Artist: Radiohead

Album: “In Rainbows”

Label: none

Release date: Oct. 10, 2007

Availability: www.inrainbows.com

Radiohead’s seventh album was destined for infamy before its first note was ever recorded. The four-year gap between the great-but-hastily-recorded “Hail to the Thief” and “In Rainbows” was the longest yet for the Oxford five-piece.

Nary a word was heard about the new album during that period, save for a 2006 summer tour featuring new songs and some cryptic blog postings by the band members. Fans were practically rabid with anticipation leading up to the surprise announcement 10 days before its release.

And, of course, that news is what’s been making headlines on both sides of the pond. Radiohead’s revolutionary business model perfects what Apple started; by self-releasing its album, the band puts DRM-free music directly in the ears of its listeners and asks them to set their own price, bypassing any record company.

But such a bold move would mean little if the album was no good – what would record executives care about the album if the aging band became washed up and no one wanted it? Thankfully (for us), “In Rainbows” exceeds expectations. Sonically, the album draws from the band’s previous sound bank while still moving forward in other areas.

For example, “15 Step” kicks things off with a hypnotic 5/4 drum beat that would not be out of place on 2001’s “Amnesiac” or even Thom Yorke’s 2006 solo album, “The Eraser.” The song sets the tone for the rest of the album, dripping with shattered optimism and paranoid introspection. “How come I end up where I started? / How come I end up where I went wrong?” Yorke asks.

“Bodysnatchers” continues the motif as Yorke screams “I’m trapped in this body and can’t get out!” “Bodysnatchers” is also the oft-requested return the guitar-driven rock of “The Bends” – guitarists Jonny Greenwood and Ed O’Brien really punish their guitars in this song’s meaty riffs.

“Nude,” a song the band has been kicking around live for years, gets a superb studio treatment from producer Nigel Godrich here. The track opens with lovely strings and backmasked drums before it drops to just Colin Greenwood’s bass, Phil Selway’s drums and Yorke’s voice – which, incidentally, is stunningly beautiful here and easily his best performance on the album. His warning against infidelity serves as the song’s climax: “You’ll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking.”

In true Radiohead fashion, the previous three tracks serve only to build up to this one – “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” starts with a simple four-count and culminates in a deafening wall of sound facilitated by dueling guitar arpeggios.

Track four is definitely the musical and emotional centerpiece of this album. “Everybody leaves if they get the chance / And this is my chance,” Yorke croons before providing hope in the most depressing way only he can: “Hit the bottom / Hit the bottom and escape.”

The album stumbles for a bit on “All I Need,” basically a lullaby that begins well but ends a bit Coldplay-ish – but hey, they’re just taking back what belongs to them, eh?

Next, barely passing the two-minute mark is “Faust Arp,” presumably about a man trapped in a relationship not unlike that of the song’s namesake. Yorke’s voice, picked guitar and a never-domineering string arrangement are the sole players here.

Picking up the pace a bit, “Reckoner” brings to mind “We Suck Young Blood,” with Yorke’s layered self-harmonization, and “Knives Out,” with its obvious Smiths worship. The combination turns the track into an instant classic on the record – dense, but danceable at the same time.

“I don’t want to be your friend,” Yorke pleads in the opening of “House of Cards.” “I just want to be your lover.” Clocking in as the longest track on the album, this Clapton-inspired number is fleshed out by Radiohead’s characteristic guitar wails and moans.

The aptly titled “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” begins to bring together all the loose ties of the album as Yorke tells his grounded tale of a club encounter gone sour.

Closing the album is “Videotape,” its lyrics depicting Yorke at the pearly gates, reviewing his greatest memories on cassette. Halfway through, the sparse piano is accompanied by sporadic, uneven drumming that can be jarring upon first listen, but succeeds in adding an unsettling, ill sound to an otherwise happy song.

On its own, “In Rainbows” is a collection of original songs that holds up to the band’s esteemed previous work.

But overall, both the album’s defiant distribution method and quality of tunes cement Radiohead’s status as one of the most important rock bands in the world today.