In Rainbows

Released 10th October 2007
I bought it: here’s the dumb thing... for an album you didn’t even have to pay for to get a legal copy, I still downloaded it illegally. It was a couple of years before I finally got it on CD.

Where I was…
What a difference four years make! Here I was, a year after graduating, living in Leeds and about to start the job I still have today. After a year of working for Wetherspoons I was still living and acting like a student, and that would take a couple years of the new job to fully shake off.

It was during this “era” that I’d see Radiohead live a few times, first in Barcelona in 2008 and then Leeds festival in 2009, plus a Thom Yorke solo set at Big Chill 2010. I’d also begun this blog by then, so you can see what I thought of those shows here, here and here.

What I thought then…
Like a few obsessions I had around this time, I fell for In Rainbows hard. It was short, sharp and fucking beautiful. I loved the whole “pay what you feel” thing too, even if I gleefully ignored it. I liked that they were still causing trouble and making amazing music at the same time.

What I think now…
My favourite Radiohead album. There is something effortlessly beautiful and amazing about this collection of songs. Even the tracks I like a little less are wrapped up in such a brilliant way that I struggle to find fault, perhaps it because it stands at such a stark contrast to HTTT’s sprawling intentions. It’s the ultimate combination of perfect songs and great memories to go with them. If you haven’t given In Rainbows a spin in a while, do it now. You will not be disappointed.

Next:
There’s an empty space inside my heart...