In Rainbows: Radiohead's seventh

[Burning Zeppelin]

Yesterday, Radiohead announced that their new album will be called In Rainbows. And will come out in 10 days. Yep, that's right. 10 days after announcement. What's more is that the album will initially be a digital download, then in two months time also be sold as deluxe discbox, then eventuall be sold also as a normal cd. However, the most amazing thing is is that due to the lack of a record label contract, all of these will be sold only online, and the digital download will cost...well, whatever you want. It's a voluntary donation. Heck, I preordered it for 0 pounds.

http://www.inrainbows.com/

[Burning Zeppelin]

In Rainbows is fucking amazing. Many times better than Hail to the Thief (though admittedly I don't like HttT that much). 15 Steps, not the greatest opener - I feel Radiohead is going overboard with their glitchy effects) - but after that it goes from strength to strength. Bodysnatchers, Nude, Arpeggi, Faust Arp, Jigsaws Falling into Place, the magnificent Videotape - and oh yeah, everything else. However, it seems that since OK Computer, songwriting has been getting worse and worse. Didn't really matter much in Kid A, Amnesiac, not too bad, Hail to the Thief sounded pretty pretentious and arrogant, and In Rainbows pretty, pretty shit. Thom Yorkes voice is getting more and more annoying since Kid A (it was so heavily produced it wasn't really audible). Oh well, still a great album.

[ZeaLitY]

It's good that they're doing this, and that Nine Inch Nails allowed their contract to be dissolved as well. It seems to be getting a lot of press (CNN is running a lot of anti-RIAA commentary in its report). No, I'm not a Piratbyran member or something like that, but take it from Klepacki: 50 cents per $15 CD going to the artist is a ripoff. It's great that Radiohead are offering an innovative new way of distribution that's probably going to net them more money than a conventional sale of this size (if only because every dollar spent goes directly to the band). Couple with traditional releases, such a strategy sounds awesome. This is the kind of stuff that needed to happen with the advent of the internet, not the fear-mongering and Luddite stance the recording industry took. Leave it to Steve Jobs to pick up the slack and secure digital distribution windfall...and now mainstream artists are forging their own paths.

Damn, it's nice to have good news for once.

Thom Yorke's name still has 20% too many letters...

Edit: http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/10/radiohead.reader.feedback/index.html

Wow, those comments...I've regained a little faith in humanity. Although they were probably edited for grammar...

Edit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7037194.stm

He brings up some good, critical comments. Even if such a system would give too much power to bands as he describes, this gesture will at least raise some eyebrows and threaten the recording industry's complacency.

[Burning Zeppelin]

NIN and Radiohead have always been outspoken critics of the state of the recording industry, and so it is without suprise they are among the firsts to become independent of a label. Also, their influence as modern musical powerhouses will hopefully send a message to other artists that the way to compat internet piracy is nto $220,000 fines, but rather to embrace the internet and use it to your advantage. There were absolutely no leaks of In Rainbows, making for a world wide release of the album, most of which were from an official source (er, I actually downloaded from Megaupload because my download fucked up and I couldn't reuse my activation code. Damn slow internet!). Also, remember that Year Zero was leaked and streamed in its entierety (sp?) on NIN website, as well as one of Wilco's albums. Kid A was leaked intentionally (I think) 3 months before the release date, and it went no. 1 on the charts when it came out. Even illegal downloads aren't negative anymore. On many torrent sites, people claim that downloading an album gives them an insight into the band, and they will often buy the next few albums. Also, they are more inclined to go to their live acts.

But it seems that record labels are living in the past. Any illegal download is a sale lost, and they intend to milk the album of all it's worth, even if it means sending out a stern message to the world with heavy fines.

EDIT: It pains me to see what journalism has come to: making as much controversy as possible. Like when IGN AU gave Halo 3 an 8.8 just to provoke a few fanbows. Anyway, I'll post the related news article in a new post.

EDIT 2: And I agree with you Z, the BBC guy does raise some good points. But his favourite album is Pablo Honey, so in the end when he says "Maybe they need someone to tell them their output is getting a bit samey now and isn't actually that good, and maybe they should try something else.", it shows a bit of angst to the electronic side of Radiohead, as though In Rainbows is a bit like Hail to the Thief, it is noticeably different, and it is very unlike Kid A and Amnesiac.

EDIT 3: I paid naught for the download, but I'll be buying the discbox soon, hopefully.