By ripping the foundations of their sound and rebuilding anew, Radiohead pushes into new avenues on In Rainbows, by striking a balance between technical perfection and organic sonic blemishes, forging a sound so intricate that, even a decade after its release, still sounds invigorating and cutting-edge. The content is so concise on this record, it’s a visceral, impermeable 10 tracks filled with meteoric highs, and subterranean, passionate lows. This is best exemplified in the track “Weird Fishes / Arpeggi”, an emphatic track that details the cruelty of reality. Starting with a fast-paced, punchy drum loop, it flirts with a circling, encompassing guitar arpeggio. With additional instrumentation, the song reaches an intoxicating climax, as if being led to a place of perfection, just for the song to veer abruptly into an immediate dose of harsh reality. In Rainbows reaches a new level of maturity in the band’s songwriting style, extracting as much potential energy from each song as possible. Take the starting track, “15 Step”, a lively combination of a muddy drum beat, and a mellow but vibrant guitar line, providing an opener that settles the listener, but also signifies that the record is a colourful and exotic blend of acoustics and electronics. However, this newfound maturity doesn’t equate to less exciting material — “Bodysnatchers” fuses the raw energy only ever seen on Pablo Honey, with Thom Yorke’s aging, aching vocals to create a psychotic and explosive barn-burner of a song. One notable facet of the album is the lack of a steady character development from track to track. Thom Yorke is mentally volatile, a refreshing change from the traditional arc of an album. The idea of transience influences his mindset, both positively and negatively, as shown on the track “House Of Cards”, a blissful acoustic ballad, featuring a warm guitar line punctuated by echoed vocals that makes the story of unrequited love all the more poignant. In Rainbows is an undeniably human album that celebrates life, its profound beauty in its utter god awfulness, and the unending perseverance of humanity.