With albums rush-released on such a regular basis nowadays, its hard to remember just how ground-breaking Radioheads release of In Rainbows was back in 2007. Its pay-what-you-want basis was a first for a major act, and Time called it "easily the most important release in the recent history of the music business". Their fellow musicians were less positive though. Trent Reznor was dismissive, as was Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, while Lily Allen called them arrogant and blasted them for devaluing music. In Rainbows itself is a perfect mix of their experimental side and their rock side, the point at which these two opposing sides finally dovetail perfectly. 15 Step was influenced by the Peaches song Fk The Pain Away, Bodysnatchers was described by Yorke as sounding like Wolfmother, while the lyrics throughout are closest in feel to the tension of those on OK Computer. But In Rainbows is less about individual songs and more about its whole, which is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts. NME called it the point at which Radiohead realised they could embrace pop melodies and proper instruments while still sounding like paranoid androids located somewhere around the outskirts of Venus. In simpler terms, its their pinnacle, a cherry on top of the incredible cake that is their career. Because this is Radiohead, it may well be topped in the future, but for now In Rainbows is their best work.
