Tricky Wondalund…

Minna’s gravest advice ever levered on me was :"There is no such thing as thinking out of the box. Some peoples’ box are just bigger than others." Fact? Listening to Radiohead’s latest album In Rainbow simply blows my mind and we can all probably start a discussion on whether this album is yet another reflection of an outside-the-Radiohead-reference box creation, or simply a manifestation of their growing-box abilities.

In Rainbow is awesome to me on a lot of dimensions. The tunes are rockier and harder. It sends me back to some of that rocking feel of Kid A/ Amnesiac but the odd electronic blips of Hail to The Thief. It sounds new and fresh but also old. That creates a nostalgic feel between listener and band, it’s like knowing an old friend and having that comfort there but also being constantly tested to learn new dimensions. Overall, there is more guitarwork, lots of soulful layering and the enhanced use of organic instruments, as compared to their past electronic foray. The tunes are a lot more reachable, hummable and help us to focus on the tightness of the band and the song structures, quite unlike the previous album; Hail to The Thief was a wow fest on the gadgetry and smorgasborg of sounds used.

In Rainbow is bad news for record companies, an industry that has already been in the doldrums for a long time. Since Mp3s surfaced, since the advent of Kazaa, Napster and P2P file sharing, since music downloads and the way in which we interact with music changed. Their feeble attempts to have locked CDs that prevent file sharing have proven useless if not slightly cumbersome. Radiohead is one of the first bands to go eBay style. Pay what you think they are worth - their album In Rainbow is available for online download. You quote a willing price and you will receive a key code to retreive the album. The actual hardcase CD will come with lots of gimmicks, extra tracks and artwork - these will come at a hefty price of 40 quid. One of the greatest bands in our modern time will help change the face of recording music. No more convulated distribution channels, ridiculous mark-ups on CDs if you are in Europe, no more middle men. Bands see 100% of the profits (we hope), get paid for their dues and listeners get the music at the market clearing price - ie. your entire willingness to pay. No yield loss, no deadweight. We are one more step to efficient markets but it had to take a bunch of musicians to tell us how to make things work.

A lesson in good taste and great business acumen. If anything, we know for a fact that muscians do it IN time! click here to order. No wait. Cos’ I think I am going to cry now - this album is so fucking good.