radiohead - in rainbows (bonus disc)

I started writing a review of In Rainbows for this blog, but I didn't finish it fast enough and would have gotten it done a week after the album came out, dooming it to irrelevance. Now the In Rainbows disc box has shipped out, so I may as well write something up on the bonus disc.

If the average unknown band could put together an album the quality of Radiohead B-sides, we'd be hearing them everywhere within a month. And Radiohead's unorthodox release of the beautiful In Rainbows left listeners wondering whether the bonus disc would just be a collection of tracks that didn't make the cut, or an actual second half of the album. While remaining disparate from disc one in that it rarely matches the ghostly string swells and silky guitar, the new tracks absolutely stand on their own, at times perhaps even more surprising and innovative than disc one.

The second disc kicks off with a track called "MK 1", with disorganized meandering piano and Thom's croons eventually descending into a reprise of "Videotape", the disc one closer. To my dismay, the track didn't expand into the gorgeous finisher that was played in the band's 2006 tour. Nevertheless, it serves as a suitable transition from the first disc to the second.

"Down is the New Up" begins with a beating grand piano in contrast to the drowsy opener. "Your services are not required /Your future's bleak, you're so last week" Thom sings, quickly bringing the band's typically dismal subject matter to the forefront. The track steadily crescendos and strings build intensity as Yorke belts the titular line with staggering power, one of the disc's (band's?) absolute high points. The orchestra and powerful vocals combine to sound something like a James Bond song done by Radiohead, and if that doesn't sound awesome to you, just listen to the track.

Crackly synth evocative of M83 begins "Go Slowly", which is then dotted with wintery glockenspiel before Yorke's ethereal voice enters as an instrument all its own. The track climaxes with an unexpected but not unwelcome acoustic guitar part as Thom sings "There's a way out", once again in line with the more uplifting themes (as far as Radiohead goes) of the first disc.

"MK 2" is next, creepy electronic noises playing what sounds like the chords from "Nude". I know Radiohead likes to be artsy and pretentious and they can pull it off better than any other band making music today, but the inclusion of both "MK" tracks brings the bonus disc down to six tracks worth serious listening. We've now really reached my only gripe.

A pretty piano part beneath Yorke's falsetto begins "Last Flowers", and the acoustic guitar enters shortly thereafter. The interplay between the two instruments is so evocative of "Karma Police" that I would wager the same chords were used. (This is a very good thing.)

"Up On The Ladder" brings distorted, jangling guitars with a pulsing bass drum that are later matched by synthesized strings and skittering digital percussion, creating the perfect uneasy soundscape to highlight "Up on the ladder /try to call out your name / up on the ladder / you're all the fucking same". Absolutely another highlight; one of the best post-Kid A integrations of electronics into the band's music.

Disc two's complement to "Bodysnatchers", "Bangers & Mash" begins with a groovy guitar part backed with heavy percussion that is strangely danceable for a Radiohead track. The listener can tell that Yorke isn't lying with "I want to thank you, thank you, thank you all / I'm having such a good time, a good time" - this track is proof that the band isn't afraid to do something a little more lighthearted than their typical faire.

The bonus disc culminates with "4 Minute Warning", beginning with a string swell that sounds a little out of place considering the rest of the song. A lazy bassline paired with what sounds like synthesized steel drums finally show off the dub reggae influences the band was talking about during recording. Despite the uplifting feel of the song, the lyrics are typical - "I don't wanna hear it / I don't wanna grow old / I just wanna run and hide" - though it finishes sounding like an admonishment to make the best of the time we've got. With all of disc one in mind, it feels like an exceedingly fitting album-closer.

The bonus disc of In Rainbows feels neither like the second half of the album nor a collection of B-sides to go with the first half. It's more like a companion EP - short, sweet, and clearly reminiscent of In Rainbows - and perfect to listen to immediately after. The gorgeous balance of the band's latest work remains, and the bonus disc elucidates on its themes and strikes high points of its own. To the lucky few with the disc box and the frugal many who will have alternate means of acquiring it, the second half of In Rainbows is more or less as captivating as the first.