up a false interview..and made it look real. I was never selling cd's for 1000.
they spread these lies all over the net and someone put an article in the San Fransico Weekly and another newspaper in Cleveland ..Sf Weekly is owned by News Times. They put a false newspaper article about my 1000 dollar cd..when I am selling my cd's for 20 dollars.

1000+ posts by Tuesday

haha the sneakiness of doing it now at midnight on a sunday.

i have an old live recording of "nude" from the ok computer tour and it's one of my favorite radiohead songs

WEIRD FISHES/ARPEGGI

I'm very curious how this will turn out. Loved the minimal live version of "Arpeggi"

WEIRD FISHES

good going, radiohead.

Oh wow, a free download! (I am credit card-less, and they really don't need the money...)

I would eventually buy a real-life, NOT-40 pounds, one-format version in stores though. I wonder who will release it?

Fun. Hats off to them, this is clever. I ordered one just to be part of it all

Am I a tightarse for getting free downnload maybe/n?

NO.

I'll be buying the vinyl when it's priced sanely anyway, I don't see why I shouldn't take advantage of a free download when it's handed to me like this.

Stereogum reports: http://www.stereogum.com/archives/new-radiohead-album-in-rainbows-out-october-10th.html#more

Waiting for the P4K news story any minute now . . .

me, too! ;)

ILX BEATS P4K TO PUNCH, VOTED BEST SITE EVER < / lies >

@Scott: Hahaha. Good one. :D

YESSSSSSSSSSS

By the way, it looks like the download only includes the songs from the first disc.

Being the sucker I am, I will pay for all the special edition nonsense so that I do not kick myself later.

i have blogged it i wins pfuckers

YAY P4K!

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/46015-new-radiohead-album-aaaaaaahhh

Hahahaha. That headline (and sub-headline )sums up the general response quite well, I think.

ONLY FIRST DISC FREE D/L==RADOIHEAD CAPITALIST SCUMFUXX

the first disc is the album, the second disc is bonus tracks, is the impression i get from the site

Yeah, I think you're right ciderpress.

ok

So, will the vinyl be just the first group of songs, the songs on CD1? Or will the vinyl have all the songs from CD1 and 2? On the website the photo of the vinyl looks like it's just the first group of songs.

umm, I'd say record no.1 = cd1 record no.2 = cd2

Yeah, with only 10 songs on the actual album I find it hard to believe they'd need two slabs of vinyl. Unless they're going really prog this time.

"Faust Arp" and "Jigsaw..." better not be wussy little segues...

So, I guess they're releasing this themselves. This is really, really cool, and has made my night.

http://www.vvvu.ca/dryheeves/images/Prog.jpg
xxpost

Is it worth 80? Everything's too fucking cryptic....

http://www.inrainbows.com/Content/12.jpg

"We've installed Sitemeter on our sleeves."

Hahahaha someone reads one too many blogs. :)

In 2001, maybe.

Fair enough.

this is pretty awesome. they sure did take their damn time, though. can't decide whether to take the $80 plunge - someone upthread said it - may as well take it so i'm not kicking myself later. i'd be bummmed though if it's not a great collection of songs.

wow. wow. wow.

i like the whole notion of a 10-day window. it's like the polar opposite of kanye/50, let alone detox/cuban link II...10 days is enough to get the word out to virtually everyone who cares, but not enough time to build up unrealistic expectations. and no leaks? radiohead are geniuses.

i admit i'm choosing the, uh, least expensive option. as i can't afford $81, i'll buy the proper lp or cd version once it's out.

Ouch - expensive - Good for them for working outside the established industry - geez I hope they worked hard and it ends up being a great listen - the concert boots with new songs sound great - so I'm all for it ...

I will now make a prediction:

After a flurry of observations regarding new elements never before heard, this will sound like a Radiohead record.

Genius idea.

so i can download this for a cent if i want?

Yep.

OMG this is so awesome I don't know what to say.

Also while forty pounds is way out of my budget, I now have something to say when someone asks what I want for my birthday. WOOT.

I almost wonder if the whole idea of the set is pre-Xmas gift.

i am a radiohead fan, & have visited the site, & i am looking forward to this album, but i do not understand what any of you are saying. can any of you explain what is going on to me as you might to a 12 year old brother in law (ie a 12 year old but one whom you had respect for or at least feared the potential consequences of upsetting or misleading).

Anyone posting anything serious on this thread is on the verge of being banned from the noise board, fyi.

Hey there sport! That stupid weird band I seem to like so much? They're releasing some new media files (that we used to call "albums" back in the day) in 10 days! And they didn't start hyping it 8 months ago, which is typically the case, in order for rockstars to swim in their pools made of gold. And We The Fans can decide how much we want to pay for those files, because it's the 21st century and Anarchy's en vogue. So I opted not to pay, because I know I'll be a sucker for the eventual release of said files pressed to disc and smothered in artwork. Now lets forget about this nonsense and get back to Brett Favre.
xpost

jaw drops and we only have to wait ten days.

brilliant!

the real question is how will Trent Reznor respond

http://sun3.lib.uci.edu/jariel/atomicblast.jpeg

a new chapter in his year zero game surely

Anyone posting anything serious on this thread is on the verge of being banned from the noise board, fyi.

-- Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃, Monday, October 1, 2007 5:28 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

uh oh lol

OMG this is so awesome I don't know what to say.

OTM.

this is great.
they came up with the best way i've seen to date for beating the leaks and avoiding fans from just downloading the album. this way its pretty much a donation type deal.
they certainly know their audience. i would have supported them and bought a new album but i feel like the majority wouldnt.

wish the free one was 18 tracks though.

wish the free one was 18 tracks though.

they need some incentive to sell the 'discbox' besides vinyl and digital photos that'll be on the internet the day the thing is sent out anyway.

so awesome

Speak of keeping a secret.

Always interesting even though they haven't been close to their artistic potential since "OK Computer".

t/s paying a cent for a new radiohead album because it's not worth any more

vs

just not bothering, and that being my comment.

October 10 prediction:

Skipping 2148 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

free one?

October 10 prediction:

The earth opens up and swallows everyone who opted not to pay for their download. "It's up to you" ..!? Radiohead are obviously testing our moral character here.

I say that a Radiohead album is worth $0.00!!!!

Also, you people who like Radiohead are retards.

Billy Pilgrim OTM.

As someone mentioned on another board, I could totally see Radiohead sending out tickets for some special tour to those that bought the discbox while giving two fingers to the $0.00 downloaders.

Or: the more you pay, the longer before the tracks fade out :-)

Industry types resond:

Adam Benzine of music industry bible 'Music Week' said it will really shake things up in terms of album pricing.

"Radiohead have really put the cat amongst the pigeons with this one," he told NME.COM. "The album will revolutionise the way people think about music. It had already forced people to question how much music is actually worth.

http://www.nme.com/news/radiohead/31470

Cheers industry types!

Or: the more you pay, the longer before the tracks fade out :-)

This is an incentive!?

Coolfer generally OTM, except I think this will shake things up more than he seems to suggest in his post.

http://www.coolfer.com/blog/archives/2007/09/radiohead_album.php

i wonder how much money Waste Products Ltd took last night?

They are regarded by some music critics as the world's best rock band.

Just so you know...

wish the free one was 18 tracks though.

they need some incentive to sell the 'discbox' besides vinyl and digital photos that'll be on the internet the day the thing is sent out anyway.

No, I would guess they need some incentive to charge £40 for the deluxe version rather than the regular version. It says "So Far, it is only available from this website"-- so the idea is that eventually they will ship regular CDs, eh? I would guess this will happen on 12/3, same as when those who ordered the huge package get their shit. That is the release date.

Oct. 10, however, is the leak date: What Radiohead have done is leaked their own album, two months before its physical release -- same as everything else -- but they turned it into an event and a moral decision about whether you should pay for that leak or you should just steal/take it/sample it and maybe buy it later, whatever you want to call it. And they've enticed people to actually give them money for a leak in part by, at this moment, setting up this deluxe product as your only other choice to pay for their music.

well, the NME is reporting that the regular version, the single-disc one, is coming out in early 08 (i.e. after the holiday buying season), so, if true, my guesswork is already proven wrong, haha.

I was so enthusiastic about this this morning but now I just want to say - shittiest album title ever.

Yeah, in this case they're really just "leaking" their album 3 months early, giving people an opportunity to buy a really nice physical product, and leaving it up to the individual to pay and consume as they see fit, really. It's really genius. "Hey, this is our album, and it's going to leak, but we'll be the ones to leak it. And some of you will never pay for this, and we understand that, so we're going to let you pay whatever you want to. We're respecting the way shit is done these days. We know that, if you respect us, you will pay us somehow for our hard work and good music, and if you don't you won't. This would happen either way, but at least now we're doing this on our own terms."

So why isn't it out today? What's the ten day hold up? Are they drunk?

Also, whoever said they might give free concert tickets or something to the people who bought the $80 package thing is probably OTM here. Otherwise, I don't really see why they're bundling all that stuff up and making it impossible for anyone to order just the CD as of now . . . unless it's just because *that's what they want to do*, and that's what this whole thing is about anyway - a band creating and distributing its music the way it wants to as much as that can be done these days.

oops, sorry, xpost

I just heard it was a hoax. Have asked how he knows, but no reply.

Ah, no there was a hoax one last week. This is real. False alarm.

It would be a very easy way to steal a lot of money, though, especially with the 10-day delay. Mind you, you'd only be stealing as much as people volunteered to pay.

Disc 2: Bangers and Mash!

Bangers and Mash: as performed by Thom Yorke and PJ Harvey:

Him: I met her down in Napoli and didn't she look great?
And so I brought her back to Blighty just to show me mates,
And though we're married happily I'll tell you furthermore
I haven't had a decent meal since 1944.

Her: Eat your minestrone, Joe.
Him: That's all you ever say.
Her: Eat your macaroni, Joe.
Him: Ever blinking day.
Her: No wonder you're so bony, Joe, and skinny as a rake.
Him: Well then, give us a bash at the bangers and mash me mother used to make.

Him: Bangers and mash,
Her: Minestrone,
Him: Bangers and mash,
Her: Macaroni,
Him: Give us a bash at the bangers and mash me mother used to make.

Her: Eat your tagliatelle, Joe.
Him: That's all I've heard for years.
Her: Eat your vermicelli, Joe.
Him: It's coming out me ears!
Her: You've got to fill your belly, Joe, Joe for heaven's sake!
Him: Well then, give us a bash at the bangers and mash me mother used to make.

Her: Well alright!
Him: Bangers and mash,
Her: Tagliatelle,
Him: Bangers and mash,
Her: Vermicelli,
Him: Give us a bash at the bangers and mash me mother used to make.

Reporter: (Spoken) 1943. Allied forces land in Italy.
Him: There's a smashing-looking bird over there, Bert. I think she's showing out there.
Bert: (Camp) Well why don't you chat her up, then?
Him: Right. Bon-gorno, sig-noreena there. Here, are you married?
Her: Drop-a dead-a.
Him: There you are, you can't have a fairer answer than that, can you?

Her: I met him back in Italy, so dashing and good-looking,
He wined me and he dined me every night.
He said I smiled so prettily and how he loved my cooking,
But since he's married me it seems he's lost his appetite.

Him: Eat-a your tagliatelle, Soph.
Her: That's all you ever say.
Him: Eat-a your vermicelli, Soph.
Her: Ooh! Every blooming day.
Him: You've-a got to fill your belly, Soph, Soph for heaven's sake!
Her: Well then, give us a bash at the bangers and mash your mother used to make.

Him: Bangers and-a mash,
Her: Minestrone,
Him: Bangers and-a mash,
Her: Macaroni,
Him: Give me a bash with (she laughs uncontrollably) the banger and the mash like the same one that your mother was — what are you laughing at now? Now, this is miserable, please!

Her: Joe?
Him: Yes?
Her: Why don't you belt up, or I'll give you a punch up the throat!
Him: Now she's-a tells me. Ha! Mamma mia!

What could the rationale possibly be for paying for the download, though? Once they offer it for free, then any money you decide to give is just like giving to charity. Only I'm not too sure Thom Yorke needs my charity.

Which band/label is it that does a pay as much as you like thing for downloads, and publishes the average as a guide?

Can you get one though?

I can't.

Bought one. Rather excited.

ha ha "industry types" weighing in. These people--whose livelihood depends on the status quo--are the primary reason that the industry has tanked. They are the reason Radiohead is doing what they are doing. And if you've read Coolfer long enough, it's obvious that Glenn is dubious of technology and is empathetic to the old guard.

This is a great move by a great band.

I really hope we get to see the stats on how many discboxes were ordered within the first 24 hours of that announcement.

This is a great move by a great band.

Props to them for trying something different, but I'm not so sure that it is prefiguring the future of music delivery. It's a move that could only be made by a band that was already phenomenally successful, and its business model seems to be: "The music's free, but we'll soak the geek-fan who fetishises the object." Not sure that's really going to work for 99 percent of people who make music.

Is it soaking if it's a package full of art and goodies?

Is it soaking if it's a package full of art and goodies?

"soak" was maybe unnecessarily pejorative, no one's forced to buy anything. But the tactic is to go upmarket. Forget about trying to make money out of the average punter, and to make up for it, charge the uber-fans 4 times more. (You can be sure that the product itself is not going to cost 4 times more to produce).

It's clearly not going to change things for most bands, let alone a billion dollar industry.

The thing I love is that it reinforces the value of DIY, or at least as DIY as band of Radiohead's stature can be.

I really don't see why anyone would care if someone wants to pay $80 for what amounts to art, especially given what the box contains (I thought soaking the rich was good!). Seems like a good value to me, although I probably won't buy it. I certainly would rather the band get more of my money than some dude on eBay.

I think the main thing is that it prompts ideas. Obviously it's not going to change how things are done straightaway, but it's interesting and they're a band that's huge enough that when they do something like this, it gets the big labels to sit up and take notice.

A lot of artists these days are self-releasing records in a similar way but for the most part it's happening on the fringes. With Radiohead, at the very least, we'll get to see whether something like this can be viable or not in the long run, and yeah hopefully encourage more artists to take a bit more control in terms of how they want to make money from their music.

Is In Rainbows the new punk? A 24,000 word essay in multiple instalments. Coming soon to a magazine near you!

Put it this way.

Fan, or person who does not want to wait, pays £12 for a new CD.

The rest of us wait a year and get it for £5.

This way, Fan, or person with £40 disposable, buys this.

The rest of us get a cheapie.

I don't care if someone wants to pay $80 and I don't think Radiohead are doing anything "wrong" and I think it's an interesting experiment - but I don't think this model's really leading anywhere either. From a financial perspective, I'm guessing they'll make a fraction of what they made from OK Computer or Kid A. But yeah, props for trying something different.

From a financial perspective, I'm guessing they'll make a fraction of what they made from OK Computer or Kid A

Like EMI didn't make most of the money from those anyway, gimme a break!

I only think it's different in that it places a slight moral choice - should I or should I not pay something? Otherwise, it's just like any old album. Also even if you don't pay a cent, they still have your details and an excuse to spam your inbox.

xpost OTM

I bet the five members of Radiohead will see more money from actual album sales on this than most of their studio records.

yeah, surely all the profit is going directly to radiohead, minus whatever cut they've worked out with the waste products people? there's no record company to siphon away massive chunks of the money.

Also, farts.

(I don't wanna get banned frm noize brd)

Always interesting even though they haven't been close to their artistic potential since "OK Computer".
-- Geir Hongro, Monday, 1 October 2007 11:17 (3 hours ago) Link

WRONG

I wonder if they'll make the price people pay public?

www.inrainbows.com down at the moment? (expected this to happen a lot sooner)

Like EMI didn't make most of the money from those anyway, gimme a break!

Sure, evil record company made a bundle too. Don't know what percentage Radiohead was on, but I don't suppose they did too badly out of it. And now they don't have a record company to pay protection to. But in strict terms of business models, this latest strategy will generate only a fraction of what the previous (admittedly now unworkable) model generated. That's my guess anyway!

Zelda, I'm loving all these caveats of yours, because nothing about what you're saying suggests anything the band clearly haven't thought of already. Which is PRECISELY why they are trying this out.

www.inrainbows.com down at the moment? (expected this to happen a lot sooner)

-- StanM, Monday, 1 October 2007 14:58 (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

They removed the "Enter" link.

So, do this one:
http://www.inrainbows.com/Store/Quickindex2.html

Also even if you don't pay a cent, they still have your details and an excuse to spam your inbox.
-- Roz, Monday, October 1, 2007 2:55 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

exactly! you can bet there's a huge tour in the works, and that everyone who puts in their contact info for this download (whether they pay nothing, a little or a lot) is gonna get an announcement straight to their email in a few months.

NB: that's an really inexpensive way to market a really massive tour.

Another thing that occurred to me as well -- no complaints about people making mp3 rips of radio broadcasts of pre-released tracks, not to mention no worries about radio stations playing anything before they're supposed to. Jack White must be grousing as we type.

(Also, some writer colleagues in the UK checked with the band's PR folks, who confirmed -- no advances/listening parties/etc., everyone gets it all at once.)

thanks - but that's not working either/very very slow right now (xxpost)

but anyway, it doesn't matter, I ordered teh box this morning.

Just finished the process. Man, that was hard work!

Ned, did you check the google group?

... so by the time a review appears in the monthlies, the download album will be more than two months old but it's going to be just in time for the box set (December) or the actual CD (if they release that in January).

Ned, did you check the google group?

?

how many of you are going to be ordering this? i can't decide. the most i've paid for a single piece of music is pretty much around $25. i like radiohead a whole lot but 80 bucks is a lot of money.

also, for US people who have ordered stuff from the UK before -- how much of the $80 do you think goes towards shipping? somehow i can justify it more if the shipping cost is like $30 or something.....

grrrr NME

"listen to the album here!"
- click, page with ads and
"click here to go to the blog!"
- click, page with more ads and
"click here to see the whole message!"
- click, page with ads and the youtube live clips every blog has

YOUR PURCHASE MAY BE SUBJECT TO A TRANSACTION FEE.
THIS WILL BE SHOWN AT THE CHECKOUT.

oh yeah, pay 20 quid transaction fee as well now plz

no?

No, I haven't seen anyone's posts anywhere who had to pay that transaction fee.

If Radiohead had done this with Hail To The Thief, I would have been one of the $80 discbox purchasers. I really love the Kid A/Amnesiac period, and went through a major period of Radiohead obsession based on those two CDs. As it turns out, they're the only two Radiohead CDs I truly like. So I'll do the cheap download to start, and will pay standard price for whatever lower-price CD or LP version ultimately comes out.

Drudge Report linked to the site this morning. That probably crashed it.

Comparing sales of this to OK Computer and Kid A and profits, keep in mind that each MP3 sold costs $0.00 to manufacture.

and even so, that fee would only be 45p (xxxpost)

http://www.inrainbows.com/Store/Advice.html

What are your shipping rates?

There is no additional shipping charge for the Discbox.

Are there any additional costs?

A 45 pence bank charge may be incurred. This will be shown at the checkout.

No transaction fee for me...

Transaction fee is 45p

I don't know if that applies if you went for the 0.00 option.

No, if you go for the 0.00 option you only have to fill in your contact details apparently, not your visa number & so on.

Comparing sales of this to OK Computer and Kid A and profits, keep in mind that each MP3 sold costs $0.00 to manufacture.

And also costs $0.00 to buy! (setting up the website and the backoffice technology etc would have cost something though).

Everyone's acting like this box is limited edition and preorder only, but they didn't say that anywhere, or did they?

StanM is correct - no credit info required for the free purchase.

If Radiohead had done this with Hail To The Thief, I would have been one of the $80 discbox purchasers. I really love the Kid A/Amnesiac period, and went through a major period of Radiohead obsession based on those two CDs. As it turns out, they're the only two Radiohead CDs I truly like.

this pretty much describes why i'm hesistant to drop the $80 on the discbox. i like the other albums just fine, but Kid A/Amnesiac are pretty much the only ones I'm motivated to listen to anymore. i'm just a little worried about dropping $80 on an album isn't nearly as good as my favorite radiohead stuff.

They had to write and practise and record and mix and master everything before they had the free mp3s though, and AFAIK those things tend to cost money (even when you have your own studio) (xxxpost)

hmm maybe i'll do the free download and if it's effin' great, i'll do the discbox.

i'm more excited about this as a news story, and as a hugely interesting marketing model, than i am as an album :/

I ordered the box because I just have to have it. I'll worry about the music later :-)

Maybe they figure that anyone who is going to download it for free would get the songs for free anyway.

hmm maybe i'll do the free download and if it's effin' great, i'll do the discbox.

This is kinda what I figured most people interested in the box would be doing anyway!

Lefsetz has chimed in.

oh pfft you whiners - try not being american or british, the pound is SEVEN times my currency. That's like half a month's rent right there. I won't pay that much even if I do like the album. Too bad cause the whole package looks so pretty.

Lefsetz has chimed in.

Hahahah! I was waiting for that!

Will they make a deal with a major for physical distribution? Will they do it themselves? Or will they leave ALL that money on the table? Shit, that would blow MY mind.

how much of the $80 do you think goes towards shipping?
-- Mark Clemente, Monday, October 1, 2007 3:17 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

from an experienced ebayer who ships worldwide...maybe $10, $12

For that much weight? (double CD, double vinyl, hardcover booklet)

Wow. I've been had by some sellers, I think. :-/

yeah, you've been had by at least 80% of eBay sellers, more than likely

I ordered the box because I just have to have it. I'll worry about the music later :-)

-- StanM, Monday, 1 October 2007 16:34 (Monday, 1 October 2007 16:34)

Sadly very OTM u_u

The only problem with this release strategy is that there will be a shortage of sane, measured reviews of the album and a whole lot of "I wouldn't pay for this crap anyway har-dee-har-har!".

It seems like the concerts in '06 received really strong reviews, and that some of these songs were developed then.

Yeah as far as i can tell, at least 12 of the 18 songs were played on tour last year, maybe more, they might have changed some of the titles.

deadairspace update for whoever's having trouble accessing the online store:

Just to let you know - mel called to say that w.a.s.t.e are working on the current gear-grinding at inrainbows.com....it's getting busy in there - busier than they expected.

So if you please bear with us, it should get cleared out soon. I sound like a bouncer. Get behind the rope. No denim. Thanks for your patience with the site & interest in the record.

Jonny

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Rainbows

Which band/label is it that does a pay as much as you like thing for downloads, and publishes the average as a guide?

You're thinking of Magnatune maybe?

Radiohead's new music has been characterized by the band as "almost embarrassingly minimal," "sparse with lots of bass," and, more recently, "lush", according to Stanley Donwood, who is working closely with them on the artwork of the new album

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/46028-radiohead-album-coming-out-as-regular-cd-too

ILM:

Oct. 10, however, is the leak date: What Radiohead have done is leaked their own album, two months before its physical release -- same as everything else -- but they turned it into an event and a moral decision about whether you should pay for that leak or you should just steal/take it/sample it and maybe buy it later, whatever you want to call it. And they've enticed people to actually give them money for a leak in part by, at this moment, setting up this deluxe product as your only other choice to pay for their music.
-- scottpl, Monday, October 1, 2007 1:10 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Link

Pitchfork:

What Radiohead's doing here is actually pretty cool. Rather than preface their new album's release with the usual three months of press ballyhoo, only to have it leak at some random time before it comes out, they've kept it completely under wraps, then essentially gone and leaked it themselves. What's more, they've turned this into a moral question of sorts, by giving us the freedom to pay actual money for what amounts to an album leak.

.............................................................................

Yeah, how dare Scott use his own words in two places.

lolol

HAHA oops i didn't catch that part, sorry guys

classic

Yeah, of course they'd release it on CD as well. That's the whole reason I was able to fill out the total as $0.00. There's no ethical debate when you're downloading the album early because you need to listen to the music. I do this all the time, and I still buy the albums when they come out.

It is smart of them to leak it on their terms, ensuring that everyone gets it at the same time and will be talking about it together like a release back in the pre-leak days.

yeah it's pretty smart, it's like a big f u to the record industry and a whatever you want pal for the fans

best move ever

Where did the word "discbox" come from and can we stop saying it?

Not the same thing, but it's being used like this too: DBS = discbox slider

http://search.storaenso.com/mini/media/index.html?p=false

Wait, are the MP3s we're going to receive on 10.10.07 of inferior sound quality (e.g., because the band is making the songs available for any price to counter illegal leaking, you get what you pay for)? If that's so, I'll feel a bit foolish, having "donated" $10 for the MP3s.

nah i doubt the mp3s will sound that bad. probably not any better or worse than most mp3s you'd get from itunes/emusic/etc. if anything maybe a little better than those venues, but who knows.

Right, that's my xmas present sorted for this year :)

even if the album sucks i still applaud them for their inventiveness on handling their own leak better than anyone i have ever seen

im pumped and still in awe from how out of nowhere this all happend

even if the album sucks i still applaud them for their inventiveness on handling their own leak better than anyone i have ever seen

Is it just me, or isn't what they're doing kind of the most obvious way to go about it? Not the $80 box part, just the free part. I'm guessing there's more than a few artists slapping their foreheads over this one, but of course they're all still shackled to their labels.

Not that I'm not glad they did it; it's more their courage than their inventiveness that I'm applauding.

im sure a lot of labels will take notice of this.

bud_dwyer.jpg

bud_dwyer.jpg
-- Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, October 1, 2007 9:10 PM (50 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

this would've worked better had you spelled the man's name correctly.

You still managed to get the joke somehow.

Unrelated: First magazine/blog to use the headline Gravitas Rainbow gets clowned.

Is it just me, or isn't what they're doing kind of the most obvious way to go about it? Not the $80 box part, just the free part. I'm guessing there's more than a few artists slapping their foreheads over this one, but of course they're all still shackled to their labels.

Stars -- who are signed to the Arts & Crafts label -- did something similar to this by releasing their new disc (In Our Bedroom After The War) to digital services months before the actual physical disc was released. But, by contrast, I think Stars' strategy killed enthusiasm for their disc, which was formally released just about a week ago with little fanfare.

Unrelated: First magazine/blog to use the headline Gravitas Rainbow gets clowned.

-- Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, October 1, 2007 10:11 PM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

why wait when we can clown the first ILM poster who thought of it?

xxpost

If I recall correctly, Stars posted their album for sale digitally in response to the album leaking before the release date. It was not a premeditated release strategy like Radiohead is attempting.

I have no idea how to verify it, but I doubt releasing the digital copies of IOBATW hurt its sales. I know I bought it from their website immediately rather than search for a leak. It would surprise me if it sold any better or worse than previous Stars' albums.

The digital release of In Rainbows is less of a news item to me than the fact they're releasing it independent of any major label support.

i bought the stars album digitally to applaud their release of it and i will also pay for in rainbows digitally

This album better be about 1000000x better than that Stars record. (And I loved the previous.)

This album better be about 1000000x better than that Stars record.

How have you heard it? I thought there was be no leaks or pre-release listening parties until the 10.10.07 digital release.

Frothing Radiohead fans so excited they can't read properly.

Bless.

http://www.snorgtees.com/images/CantReadGood_Fullpic_1.gif

this is freaking awesome

LOL. Okay, yes, I'm a kid who can't read good. And a Radiohead fan.

My bad; I misread Simon's post.

Wow, whether it's a good record or not is entirely irrelevant, they've smashed the system!

w00t!!!!!!53!8008!

radioglaad

I guess this means no more groovy MTV music videos, then. :(

Who will be the next to venture into the discbox format? I would like a to have a whole shelf of discboxes.

lol MTV?

xpost

Did anyone here pay for the download (apart from me)?

Yes. I also got done for 45p surcharge.

i did. i paid 3.14 pounds. first number that came in my head.

£2 (45p)

£5.55 = £6.00, I forgot about the 45p. I was feeling generous. Now I'm feeling ripped off!

What is the point of paying for it, if they're giving it away for free? Do you think Radiohead needs the money? Do you think they're not going to make a hefty profit on the £40 version?

Like others have said, I don't see any reason to pay if I'm a.)going to buy the discbox eventually or b.)going to buy the regular release when it comes out or c.)they are offering it for free (which they are).

What is the point of paying for it, if they're giving it away for free? Do you think Radiohead needs the money? Do you think they're not going to make a hefty profit on the £40 version?

haha guilty conscience much? considering how little i've paid for their last few records (i.e. none), i was happy to chip in a little as a tribute to the clever marketing.

I'm not going to buy any other versions. I am in general willing to pay for hassle-free DRM-free good quality digital downloads. I don't want "the industry" seeing this as a failed experiment in goodwill.

I really don't get why people base their decision on whether or not Radiohead needs the money.

haha guilty conscience much?

Yeah, I'm guessing most people who've paid are doing so because of niggling guilt at the idea of getting something for nothing. But I see no reason for the guilt. The download is just the loss leader for the discbox. It's a perfectly reasonable commercial strategy. You might just as well chip in a bit extra to Tesco when they offer 2-for-1 deals, or pay Murdoch an extra 50p when he engages in price wars or whatever.

Or put it this way: if Radiohead thought it was unfair to pay nothing for the downloads, they wouldn't have offered them for free.

maybe they want to see how fair or otherwise people will be, given the chance

maybe they don't know how much to charge and are letting the market decide

You might just as well chip in a bit extra to Tesco when they offer 2-for-1 deals, or pay Murdoch an extra 50p when he engages in price wars or whatever.

No, this is completely different, but I haven't quite worked out how yet.

Also ledge otmx3

It's not that I feel guilty it's just that I think 30p a track is totally an ok amount to spend. If you want it for free, that's fine too, it's not like Radiohead are laughing behind our backs at us giving them £3.

Ok, except that one bloke...
http://img.search.com/thumb/d/dd/Radiohead_grass.jpg/315px-Radiohead_grass.jpg

I can predict that this album will most likely not be funky

It's not that I feel guilty it's just that I think 30p a track is totally an ok amount to spend. If you want it for free, that's fine too, it's not like Radiohead are laughing behind our backs at us giving them £3.

Hmmm, I think £20 is a reasonable price to pay for the discbox. I hope Radiohead will be OK with that...

I don't understand.

i would have paid a little bit but i don't own a credit card.

The money is a way of showing some appreciation of the band's work.
That being said, I'd rather download it for free and then pay for it afterwards if I liked it. I suppose they haven't a system in place for that. Having a "donate" button separate from the download-process would probably result in less money, as the way it is now it's easy for people to throw in a buck or two just as a gesture.
Oh well, free or not, I haven't enough interest in Radiohead to give this a listen.

I don't understand.

I just mean they've fixed an elevated price on the thing they actually intend to make their money on, they're not giving anyone the "choice" about that. Which of course is fine and totally their perogative to charge whatever they like for what they've produced. I think the "choosing" whether to pay or not for the download is a red herring in terms of their business model. The free download is part of the business model, a promotional tool for the discbox and, more generally, for the Radiohead "brand" which will generate money through merchandise, concert tickets etc.

I don't think Radiohead are all about money, but they're obviously trying to make what they do a commercial proposition and they're trying this new business model which has free downloads built into it as part of the model. For that reason I see no particular reason to pay for the download.

Anyway, God knows why I'm going on and on about this, let's just hope the album is good...

I wonder what percentage of people will pay c. a tenner for this, or whatever the standard CD price is these days. I'm tempted to pay a pound, purely to say I bought it but without going overboard.

In any case any money Radiohead DO lose if this goes tits-up is likely to be recouped by a fucking massive tour anyway, isn't it?

A poll on what you are paying is here Radiohead - In Rainbows : What Are You Paying?

but touring is traditionally the way bands make money anyway, isn't it? how is this different?

Presumably less need to feel obligated to pose next to record execs with gold/platinum awards that they paid for out of their advances.

how much is a pack of cigarettes in the UK in pounds? Or like going to McDonalds?

Happy Meal = £1.99

Just typing that made me feel slightly nauseous.

Ciggies are over a fiver a packet now I think.

So I paid halfway between a Happy Meal and a packet of B & H. That makes me feel so much better.

ok so that make sense the box isn't that expensive for UK people then...it's more like paying $40 USD, too bad they didn't adjust for exchange rates a bit...

While we wait, I've started a little something.

zelda did you pay anything

I'm starting to get so excited about this album and I know that's just not rational. I didn't like their last one.

I'm dead intrigued that they've picked up the ball with that song "Reckoner" again, I thought they'd left that one in the dust long ago, quite mysteriously.

Yo, is it true what I heard that the Radioheads are gonna release a tribute album to Rainbow, and if you get the special 100 quid discobox it comes with a pot of gold?! I hope they cover "Since You Been Gone", that's all. Ronnie James Dio rules!

Timely as ever.

they are painting the whole world as in rainbows...

Tuomas, it's much better than that: if you order the free mp3s there's a field where you can decide how much money they're going to send you. They're very generous, they say "it's up to you, really, it's up to you"

But I don't want any money the Radioheads have touched with their plucked gopher hands... Ronnie James Dio rules!

Don't worry, you can fill in 0.00 - they'll still send you 45 cents, but you don't have to accept them.

45 cents of what?

45 cents, the 50 Cent tribute rappers.

Ned, I like your piece. Not living in the US at that point, I hadn't realized how singlehandedly "Creep" introduced them to an American audience.

I had a cassette of Pablo Honey, and loved "Anyone Can Play Guitar," but found the rest of it, well, I'm not sure: I think I had difficulty placing it (as a 19 year old) within either shoegaze (my love at the time) or grunge (most of which I didn't like), so I gave up. I think I lumped them in with something like Ash (which came out in 94 I think), and assumed they'd be similarly important.

Ned, I like your piece.

Thanks -- yeah, it was VERY singlehanded. As you say, Pablo Honey is a bit of a there/not there album, but one thing that struck me on the relisten was that it was extremely well-produced. Usually everyone goes on about that for the following albums instead.

Second part up later today. Pretty much just keep checking back in.

Anyone want to put money as to when we'll actually hear this record? As opposed to repeatedly getting the same error message when the Radiohead site immediately falls over after being hit with the force equivalent to 1000 Glastonbury Ticket Sales.

They'll probably roll out emails over a 24-hour period, just to take some of the burden off the server. That's my guess anyway.

Part two of my project is up.

They'll probably roll out emails over a 24-hour period, just to take some of the burden off the server. That's my guess anyway.

But how would they decide the order in which to send... oh. I knew I should have donated something. :-/

Part three of my project is up.

the section starting with "I hate OK Computer." is completely otm

Damn, Ned!

(For those wondering, read the whole section indicated and you'll see what I mean.)

Ned, you just made my evening with your piece. I wasn't really around for any of that myself, but I really enjoyed hearing your take on it all.

Thanks! This whole exercise has been interesting...

Thom's hair looks like Rod Stewart!

I'm really enjoying these pieces too, Ned. It's pretty amazing how well you've captured the time that all this happened, both general reception to the band and your personal anecdotes. i can barely remember what i did last week much less stuff ten years ago, so yeah, wonderful stuff.

had fun with the accompanying youtube clips too - that performance of "Paranoid Android" on Jools Holland was blistering.

Thanks much, again. :-)

The clips were sort of a last minute idea, a 'wait a minute, duh' thing. My selections are kinda at random but at the same time I'm trying to find notable performances, or at least some unusual ones.

lol: http://guitar.blogfeedsworld.com/?p=2494

I enjoyed reading those entries, it certainly puts things in perspective (since I was probably teething then).

Gotta love those guitar enthusiasts. Anyway, you kids today with your hula hoops and your iPods and your...

i was just noticing going through those clips, while the rest of the band seems to have gone through a bunch of different looks (especially Thom), the younger Greenwood appears not to have changed his hairstyle nor his wardrobe, or indeed aged a day, since 1993.

http://home.att.ne.jp/wood/greenwood/archive/old/image/b-day.JPG

the younger Greenwood appears not to have changed his hairstyle nor his wardrobe, or indeed aged a day, since 1993.

Yep, pretty much.

This is from *last year*:
http://pics.livejournal.com/radioreverie/pic/0001qa1w.jpg

Rest of the band is his own portrait of Dorian Grey.

I always felt that Kid A was Radiohead's pinnacle (thus far). Not only my favorite, it's the album where they clarified themselves and earned my eternal respect (and probably adoration).

With that, the next column in Ned's series is the one I'm anticipating the most. It's kind of old man Raggett to serve these appetizers before the 10th.

"OLD...MAN...RAGGETT..."

http://www.marcnorton.us/media/DIR_73405/73516.jpg

Part four is up.

ditto cosmo vitelli, kid a is such vivid music

Listening again to it today made me realize how wrong a lot of people have been about that album, including myself. I had remembered it as this restrained calm, rather foolishly.

Kid A was the first album that I remember mp3s wrongly informing perceptions of the whole. A random track like "Treefingers" could be your first (and only) foray into Radiohead's new music. I remember reading from people in forums at the time, who came for Karma Police redux and thought they were swindled into Music For Airports instead.

As for the chatter about Amnesiac being a "return to form" (take that, Kid A!), that notion had been so cemented in Truth by the time the band posted a stream on their website that I was intensely confused on first listen, getting through each track and thinking, "This is pretty cool, but what the fuck?"

I just keep thinking about this album "it won't be as good as Kid A"

If you go in with that expectation then it won't be!

Listening again to it today made me realize how wrong a lot of people have been about that album, including myself. I had remembered it as this restrained calm, rather foolishly.

The misperception that has always bugged me the most is the idea that Kid A was nothing but an Autechre/AFX/Squarepusher/Warp Records ripoff. I always asked for specific examples of which Radiohead song sounded like which Autechre song, but strangely, I never got a good response.

I enjoyed your article, Ned, and the last 3 as well.

I just keep thinking about this album "it won't be as good as Kid A"

They've defied my expectations before, and it's been 4 years since HTTT. I really have no idea what this one will sound like. It just as easily could be a retread as it could be relevant. They're smart enough, so I'm hopful.

What does beer have to do with this? o_O

I think it's good that they've been out of the limelight for a while. Doing it this way means that there'll be less "WTF, it's not as good as the last one" or any silyl expectation. I'm going to treat In Rainbows very much as a new leaf in the Radiohead book, a fourth chapter if you will.

I still keep meaning to assemble a single mix CD from parts of Kid A and Amnesiac...and call it 'Kid Amnesiac'.

I still keep meaning to assemble a single mix CD from parts of Kid A and Amnesiac...and call it 'Kid Amnesiac'.

-- Edward Bax

You'll need "Worrywort" and "Kinetic," surely. . .

I paid about $6 for the download. [pound symbol]2.90, to be exact.

I paid $5. I always tend to remember Kid A as "restrained calm" myself. I guess that shows how little I listen to it now.

Part five is up.

And part five-a (since part six is tomorrow).

I always thought the "Here comes the flood" intro to Everything in its Right Place was a reference to R.E.M.'s "E-Bow the Letter", not Peter Gabriel.

"Will you show me something that nobody else has seen?
Smoke it, drink
Here comes the flood
Anything to thin the blood
These corrosives do their magic slowly and sweet"

What makes that interpretation more convincing to me is how close of friends Stipe and Yorke are and the fact that they've toured together.

Yeah, I heard R.E.M. in that song too -- especially after hearing Yorke sing the Patti Smith part at the Tibetan Freedom Concert.

You're actually almost certainly right there, though I wonder if REM didn't borrow the line from Gabriel. I can't say I remember a single thing about "E-Bow the Letter" at this point beyond the title. (On the 2001 Hollywood Bowl bootleg I have he sings part of the Beatles' "Baby You're a Rich Man Too" by way of introduction so I wonder if/how much it all varied.)

On the 2001 Hollywood Bowl bootleg I have he sings part of the Beatles' "Baby You're a Rich Man Too"

Could you possibly email just that track to me?

Drop me a line with a preferred address...

Did my email reach you?

It did, thanks!

He used to sing all sorts of stuff in front of that song. I used to have some boot where he sang "If you tolerate this, then your children will be next" at the beginning. I'm not sure if he's a Manics fan (for some reason it seems doubtful) or if he just liked the line.

though I wonder if REM didn't borrow the line from Gabriel.
-- Ned Raggett, Monday, 8 October 2007 00:51 (5 hours ago) Link

OTM!

What makes that interpretation more convincing to me is how close of friends Stipe and Yorke are and the fact that they've toured together.

-- Z S, Monday, 8 October 2007 00:20 (11 hours ago) Link

yeah, plus the fact that it's that song in particular...

That song is about the whole period of time that OK Computer was happening. We did the Glastonbury Festival and this thing in Ireland. Something snapped in me. I just said, "That's it. I can't take it anymore." And more than a year later, we were still on the road. I hadn't had time to address things. The lyrics came from something Michael Stipe said to me. I rang him and said, "I cannot cope with this." And he said, "Pull the shutters down and keep saying, 'I'm not here, this is not happening.'"

wow! michael stipe co-wrote HOW TO DISAPPEAR...
that's great! had no idea.

I should, though, point out that the song which these introductions are being added to is not "How to Disappear Completely" but "Everything In Its Right Place." That said that is a v. good anecdote.

So with two days to go, has anyone gotten a reply back from WASTE yet?

You mean order confirmation? Yeah, pretty much immediately after I ordered, last Monday.

Nope not the order confirmation but the activation code for the d/l.

Download customers.

You will receive a further e-mail shortly before the 10th October detailing your username and activation code. The e-mail will also provide the link to the download area.

Oh, that one - I think we'll know the first mails have been sent out by a global slowing down of the internet.

StanM very funnily OTM.

Ned, thanks for the blog countdown. It's kind of funny how reading through a couple entries on what's a pretty gloomy Monday morning here brought me back to the time when a couple of these albums were released.

You're welcome -- I admit I'm quite pleasantly surprised at how well the series has gone down, it was just a random idea I had last Monday that I decided to run with. (And I know that a couple of people are probably sick of the Myspace bulletins by now...)

I should, though, point out that the song which these introductions are being added to is not "How to Disappear Completely" but "Everything In Its Right Place." That said that is a v. good anecdote.

-- Ned Raggett, Monday, 8 October 2007 12:42 (6 hours ago) Link

Will the email notifications be sent at midnight UK time? Or will they be staggered so the damm site wont go down?

Part six. This one was a little exhausting.

Oooh - I already miss this series of articles and it's not even finished yet!

"remember when ned did that great series of posts leading up to in rainbows?"

I remember it like it was just yesterday.

'Countdown to IN RAINBOWS' = Da Capo Best Music Writing nominee?

that would be awes.

I have a pretty major take-home exam coming up that's going to last from Thursday to Sunday. I have no idea how the hell I'm going to be able to focus on it if In Rainbows does come out tomorrow. Fuck. Everything from the big announcement to Ned's countdown (my problem, obv, not Ned's) has gotten me way more hyped up for this than I would have been.

Seriously considering waiting until after the weekend to hear it, and steering clear of any music sites including this one in the meantime. The problem is I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it argh.

What's the exam?

Legal ethics. It shouldn't be a particularly difficult paper but I haven't started studying for it due to a bunch of other commitments.

Oops, that would do it. (I've been there...)

uh huh. lolcollege

;__;

I'm curious if at this point there's any fans that do expect this band to progress in a new direction. I've always seen (as with the majority, I think) that Hail To The Thief was a comfort record; an album made by musicians still bitter and passionate, but with the more modest goal of funneling that passion into a collection of great songs. Sans overriding statement or unexpected left turns. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if In Rainbows turns out similar in that regard. In fact I'd be totally content with that.

I've held off from tracking all the 'new' songs (partially because I missed last year's tour -- about which more tomorrow on the blog), so hard to say on my end, but I'd want to hope for a break/progression similar between OK C and Kid A. Guess we'll find out.

I haven't the slightest idea what to expect, but that didn't stop me paying 3.14 pounds.

I'd want to hope for a break/progression similar between OK C and Kid A.

I think that's expecting too much at this stage, but if it happens I'll probably be skipping through meadows and flinging out daisies/kissing hummingbirds.

THANK YOU FOR ORDERING IN RAINBOWS. THIS IS AN UPDATE.

YOUR UNIQUE ACTIVATION CODE(S) WILL BE SENT OUT TOMORROW MORNING (UK TIME). THIS WILL TAKE YOU STRAIGHT TO THE DOWNLOAD AREA.

HERE IS SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE DOWNLOAD:

THE ALBUM WILL COME AS A 48.4MB ZIP FILE CONTAINING 10 X 160KBPS DRM FREE MP3s.

MOST COMPUTERS NOW HAVE ZIP SOFTWARE AS PART OF THE OPERATING SYSTEM; IF YOUR COMPUTER DOES NOT, YOU NEED TO GET WINZIP OR ZIPIT INSTALLED PRIOR.

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THEM HERE:

PC: http://www.winzip.com/
MAC: http://www.maczipit.com/

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS DOWNLOADING YOUR FILE, PLEASE CONTACT OUR DOWNLOAD CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM AT downloadinrainb✧✧✧@wa✧✧✧.u✧.c✧✧

"Stop whispering, start shouting" indeed.

160kbps? Wish they'd said that before I paid money.

It says 10 x 160 KBPS! That's like... 1600 kbps! wow!

That puts the album at 46-48 mins, methinks. Yay calculators!

i thought it means ten (10) songs at 160kbps each...

(I was just kidding, but thanks for explaining anyway) :-/

I just got that update mail as well.

160kbps = ass.

Probably what they were figuring in terms of demand vs. server capacity or something, who knows. And if you got it for free, you got what you paid for.

(Personally I'm thinking that the final CD release will actually be a different mix or something similar.)

I came across this Thom Yorke article from last year, which in hindsight is kind of interesting, if only because it's clear they've been thinking about this whole thing for a long time now.

Radiohead hasn't resolved the question of how to release its new material. Although it seems that every last one of Radiohead's American and European fans is online, Mr. Yorke ruled out purely digital distribution because fans elsewhere -- Russia or South America, for instance -- are not so well connected. A company still needs to press CD's and get them to stores. ''The truth is that the traditional medium is still there, and you need it,'' he says.

Radiohead has been one of the holdouts against having their music sold on iTunes, Apple's online music store, because, Mr. Yorke says, ''the record companies basically don't want to pay the artists at all for the downloading.'' Without a contract, it can decide exactly how it wants to sell its recordings, which has left the band with ''too many variables,'' he adds.

''We were having endless debates, spending entire afternoons talking about, 'Well, if we do something, how do we put it out?' '' he recalls.'' It just became this endless and pointless discussion. Because in our dreams, it would be really nice to just let off this enormous stink bomb in the industry.''

Eventually the band simply decided to postpone any decision about recordings, although it has decided to own its recordings and license them for distribution rather than signing a standard recording contract.

''When we have something,'' he says with a shrug, ''then we'll find whatever seems the most appropriate way to put it out.''

He adds: ''I'm not really into the idea of picking an enormous fight now because I think the structure of the music business is in a state of collapse anyway. You might as well just let it get on with it. There's no point in us trying to help. And it makes you sound really arrogant, like, 'Yeah, we're going to mess up the system.' The system's built us, so that would be a bit silly, wouldn't it?''

Hopefully people who paid the most get emailed first so they can download it before the server melts.

Then all the people who paid nothing, or virtually nothing, can attack it en masse twelve hours later when whoever's hosting it has limited the connection speeds.

Somewhat against the spirit of the event isn't it?

Frankly I might just get it on Soulseek.

160!!! that's kinda bullshit

Yeah...I do feel bad for those who paid more than a few bucks to get a poor quality download. 192 is pretty much the bare minimum these days, isn't it? They should have made it clear from the beginning that it was 160.

I was waiting to hear what the bitrate was before deciding how much to pay. Having heard, I am paying nothing.

Hahahaha, I am so glad I didn't pay, now! Shame on you Radiohead!

Damn, I really hate that it had to be a low quality download, just because now it's going to shift from a "Radiohead sets off a landmine in the music industry" to a "Radiohead screw over their biggest fans with a shit quality download" type of story, for some people.

fella i know at work: "are you gonna download that new radiohead album?"

me: "nah, i'm not really into them."

"yeah, but it's free."

"but what would be the point? i'm not a fan."

"you may as well have a listen, it won't cost you anything."

"there's already way more music on peer to peer that i might like and haven't gotten around to listening to yet, that's always going to take priority, isn't it?"

"yeah...but it's radiohead."

: \

last 5 posts otm :/
xpost

I actually don't think the low bitrate is "unfair," just that it kind of sucks for the time being. So many people, the bigger fans, have said that they are going to buy the regular version when it comes out anyway, so this is just more of an incentive. That said, it does suck for the people who decided to pay more for the mp3s.

iTunes only has 128 kbps files right? So this may be better than that...

radiohead money grabbing bastards after all shocker

look who is on the front cover of the NME this week:

http://www.nme.com/images/thums/84_radioheadcovermagbits_01.jpg

I am quite possibly being too optimistic with this though.

I was wondering what iTunes uses. I'm fine with those.

DRM-free on iTunes (and Amazon, I think) is 256kbps. DRM on iTunes is 128, but that's AAC rather than MP3. Probably equivalent to a 160-192kbps MP3.

DRM-free on Bleep is either something like 256 or FLAC (i.e. lossless).

DRM-free on iTunes (and Amazon, I think) is 256kbps. DRM on iTunes is 128

How do you distinguish between the two on iTunes?

i was totally expecting them to offer like, choice of FLAC or LAME VBR V0. durr

It's too bad they couldn't have arranged it so that those who opted for a free download got the lower quality version, while those who paid a bit more would get a higher quality download. Especially for those who paid 8 dollars and up for the download, they should get a 256 or 320kbps download, I think.

The DRM-free high-quality files will be tagged as "itunes plus" and have a little + in a grey box next to them in the pricing field.

xpost

Yeah...I do feel bad for those who paid more than a few bucks to get a poor quality download. 192 is pretty much the bare minimum these days, isn't it? They should have made it clear from the beginning that it was 160.

-- Z S, Tuesday, 9 October 2007 16:51

This is pretty much OTM for me. I'd like to get defensive and suggest that from some sort of "self-preservation" standpoint this makes sense, but no.

I seriously can't believe everyone's getting all worked up over all this! Then again I just muttered in an Idolator comment that really it's just showing how levels of expectation have shifted. This is so much sound and fury over nothing.

Inevitable backlash, I suppose.

160kbps isn't nearly as bad as you guys are making it out to be.

Has everyone received that notification e-mail? I haven't seen anything since my original order confirmation.

Yes it is. I really dislike the sound of an mp3 that's encoded at less than 192... it's a pretty big difference.

xpost

I still think that it's a fucking amazingly great thing that Radiohead is doing - it just smacks of cluelessness in their tech dept.

160 is surprisingly low for a band that is so precious about preserving the integrity of their albums when distributed digitally. Possible reasons:

- server/bandwidth issues which they think aren't worth spending money fixing for how many people will actually care.
- they want to upsell people to the regular CD when it comes out.

ugh, who cares. for all we know these songs were specifically mixed and mastered to sound good as 160 kpbs mp3s.

xxpost, yeah, probably. Never attribute to malice, etc.

<i>ugh, who cares. for all we know these songs were specifically mixed and mastered to sound good as 160 kpbs mp3s.

-- bernard snowy, Tuesday, 9 October 2007 17:36 (5 minutes ago) Link</i>

i don't know if this is possible.

but jeez it's not that big of a deal.

still 256 would have been great.

It's above itunes quality, and it's pretty obvious (given the site crash last week) that server-wise they need to skimp a bit.

It's not above iTunes quality. 160k MP3 is about roughly the same audible quality as the 128k AAC they sell on iTunes.

earlier today: Xfm (London) announced "a world radio exclusive" Radiohead album playback at Midday tomorrow, now NME Radio have usurped them with an 11am playback

the original early-leaked unmastered HAIL TO THE THIEF mp3s sounded better in some cases than the finals.

I only really care about the 160kbps thing because I would have given a buck or two to cover bandwidth and my initial impressions with the assumption that I'll probably end up buying it in another format later to listen to at home. With bleep, or a few other sites, I don't mind paying a bit more since I know I won't really care about buying a physical copy later.

I just bought the new Band of Horses on wax and it came with a digital download - 160k. Lame. Same story with Of Montreal's "Hissing Fauna" a few months back - except it was 128k. Super lame.

GUYS OBVIOUSLY THE ALBUM WAS MEANT TO BE LISTENED TO AT 160KBPS

lol audiofiles

(sic)

audiophiles slam audio files.

Same story with Of Montreal's "Hissing Fauna" a few months back - except it was 128k

hissing mp3s amirite

Final post in the project. Aside from whatever I end up saying about the new one.

TS: Audiophiles vs. Audio Files

Ever since my CD mania began in earnest in college, I’d always found there were discs I liked to set aside which, I knew, I would love. I’d only heard a song or two, maybe, but it was enough for me to guess that I’d really like the album when I finally gave it a full listen. These became my ‘rainy day’ discs, as I called them — something that would be around when the mood finally struck me, something that didn’t need to be heard right that second, but would be something best appreciated when I felt the impulse.

Ned, this is AWESOME -- I'm finishing up college this year, and I've done the same thing (more or less) for as long as I've been obsessive about music, in general. I'd guess there's *at least* couple hundred CDs (out of about 1000 currently owned) on my shelf that I've never listened to in full, some of which I've owned for years and wouldn't dream of selling, but imagine I'll pull out at the right time to enjoy.

So am I pretty much the only one still waiting on the second e-mail (besides the original confirmation)? I'm kinda pissed I gave them money for this if they aren't ever going to send my the follow-up e-mails.

I'm still waiting too but I'm not worried. Happens as does.

audiophiles slam audio files.

funny

hissing mp3s amirite

funnier!

ugh i'm so not looking forward to this thread tomorrow. everyone take a day off, ok?

Jesus, no kidding!

hey, fuck you too, audiofiles was my joke

I'm already lolling at the ratio boosting 320kbps transcodes gullible people will no doubt be downloading tomorrow.

cutty OTM

Maybe we should have a seperate thread for when it's actually arrived? I'm not even going to download it, I'm waiting till my flatmate does and then I'm going to copy it off him - you can't trick me RADIOHEAD! HWAHWAHWA!

It's not above iTunes quality. 160k MP3 is about roughly the same audible quality as the 128k AAC they sell on iTunes.

I had no idea. I have been avoiding buying stuff on iTunes because I thought that it was low-quality. When filesharing, I prefer to get stuff at 192 or up, but if I can't find it at that bitrate, I'm content to do 160.

So am I pretty much the only one still waiting on the second e-mail (besides the original confirmation)? I'm kinda pissed I gave them money for this if they aren't ever going to send my the follow-up e-mails.

It took mine a few hours after the first post about it here- it seems like they're sending them out in batches, not all at once. Perhaps to do with purchase order/priority? In any case, if you haven't gotten yours by the end of today, it might be worth emailing them and doublechecking. They should have your correct contact info if you got the original confirmation. Also be sure and check your spam filter, mine can be pretty finicky about this kind of mass mailout (I use GMail).

I paid nothing earlier today. I got the original order receipt about three hours later and have heard nothing since. I'm guessing they're kinda busy.

I know, let's all phone them and ask them how busy they are.

I hate how the term "morning" is so ambiguous. It could be any time now!

for anyone who appreciates the prog in radiohead, this mp3 quality / multiple format / musical progression discussion *does* feel a lot like beardy dudes sitting around a fire in the 70s discussing King Crimson.

i just got an email 'update' at 1 a.m.
IN RAINBOWS UPDATE (Order # WAS4341803)‏

what's that all about?

lol xpost

this mp3 quality / multiple format / musical progression discussion *does* feel a lot like beardy dudes sitting around a fire in the 70s discussing King Crimson

Part of the appeal, except now it's the glow of computer screens. Though I suppose the beards are back.

Anyway I got my little update mail.

Okay people calm down, now. We'll get it when we get it. 160 is not going to kill us either, etc.

seen Control yet, Bimble? ;)

Heheh. Hell, no, dude! It's not scheduled to be here until at least the 19th!

Although I guess I shouldn't assume you're a dude. :)

hehe yeah, i'm a girl the last time i checked.

Oh, glad I apologized then! :)

I'm starting to get excited about this Radiohead thing though, in fact, before I saw your post I read my update in my email and thought "ooh this is sexy! We're all downloading from Radiohead at more or less the same bloody time!"

I know! it's a weird sort of communal experience - usually with widely-anticipated albums, people tend to be more like "oh I'll get this tmr" or "i've got to hear this soon" but suddenly everyone's all "I want to hear this NOW".

viz "beardos discussing prog around the fire"

It's like we're all waiting in line outside Tower Records with our headphones & CD players or something. Old school shit.

In Rainbows = a new Harry Potter book.

lol that had not occurred to me

I'm going to wait this one out despite having to wake up at a god awful hour. Shouldn't be much longer... maybe 4 hours? That's what, 9 in England? 2am here... better put on the coffee. :)

hmm... I paid for mine (possibly twice) and have received precisely squat. f u radiohedz I will download this shit for free in protest.

It's like we're all waiting in line outside Tower Records with our headphones & CD players or something. Old school shit.

This sends me into fits of laughter.

In Rainbows = a new Harry Potter book.

This sends me into even more fits of laughter.

No seriously...it really is like we're all standing outside in the freezing cold, winding around the block isn't it?

i like it. i like actually waiting for music to come out. im not used to it. usually ill find out an album has been leaked and ill get it. or ill get it when i can.

this is nice

Yes, and I imagine this has been said before but what I admire them most for is the whole thing "OKAY BLAM! HERE IT IS! YOU'VE GOT A MERE TEN DAYS!" you know??? Instant's notice, a Gemini's dream. Etc. No anticipation, nothing. Now or never.

in such a short time something like this has become so rare.

it has to be an instant notice thing like that because if not it would never work. it would find its way onto the internet.

downloading!

WAHT

IT BEGINS

does it suck yet?

holy shit. downloading

almost done burning. no telling. i only heard some breakbeats so far.

i'm getting a lovely 215kb/sec

i bet tomorrow it will be a tenth of that as their server gets slammed by a million fans

whoa. university network don't fail me now.

*walking away from the computer for 43 minutes*

stolen signal be true

wtf dudes does radiohead hate me

i should be liveblogging this

how can you say you were really there if you didn't liveblog it

32% of 1 file

this, right now, is really exciting

bad news guys: it sounds like radiohead

did all you guys pay actual money or something????

i didn't.

does it suck yet?

-- Curt1s Stephens, Wednesday, October 10, 2007 5:42 AM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

OMG will someone please post this to the LOL Excelsior thread. For that just about sends me into all the LOL's I'm going to have tonight before I pass out.

WE MUST NOT FORGET THAT THIS IS NOT A SURE THING! THIS ALBUM MAY SUCK ASS! IT COULD BE WORSE THAN AMNESIAC! (whoops didn't mean to start a war about this kind of thing, please carry on, quite sorry)

In the middle of listening to this.

Predictions:
People will say this sounds like HTTT pt. 2
Little "progression"
Not nearly as good as Kid A or OK Computer

Also I think some of the live versions from the 2006 tour were better.

Oh fuck, "All I Need" is amazing.

I need to review what I just said!!

ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i didn't pay but i ordered it minutes after the order page went up on the 1st, maybe they're rolling it out in batches to prevent the server from buckling

no alarms and no spoilers, please? lol

Someone upload this shit already so I can go to bed.

oh god, christ here we go. The positive hyperbole and the nasty put-downs. Where will it end?

5600 trillions posts by morning.

hahaha sorry, i'll shut up now.
no alarms and no spoilers 4 lyfe

Oh god!!! What if it's one of those albums where 50% of the people like it and 50% think it's crap?

THE HORROR!

YES. I have listened to the first three tracks of this, am extremely tired and really pleased with what I heard. Must sleep now.
Bodysnatchers is a little kraut-rock, no?

yeah i just ordered it today. comforting to think that maybe theyre just trying to be civil.

Oh goodness, I feel like one of those hopeless kids about to get a new Harry Potter. (Except in my case cries of, "It's like HTT/Amnesiac" is like hearing that "Harry gets AIDS on page 84 and spends the rest of the book conjuring a cure. He dies on the last page.")

ps I'm glad the internet didn't explode.

Amnesiacis their best album. And if Harry got AIDS and died that book would've been so much better.

you think yr contrarian but yr not

I'M BEIN SERIUS

3 tracks in and im loving it

Amnesiac? The best album they've ever done? Hey I'd even bump you The Bends on that one, mate. You are WRONG.

4 TRACKS IN THIS SHIT SUCKS I WANT A REFUND PLZ.

Amesiac has their best songs, so it's their best album. It's that simple.

yeah so i still havent gotten shit

Which song? I admit it's been awhile since I've heard it. I love certain songs on Kid A but part of me is one of those lamers that "wants them to start playing REAL MUSIC" (i.e. simple guitar rock). Though, as I listen to In Rainbows, it certainly "rocks" like one of their earlier albums.

lol already up on torrent sites

hahahaha I should have known this thread would progress this way.

At this rate ILM will stop with the message board atmosphere and will become more of chatroom by midnight pacific time tonight. (And with, yes, a/s/l questions being fielded in the Teen Pop thread)

oh fuck, it cut off at 30 mbs. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!

Oh fuck, "All I Need" is amazing.

OTM

http://home.no/horojo/reckoner.jpg

1:55 into "15 Step" is where I start lovin it

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/35/de/23c0b2c008a0a08a4c535010.L.jpg

this shit is totally worth the hype

I’M SORRY, BUT THIS ACTIVATION CODE HAS ALREADY BEEN USED.

booooooo.

fuck it, i'm torrenting this shit.

*rocks out mightily to "Bodysnatchers"*

All I Need is fucking amazing

WHERE roz

god knows right now. I'll wait it out then. Or does some kind person here who has it already want to upload to zshare or something?

the m i n i n o v a torrent seems to be working okay. eta around 20 minutes for me.

wtf is so bad about Reckoner?

Roz, I have a sendspace...you want? What's yr email?

sweet. rozanna dot l at gmail.

thanks melissa!

http://rapidshare.com/files/61508055/inrainbows.zip.html

downloaded the official download in less than 3 minutes at over 330 KB/sec here - very impressive.

they're giving it away for free anyway so who cares amirite?

Sent, Roz.

gman that's from a radiohead forum circa 2001 when they debuted the song live

(xpost)

ahh i see

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/46266-radiohead-album-now-available

thanks again, Melissa!

You're welcome!

I'm not quite eating my hat, but I like this a *lot* more than I thought I would.

I've heard the CD that will be in the discbox will be only 128 kbps!

lol

am i allowed to talk about the music yet

i'm not expecting this to be anywhere near as good as Kid A or Amnesiac, but I certainly hope it's as amazing as HTTT.

I prefer the orchestral version of "Arpeggi" to this one.

Yeah, the Ether version of Arpeggi is beautiful. This one is very bland in comparison.

am i allowed to talk about the music yet

oops

I couldn't help but notice the similarity between bits on "House of Cards" and Galaxie 500's "Tugboat Captain." "I don' wanna be your friend...I just wanna be your lover" is similarly sung even.

six tracks in and loving this so far.

"I am listening to the studio version of this. This is the most perfect moment of my life. I don't have a girlfriend I have nothing. But I don't care. Because I have the studio version of this song."

Got to "House Of Cards" and I'm ranking this better than HTTT and Amnesiac

its definitely better than httt. shame about "house of cards" though.

WHAT IS WITH YOU PEOPLE HATING ON AMNESIAC?

Pyramid Song
Life In a Glass House
Like Spinning Plates
I Might Be Wrong
Packt Like Sardines
etc.

EXCELLENT RECORD.

And don't forget "Dollars & Cents," The Brainwasher. That song slays me.

at laaaaaaaaaaaaast

If my shamefully late rediscovery & appreciation of HTTT is anything to go by, I'll love this in 2011.

"nude"
"all i need"

incredible

whole album is good but those are the big standouts for me right now

Ok. Predict the Pitchfork score.

6.2

wow. that was gorgeous. love the last two songs.

8.6

my official cover art:

http://givemetakeyou.com/supercentral/inrainbows.png

downloaded the official download in less than 3 minutes at over 330 KB/sec here - very impressive.

-- StanM, Wednesday, 10 October 2007 06:24

same here

lolz to hyperbacklash

lovin this so far

"15th Step" so much better than the shitty bootleg I played on my podcast last summer.

'Videotape' is a good closer. Love the percussion on that.

If anything, Thom's the weak link on this imho.

THERE IS ROCKINGS NOW

guys i am 45 minutes late to the party

THE GOOD TIMES ARE OVA

9.1 PFM score

"All I need", "Faust Arp", definite standouts at this point. Wow.

This feels much more immediate than HTTT, though I'm not entirely sure if this is because I'm already somewhat familiar with the tracks.

PFM score: 9.0

This is their "love" record. Slow and ballad-y. On the initial spin, my favorite moment is early in "Nude", when Thom's voice comes in, clear as daylight, exactly as it should.

And didn't "Reckoner" used to be a rocker? Although the version here is appropriate for the album.

thom sounds better than ever, i think. his voice just weaves through the general lushness of it all.

Yeah, Thom sounds amazing on this.

"v v immediate" agreed, coming from someone sig less familiar than the "i've been following these songs on tour for a decade" crowd

yah roz...faust arp is great

'Bodysnatchers' makes me think of Devo at the start.

thom used to call HTTT their sexy record, I think he was an album early.

This is a pretty sexy record.

It really is.

the infrastructure will collapse

I was totally calling this a very sensual, sexy record to a friend a few minutes ago on aim. God then reckoner came on and I would have never imagined it being the sexiest thing Radiohead's ever done!

bodysnatchers yesssss.

also MP3 QUALITY MOST OVERRATED INTERNET CONTROVERSY EVVVVVVEEEEER.

aka this sounds great.

lol jordan otm about the mp3 quality.

also MP3 QUALITY MOST OVERRATED INTERNET CONTROVERSY EVVVVVVEEEEER.

-- Jordan Sargent, Wednesday, October 10, 2007 2:17 AM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

lol... i was thinking that exact thing when listening !!! ... i think i've regained sanity and remembered all of the times i've listened to an mp3 album then heard it on cd later and liked it better

'House Of Cards' is great. Thom sounds reflective rather than righteous, it's far more affecting.

Of course it sounds fine, it sound well compressed though.

Faust Arp sounds like an undiscovered Beatles song. So beautiful.

i think i've regained sanity and remembered all of the times i've listened to an mp3 album then heard it on cd later and liked it better

sorry to gatecrash the thread like this but i thought jordan was implying that mp3's sounded ok!?

Ha I just heard the earlier version of Reckoner and can now see why so many people are pissed about it.

I think it's nice though.

bodysnatchers yesssss.

Agreed. This will most likely not go down as my fave Radiohead album, but I'm loving it all the same.

Well it sounds a bit like a released one from the guitar pattern. Reminds me a little of 'Julia'. But yeah, the strings are pretty Beatlesy.

They've done well with the running order on this I think.

hm well my mp3s sound just fine sorry for your loss :( :( :(

reckoner is surely the standout track here

agreed.

Reckoner is amazing. His voice, those strings... And it's a weird progression for them. Kind of 1970s folk-rockish.

nude is stunning.

hm well my mp3s sound just fine sorry for your loss :( :( :(

-- Jordan Sargent, Wednesday, October 10, 2007 2:30 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

now worries, probably only about 15-20 bucks when i buy it :)

The kinetics are a little too front-loaded for my taste, I think. I'll like this just as well on shuffle.

I eagerly await the vinyl, which will surely melt my speakers with awesome.

guys jigsaw falling into place

it is great

I think I wanted this record to be more dancey and angry, but I think I quite like this more.

Alright, I'm going home to listen to this on proper speakers.

IT BEGINS

-- Ned Raggett, Wednesday, October 10, 2007 5:40 AM

a classic

guys we're getting almost doubled by the comments on the oink torrent.

now's no time for resting on our laurels.

Okay. I have a feast of hats to eat.

Backing Vox on 'House of Cards' sound disturbingly Bono Vox.

i think weird fishes/arpeggi is getting srsly underrated by everyone thanks to youtube or whatever. 2nd best song here.

Not sure about the sequencing yet, doesn't seem necessary. And a few stretches sound kinda lightweight. Can't see the forest etc. I think.

Reckoner is fucking sublime. Going back to that now.

THE KING BOY PATO OFFICIAL REVIEW OF RADIOHEAD'S LATEST AND GREATEST ARTISTIC PIECE WHICH AGAIN BLOWS THE MIND WHILE CREATING A SINGULAR PIECE OF ART NEVER BEFORE SEEN IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION AND NEVER WILL BE AGAIN, "IN RAINBOWS":

What a load of boring old shit.

7 years ago, I bought Kid A at a midnight sale, came back home, put on the headphones and fell asleep while listening. tonight I finished a book at 2 am, turned on computer, downloaded, and once again fell asleep listening with the same headphones. I woke back up during Reckoner though, thinking it was great, made it through to the end, and am now on my 2nd listen cuz I wanted to hear the middle tracks that I slept through the first time.

I fail to hate this album at the moment. :-/

:(

Where's my activation code?

fuck you spam filter, i thought the internet hated me for a minute there

Huh? Did they make the Atease board registered only all of a sudden?

I've listened to it twice now.
I think I like it.

bizarrely, i have fallen for the hype.
i love the whole event aspect, and subsequently didn't want to be left out (a rare situation with regards to radiohead product for me)
also, as a sideline, the servers are holding up remarkably well - registered and d/l'd all within 7 minutes.

guys we're getting almost doubled by the comments on the oink torrent.

What does that mean?

Need to get home. I really want to download this album!

I didn't expect anything out of this record. I never cared at all for Hail to the Thief, but man. This record is really, really good. Just so sensual and quiet and so warm and I'm loving it.

It's so warm!

ysi?

I want to email them pretending to be someone's grandma who downloaded the wrong album for her grandson's birthday but it turns out he really wanted 'The Bends' and wants to ask if she could get an exchange or refund.

d/l real quick - now listening - warm is right.

Warm is good, most of their best material is warm. Radiohead have never been particularly good at doing chilly.

This may have been covered upthread, but am I right in assuming this record won't chart?

Xfm are doing a full album playback at 12 midday (NOW) listen in

X-clusive: Hear The New Radiohead Album Today On Xfm
http://www.xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?b=news&id=490630#

first established media review of the album posted by John Mulvey @ Uncut

Uncut.co.uk | Wild Mercury Sound - Post details: Radiohead's "In Rainbows"
http://tinyurl.com/2ygc7r

Sounds nice so far.

is there a pop song on it?

Yeah, there's about 10 or so I'd say.

Paul Morley blogging about it:
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/observermusic/2007/10/rainbow_warriors.html

some very quick first thoughts

some tracks:

Bodysnatchers = The Notwist + Smashing Pumpkins. The most rock track on the album?

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi = Brian Eno produced U2 Unforgettable Fire

All I Need = Talk Talk + Manual + Ulrich Schnauss + Kraftwerk + The Blue Nile + The Broadway Project

Faust ARP = Beatles influenced melodies

House Of Cards - more Talk Talk and a.r.kane influences

Jigsaw Falling Into Place - more The Notwist + The Woodentops circa 1986 + even James - the way the acoustic guitars have an uptempo jangle style

Videotape - more Talk Talk / Mark Holis slow paced arty-rock piano minimalism, this even sounds like Ulver on their new album !

Bodysnatchers starts off like a long lost Pablo Honey rarity - especially Thom's voice which he uses in a way I haven't heard in a very long time. It soon bursts into something else though.

Will everyone stop fucking fooling themselves? This is typical Radiohead - ie: a load of boring old shit. Anyone who can compare this to Talk Talk is a really stupid cunt who needs to educate themselves on how to fucking listen asap.

You can fuck off any time you want, thank you.

open up your ears - they have used similar sound construction techniques to talk talk on this album, e.g slow paced delicate drummimg

King Boy Pato: you do know that Talk Talk made more than just the two hits everyone knows, right?

Faust Arp sounds like Polyethylene part 1 crossed with Exit Music. But there's more to it once again.

Oh, come on.

Why am I trying to talk sense about Radiohead to Radiohead fans anyway?

*dissipates into a fog of anti-logic*

It's not a million miles away from Hail To The Thief though is it? Those expecting a complete change like Kid A after the long break will be disappointed. Those expecting a great Radiohead album won't.

Pato: I don't think this is the right day to be slagging off Radiohead, even if you don't care for them.

Why am I trying to talk sense about Radiohead to Radiohead fans anyway?

You're not "talking sense" or even just disagreeing or being critical of the album, you're being a dick and calling everyone who is enjoying the album a "really stupid cunt". Did you really expect anyone to take you seriously?

Prick.

Has there been any artwork released with the download yet?

Will everyone stop fucking fooling themselves? This is typical Radiohead - ie: a load of boring old shit. Anyone who can compare this to Talk Talk is a really stupid cunt who needs to educate themselves on how to fucking listen asap.

Correct, this is much better.

Thanks King Boy Pato, i've now seen the error of my ways and am going to destroy all my Radiohead records as i'm clearly a stupid cunt for having them.

Melissa, please listen to the Ulver new track Funebre and compare it to Radiohead - Videotape - there are some similarities, both are slow paced piano tracks

myspace - Ulver
http://www.myspace.com/ulver1

I am really digging this album right now. Style is very much in the vein of HTTT but it's much much more cohesive. It's very successful at merging the two sides of their sound (rock/ambient, pop/avant, whatever you want to call it), rather than their last album which was kind of both and neither at the same time.

Just woke up, had the mail in my inbox and the download went like a charm in two, three minutes. *NICE.* Will listen to it once I'm in at work.

Apparently, people who order it now are getting a "you are in a queue" message.

So they DID have some load balancing mail system going on. Roz' "it cut off after 30 Mb" is the only complaint I've read about the download so far, really impressive.

Got it, listening to it, it is NOICE. Oddly upbeat for York & company- first track "15 Step" even has a repeated sample of what sounds like a crowd of children cheering.

And for the record, the 160kbps files sound fine, surprisingly so in fact. The only thing I'm annoyed about is a lack of embedded cover art in the file or a .jpg of it in the zip archive as I like to use Coverflow.

I'm printing one from www.rainbowpuke.com

Yeah, it actually is a crowd of children cheering. :D

x-post

I wrote these note on my semi-private site, but I may as well share with the group:

It seems rather appropriate that I hear In Rainbows for the first time in the early morning, after the rain. After "15 Step" and "Bodysnatchers," the record feels like the calm after a storm. It feels extremely light and airy -- lots of empty space, little to no strumming or heavy chords. The band are obsessed with arpeggiation, enough so that "arp" ends up part of the titles of two cuts. (I was kinda hoping that the Arp in "Faust Arp" would be a reference to Arp synthesizers, but no such luck.) It's funny, I think this album is a lot more accessible to people who listen to a lot of melancholy guitar music, but anyone who might call this easy or straightforward or wants to say that this is much of anything like pre-Kid A Radiohead has no idea what they are talking about.

I totally get why "Bangers N Mash" and "Down Is The New Up" were cut, though. They are both better than some of the songs that made the cut, but they would've radically altered the character of the album. This is a beautifully composed album, but I think a few of these songs wouldn't quite work outside of its context.

The band's discography continues to roughly mirror that of David Byrne/Talking Heads. If you count Amnesiac along with Kid A as the parallel to Remain In Light, Thom Yorke's The Eraser was his The Catherine Wheel, and In Rainbows is Radiohead's Little Creatures. I mean, it's not at all peppy, but in both cases it is a deliberate move towards simple yet very sophisticated songwriting.

I thought that Faust Arp would be a krautrockesque analogue synth wig out, how wrong i was...

comparing this to little creatures does not bode well for me, but i'm sure i'll like it anyway

ha! i was wondering where the kids were!

akm, I want to stress that I don't think it SOUNDS like Little Creatures, I just think it follows a rough parallel of the two bands' career arcs.

i'm getting the talk talk vibe on some of it too. nude especially.

Style is very much in the vein of HTTT but it's much much more cohesive. It's very successful at merging the two sides of their sound (rock/ambient, pop/avant, whatever you want to call it), rather than their last album which was kind of both and neither at the same time.

This pretty much hits it as far as my first impression goes. HTTT sounded kind of sloppy in that regard, a mish-mash of stuff that never cohesed (is that even a word?), but this one really works better as an album. All the tracks sit well next to each other, it has enough variation to address the various sounds the band has used over the years.

Other things: a lot of these tracks are surprisingly upbeat. Very little vocal processing, too. Like the Eraser, Thom's voice is pretty upfront and clear. Sometimes I like that, sometimes I don't.

This may have been covered upthread, but am I right in assuming this record won't chart?

Yes, doesn't meet chart criteria.

On Last FM, '15 Step', 48,632 plays. 'Weird Fish/Arpeggi', 104 plays. Are people abandoning it so quickly? Sounds like their most accessible work since OKC.

yea that BBC article was pretty dumb

sorry wrong thread maybe? it may have been on the other radiohead thread

billy are you serious?!

The guitar riff on "Bodysnatchers" sounds like Wire circa Read And Burn. Me likey.

Loving "House of Cards."

Billy, I suspect it's an issue with the tagging?

The sound feels really un-labored over. They've still got all their tricks, but it's almost all live drums and it feels like there aren't as many layers as on the last couple. It reminds me the most of Amnesiac, except with way less electronics?

lol @ Radiodread on "House of Cards"

billy are you serious?!

I presume you mean about Lastfm? Yes.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2363/1532701141_adeb06ae7d.jpg?v=0

Weird, tags comes up ok on my page overview (unterwasser, if anyone's interested).

10 song albums are the best