In Rainbows, Picross 3D and the Team Tournament

Well, I finally broke down and decided to try giving Radiohead a listen. The album that I chose was "In Rainbows" because it's their newest--and therefore represents the band's current sound and not some ideal that fans fell in love with but which is no longer true--and because I respect the experiment that they tried with its release.

I'm only just now to the point where "All I Need" is beginning to play, and there's nothing on the CD thus far that immediately grabbed me and got me bobbing my head along, but at the same time, it sounds a lot less like "just noise" to me than so many albums from bands that are recommended to me but then end up disappointing me because they're too creative to make good music. I'm saying, in other words, that so far I find Radiohead quite good despite what for me is an unconventional sound.

In other news, I think I'll go play some more Picross 3D now. I'm getting near to a review, the thoughts are formulating in my head and playing the game helps me to collect them. It won't be a flashy review (it's for a puzzle game, after all) but I hope that I'll wind up with something effective that makes for a good read if you're interested at all in stellar puzzle games for the DS. Some people aren't, but in this case I'd say you really should be. Picross 3D is terrific.

In still other news, you may not have noticed yet that EmP made a Team Tournament topic on the forums. Please look it over and maybe get involved. The Team Tournament has been a yearly tradition, as so many of you recall, and it's a fun one that gives each week of the summer a special bit of meaning on this site. I look forward to the renewed interest in reviewing and the personal growth as a reviewer that always seem to go hand in hand with the tournament.

Breaking news update: Now I've finished listening to the album. I like the second half more than the first. Not my favorite album ever or anything, but a suitable change of pace and something that I'll likely listen through again.

Comments 5

Genj Jun 4, 2010

Radiohead is not exactly the kind of band you bob your head to. If you want to check out more Radiohead, you'd probably enjoy The Bends or OK Computer the most. Many of their fans (including myself) consider Kid A the best, but I don't think you'd like.

honestgamer Blogger Jun 4, 2010

I see OK Computer recommended pretty much anywhere I see Radiohead discussed, and I see some people saying "In Rainbows is even better than OK Computer," which also is a sort of way of saying that OK Computer is good, so I'd probably check that one out next if I bought more Radiohead. Which I may... or may not. I'd kind of like to give the first album from The Shins a whirl, too. I listened to some samples in the store and liked what I heard, though samples from the newer one didn't appeal to me as much. Whole songs are what counts, I know, but I haven't invested in that experiment yet. I can only handle so much risk at once.

Suskie Jun 4, 2010

OK Computer is my all-time favorite album (by any band, not just Radiohead) and it's easily their most accessible. It's pretty unique in their discography, too. Their previous stuff was pretty poppy and anything that came after was more experimental and far less mainstream. OK Computer represents a sort of middle ground that, frankly, I wish they'd explored more.

Halon Jun 4, 2010

Ok Computer and The Bends are both quite accessible. The former by far the superior album and the latter being a tad more accessible. My personal favorite is definitely Kid A, but it's way more experimental than Ok Computer and even more than In Rainbows.

Yeah, don't go for Kid A immediately. As great as most of the album is, I just can't get over that awful brass explosion at the end of The National Anthem. I'm pretty sure that falls into the category of "just noise" that Jason mentioned.