In Rainbows (2007) - Radiohead

 

Tracklist:

1. 15 Step

2. Bodysnatchers

3. Nude

4. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

5. All I Need

6. Faust Arp

7. Reckoner

8. House of Cards

9. Jigsaw Falling Into Place

10. VideotapeA

In Rainbows is the sound of Radiohead finally exhaling. After the digital isolation of Kid A and the political paranoia of Hail to the Thief, this 2007 album feels warmer, more sensual, and startlingly intimate—yet no less complex. It’s a record that feels human again. Flesh instead of circuit boards. Emotion instead of abstraction.

From the skittering 5/4 beat of opener “15 Step,” you’re pulled into a world that blends glitchy electronica with groove-driven warmth. But it’s not all danceable unease—“Bodysnatchers” bursts out like a punky cousin of The Bends, all snarling guitars and existential dread. And then comes “Nude”—aching, spectral, and breathtaking. Yorke’s falsetto floats over a minimal arrangement that swells like regret you can’t put into words.

The emotional centerpiece, though, might be “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi.” It layers guitars like sonar waves, as if you’re sinking into something deep and unknowable. “All I Need” pairs a heartbeat-like pulse with lyrics full of longing and quiet desperation. “I am a moth who just wants to share your light.” It’s as intimate as Radiohead gets.

The album is short but loaded with nuance. “Faust Arp” is a string-laced, Dylanesque interlude; “Reckoner” is a zenlike masterpiece of rhythm and weightlessness, and “House of Cards” glows with late-night resignation and warped beauty. Finally, “Videotape” closes the album on a ghostly note—a simple piano motif, a ticking rhythm buried under the floorboards, and a man singing like he's already passed into memory.

Beyond its sound, In Rainbows was revolutionary in its release: a pay-what-you-want download model that challenged the music industry itself. But what’s most remarkable is that Radiohead paired such a radical business move with an album of profound emotional accessibility. It’s their most felt record. No concept, no cold detachment—just connection, love, vulnerability, and the beauty of imperfection.