IN RAINBOWS

It might have stood out at first for its novel pricing strategy, but In Rainbows is also a strong album in its own right. Taking further Hail to the Thief's rebalancing of the equilibrium between the avant-electronic and mildly proggy indie rock sides of Radiohead's sound, the album feels like a summation of all the musical developments of the preceding decade of the band's existence. There's a fan theory that a secret double concept album can be heard by interweaving the tracks of OK Computer and In Rainbows; whether or not that's the case, I can kind of see why people might think that, because the album seems to show a new willingness to recapture that side of the band's sound which had been kept firmly on a leash for the albums from Kid A to Hail.