In Rainbows

The item arrived on time and intact. Well packaged by the seller.This is one of Radioheads better albums, nor saying the others are not good, it is if I have to rank Radiohead's albums, this would be up there as on of their best works. The pressing is faultless and it sounds lovely.

I have waited 4½ years for this album and it was worth it. It's fantastic, sounds nothing like Radiohead have ever recorded, yet is still recognisable as Radiohead from the first 5 seconds of mashed-up drums that introduce '15 Step'. It's lush yet sparse. The strings (and there are a lot of strings on this record) are beautiful - the arrangements really show off Jonny Greenwood's classical leanings - and Thom's voice is amazing, despite years of touring and knocking on 40's door. Every time I hear the songs, I pick up something new. I highly recommend you give it a listen on headphones at some point - it's a real trip.OK, they are my favourite band, so I am bound to be a little biased, but even so, one thing about this record compared to their last (2003's 'Hail to the Thief') is how immediate it is. Usually a new Radiohead record takes a few plays to gel, especially the more tricky electronic stuff, but not 'In Rainbows' (which doesn't feature as much of the sort of electronic beeps and bleeps that have characterised their last three albums) - every song has a hook or melody that will draw you in.15 StepThis song starts with a weird Kid-A-ish cut-up drum sound before Thom starts singing, then about 40 seconds in the jazzy guitar kicks in. By the end of the song we even have small children yelping in a Floydesque moment that few bands could get away with it. Brilliant, attention grabbing opener.BodysnatchersIn which, as one blogger described, Radiohead turn into Sonic Youth. This track will blow your socks off. It features a fuzzed-up distorted guitar that sounds like it was recorded through a cheap practise amp turned up to 11.NudeA candidate for the most beautiful Radiohead song ever recorded. When Thom sings 'You'll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking' the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.Weird Fishes/ArpeggiThe guitar work on this song is up there with anything they have recorded in the past. Another song that builds up, hangs you in the air for a moment and then kicks you into space.All I NeedThom's voice full of echo lamenting on how he's an animal trapped in your hot car and stuff. This builds up and and up until he's shouting 'It's alright! It's alright!' The band members come in slowly and the crescendo you know is coming satisfies the parts other bands cannot reach.Faust ArpIn which Radiohead have a 'Blackbird' moment, so lots of acoustic and another epic build-up. Shortest song on the album, and features an almost-stream-of-conciousness lyric a la 'Wolf At The Door' from 'Hail to the Thief'.ReckonerMy current favourite. It sounds nothing like the song called 'Reckoner' they played live a few years ago - even the lyrics are different. Hard to describe this one, but it could be their best for a long time. The drumming really takes this song over, especially in the first half. There is an infectious guitar line which, mid-way through, gives over to a similar piano riff. Thom sings in a falsetto that is pretty hard to decipher without repeated headphone sessions.House Of CardsOne of my favourite tracks from the 2006 tour. The staccato-ish guitar lick really makes this song, and Thom's whole 'use your voice as an instrument' really pays off. The bassline has shades of U2. Honest! There is also, IIRC, a sound created by Jonny playing a guitar with a violin bow.Jigsaw Falling Into PlaceKnown as 'Open Pick' on last years tour, this is an amazing guitar number that starts with Thom singing in an almost lazy manner, before, half-way through, kicking it up a notch. Jangly and, well, a bit epic.VideotapeA perfect closer. Thom, a piano and an off-kilter out-of-phase drum beat that really messes with your head. Marvellous.

A complete treat for Radio head fans. Brilliant

Great product, arrived promptly. Perfect for my needs.

Good quality, came in paper case rather than plastic but overall super happy with it

By this point, the hype and the publicity has eclipsed most people's perception of In Rainbows. For the rest of Radiohead's career and probably afterwards, it's going to be remembered not as an album, but as a publicity stunt and possibly a portent of things to come. So let's ignore the internet chicanery for a minute and take a look at what really matters here - the music.Radiohead's first album since 2003 might seem comparitively slight; at only ten songs and a little over forty minutes, it is not anything as grandly conceptual as OK Computer or as out-there as Kid A. Nor is it in any real sense, a step forward. From one perspective there is nothing on In Rainbows that we haven't heard before, as in many ways it is an album that's a composite of everything Radiohead has achieved up to this point.The overall mood is relaxed - something unprecedented when it comes to Radiohead albums, but a satisfaction at being rid of their label and mostly happy family men seems to have brought out the best in the band. The album is stripped back, but not restrained. Much like on Kid A, each song only has the instrumentation it requires, and the band is expanding out of their own comfort zones. Even Yorke's lyrics and delivery are warmer and more absorbing when compared to his disquieting character performances on Hail To The Thief.The songs themselves are uniformly stellar. Even something like 'Faust Arp' which seems like a sketch has in fact been fleshed out, its subtle strings and tricksy timing an alluring mid-point diversion. 'Nude' has been hanging around since the OK Computer days, only now finally appearing on an album, accentuated by the bubbling string section and stripped production of the album.Best of all is 'Jigsaw Falling Into Place,' a spiralling, swirling rush of arpeggios with Yorke ranting over the top about his experience of a night out. Its chiming coda is the main hairs-stand-on-end moment for the album. The album as a whole, due to a lack of invention or really pushing in any new direction, isn't really on the same level as the holy triad that started with The Bends and ended with Kid A. But it doesn't really need it. In Rainbows is an album to be proud of, an album to treasure, and above all, an album to enjoy.