In Rainbows
by Radiohead
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 2281 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,078 out of 2281
  2. Mixed: 71 out of 2281
  3. Negative: 132 out of 2281

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  1. kelseyh
    Oct 21, 2007
    10
    This album has made all other music irrellevant for me for the past week. I have not listened to anything else, and I have still to get tired of it. Radiohead are so far and about anything else anyone else has done since the talking heads.
  2. jeffort23
    Dec 10, 2007
    8
    Granted, while it contains neither the estranged beauty found on OK Computer nor the exhilarating rush of reinvention that was Kid A, this album reminds you of the better qualities of both works. At times, both familiar and unsettling --- it's the sound of drowning in a warm bath, of being pleasantly out of place.
  3. edenc.
    Oct 20, 2007
    5
    Mediocre album... none of the songs really caught my attention. 15 step, weird fishes, and all i need were good but still not great... I don't get how critics simply rate an album high because it is unique not because it is good music.
  4. Vengeance
    Dec 13, 2007
    10
    Listen to both cds back to back... pure genius. Not for the people who are stuck in the nineties and want to hear the limited sounds of the bends and ok computer, but above those two albums. I understand it, i for a long time thought that that was their best work but then i heard 'In Rainbows'. Listen to the lyrics, the vocal line is the best instrument in Radiohead. Without it, Listen to both cds back to back... pure genius. Not for the people who are stuck in the nineties and want to hear the limited sounds of the bends and ok computer, but above those two albums. I understand it, i for a long time thought that that was their best work but then i heard 'In Rainbows'. Listen to the lyrics, the vocal line is the best instrument in Radiohead. Without it, they'd be a totally different band.… Expand
  5. drewt
    Oct 20, 2007
    10
    This just might be the best Radiohead album yet, and if not, it's certainly their most direct and emotional album. And that's what's so great about it, the songs are impeccable, the arrangements are fantastic always, but the focus is squarely on the songwriting for the first time in the past ten years. Obviously there's the endless debate between OK Computer and Kid A, This just might be the best Radiohead album yet, and if not, it's certainly their most direct and emotional album. And that's what's so great about it, the songs are impeccable, the arrangements are fantastic always, but the focus is squarely on the songwriting for the first time in the past ten years. Obviously there's the endless debate between OK Computer and Kid A, but I think "In Rainbows" could be a major contender. I don't think that enough people are aware of how lucky we are to have a band like Radiohead still around and putting out consistently fantastic music. And "In Rainbows" is ultra-fantastic.… Expand
  6. Laura
    Dec 2, 2007
    10
    You know it always takes a little time for the utter genius behind their music to reveal itself. When it does, it's so scintillating! 'Nude' is probably one of the most sensual songs I've ever heard. The voice is velvet. '15 step' ...Jeez, who makes music in 5 time anyway? And doesn't make it sound academic. It's a rush. 'Arpeggio' is You know it always takes a little time for the utter genius behind their music to reveal itself. When it does, it's so scintillating! 'Nude' is probably one of the most sensual songs I've ever heard. The voice is velvet. '15 step' ...Jeez, who makes music in 5 time anyway? And doesn't make it sound academic. It's a rush. 'Arpeggio' is compelling and atmospheric. I am so in love with this CD. Thank god (or whatever you thank for good things) for Radiohead.… Expand
  7. BonoV.
    Dec 21, 2007
    9
    Their best work since OKC in my opinion. They continue to evolve like no other band. At first listen I was tempted to be disappointed by 15 Steps and Bodysnatchers as I had heard them live but Nude just takes you to another place and it flows from their. Thom's voice is front and center and never sounded better. Album of the Year!
  8. ShaunB
    Oct 22, 2007
    9
    If there is anything we should have learnt about Radiohead by now, it's that we should not compare one album to another. Not even Kid A (which I loved) could be compared to Amnesiac (which I found disappointing)...and they were recorded in the same session! So I am certainly not going to compare In Rainbows with OK Computer (which is my favourite album of all time). Anyway, here are If there is anything we should have learnt about Radiohead by now, it's that we should not compare one album to another. Not even Kid A (which I loved) could be compared to Amnesiac (which I found disappointing)...and they were recorded in the same session! So I am certainly not going to compare In Rainbows with OK Computer (which is my favourite album of all time). Anyway, here are Radiohead using the sound they have developed over the past 3 albums, but suddenly it is more focused. They have found the perfect balance between their experimental jazzy sounds and good-old fashioned songwriting. I was very surprised with In Rainbows, as I approached with extreme caution...and, for the first time since 2000, Radiohead pleasantly surprised me. The love affair with the Oxford band is back on.… Expand
  9. MattA
    Oct 20, 2007
    10
    Amazing. Simply put. I can't think of a single track that i don't like... ...it may not be for everyone...but it's definitely for me.
  10. mycles.
    Oct 22, 2007
    10
    odd but accessible. sad but encouraging. minimal but lush. low-fi but hi-fi. incredible. radiohead keeps making better albums. soft but harsh. alienating but loving. they keep rock alive by killing it.
  11. AndrewW
    Oct 22, 2007
    9
    I like this record- an improvement on the last 2. It might even be better than kidA after a few more listens. What I can't agree with are those reviewers saying this album isn't another "electronic" album. After my first few listens, this is more of an "electronic album" than hail to the thief was. Plenty of beeps and drum machines here. I do like it though. Good effort.
  12. MichaelP.
    Oct 20, 2007
    10
    Brilliant - gets better with each listen!!
  13. BigSteveO
    Dec 20, 2007
    1
    For the second album in a row (3 if you count the Eraser), Radiohead sound like either they've lost it, or are just phoning it in. Iceage coming, indeed.
  14. MaxM.
    Oct 22, 2007
    8
    Radiohead is probably the best living band right now. They had a great run and I am glad they finally came out with an album after the long wait after "Hail to the Theif". To be honest, I think Thom Yorke's "The Eraser" was a bit more enjoyable. This new album has many decent songs and a few really good ones like 15 Step and Bodysnatchers. I was absolutely disgusted by the third Radiohead is probably the best living band right now. They had a great run and I am glad they finally came out with an album after the long wait after "Hail to the Theif". To be honest, I think Thom Yorke's "The Eraser" was a bit more enjoyable. This new album has many decent songs and a few really good ones like 15 Step and Bodysnatchers. I was absolutely disgusted by the third track, Nude. I've heard the unreleased version of Nude and it was alot better than what I heard in "In Rainbows".… Expand
  15. tomj.
    Oct 22, 2007
    9
    My favorite since OK Computer. Radiohead has rediscovered what made them great; the ability to translate emotion in perfect melodies.
  16. carolR.A.
    Dec 24, 2007
    10
    Thank you very much RaDioHead!!
  17. StevenN.
    Dec 24, 2007
    10
    Bursting with emotional melodies, atmospheric hazy sounds scattered within off beat tempo's. Wierd Fishes standout track by miles of depths of oceans.
  18. JohnT.
    Oct 22, 2007
    10
    Nice trolling Jonathan H
  19. SeanC.
    Oct 22, 2007
    10
    Having listened to this on loop since its Wednesday release nearly two weeks ago (as of today, you see), being almost genuinely unable to listen to anything else, I can say that this is a new masterpiece from "the world's most interesting band." I see people giving this zeros and middling reviews, and while I understand that people have different opinions, much of it smacks of Having listened to this on loop since its Wednesday release nearly two weeks ago (as of today, you see), being almost genuinely unable to listen to anything else, I can say that this is a new masterpiece from "the world's most interesting band." I see people giving this zeros and middling reviews, and while I understand that people have different opinions, much of it smacks of Internet Contrarianism, and a zero review is simply indefensible, no matter your opinion; you're wrong, and you're sad for being such a tool. Either way, I pity anyone who doesn't get as much enjoyment and elation from this album as I have. It is as vital as any music I've heard.… Expand
  20. JohnJ.
    Oct 22, 2007
    10
    The best Radiohead album since OK Computer.
  21. DaveW.
    Dec 27, 2007
    10
    i must be the only naive mofo on earth that feels that every single radiohead album has been an evolutionary improvement on the last. musically, technically. broke boundaries. this is no exception. my only gripe is that it took them so goddamn long. awesome.
  22. Kaleb
    Oct 22, 2007
    10
    If Hail to the Thief was like an almost hour long Paranoid Android - gloomy, tense, frantic, aggressive, muscular, unpredictable and complex, then In Rainbows is like a forty-minute long No Surprises - relaxed, dreamy, delicate, sweet, lush and hypnotic, even to the point of being nearly comatose (Videotape). No surprises here indeed, as In Rainbows is Radiohead's most user-friendly If Hail to the Thief was like an almost hour long Paranoid Android - gloomy, tense, frantic, aggressive, muscular, unpredictable and complex, then In Rainbows is like a forty-minute long No Surprises - relaxed, dreamy, delicate, sweet, lush and hypnotic, even to the point of being nearly comatose (Videotape). No surprises here indeed, as In Rainbows is Radiohead's most user-friendly record since The Bends, or perhaps even Pablo Honey, and is very likely to appeal to the part of their fanbase that felt estranged upon the release of Kid A and Amnesiac. However, after a few listens the album opens up and shows its true beauty, which lies in lush multi-layered textures, intricate details and Yorke's almost embarrassingly earnest lyrics (once you're able to decipher them). All in all it's a great record. Is it Radiohead's best? Only time can tell. For now it will suffice to say that it's another solid output by the most important band of this generation. A must-hear for any music lover.… Expand
  23. ReubenF
    Oct 23, 2007
    4
    Sadly, it is commonplace for bands to lose it over time. Most are one-hit wonders. Some manage a few good albums. A select few sustain a career among the best for longer than a decade. Radiohead are among the select few. However, on this album, they prove themselves no exception to the general rule. They have past their used by date. The end.
  24. krismp
    Dec 31, 2007
    10
    I just feel like i can listen to this album all day long and never get bored or tired. Its a simply album made with so much deep in it.
  25. JR
    Oct 23, 2007
    8
    I don't know what's wrong with the people who didn't give this album the same score I did. But they are not like me and therefore must have something wrong with them. Why people have different impressions of something when it is clearly easily categorized in the world-view affirming context of my own ego is beyond me. All of you people who gave this album scores other than I don't know what's wrong with the people who didn't give this album the same score I did. But they are not like me and therefore must have something wrong with them. Why people have different impressions of something when it is clearly easily categorized in the world-view affirming context of my own ego is beyond me. All of you people who gave this album scores other than 8 need to get a grip on reality and rate things the same way I do. Oh, by the way, I like the album.… Expand
  26. Jerc.
    Oct 23, 2007
    10
    This is the best album from this band
  27. TravisM.
    Dec 31, 2007
    10
    Easily the best album of 2007. Perhaps of this decade.
  28. Simon
    Oct 23, 2007
    10
    Best album of the decade!
  29. AllanC.
    Oct 23, 2007
    5
    There is nothing wrong if you don't like this album as much as the rest of the crowd has. Sure we're a small minority but it's OKAY to be different. I personally tried to like this album. It's meant to be a grower but my initial opinion of this album was incredibly poor. I couldn't get myself to like it on about the first 10 listens. The album is a decent album There is nothing wrong if you don't like this album as much as the rest of the crowd has. Sure we're a small minority but it's OKAY to be different. I personally tried to like this album. It's meant to be a grower but my initial opinion of this album was incredibly poor. I couldn't get myself to like it on about the first 10 listens. The album is a decent album but I feel all this universal acclaim doesn't suit the music. To me the album isn't as close to OKC and pretty much I have to ignore the millions of people who apparently have very different tastes from me. Possibly the best album of the year by Sunset Rubdown is getting a 77. That's one thing I don't understand.… Expand
  30. StuartG.
    Oct 23, 2007
    9
    In every way it's a masterpiece.
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best Album of 2007
1
#1 Most Discussed Album of 2007
1
#1 Most Shared Album of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. BBC collective
    90
    In Rainbows really does present Radiohead at their most full-blooded and confident.
    Read full review
  2. Billboard
    80
    Overall, the material feels more human, more honest, more assured.
    Read full review
  3. Dot Music
    80
    Happily, In Rainbows is pretty, pretty good.
    Read full review
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