The Post-Rockist

In what is quite possibly the biggest shocker of the year, Radiohead have quite suddenly announced that they will be releasing their seventh album, entitled In Rainbows, October 10, 2007. This is notable for a few reasons:

1. It’s Radiohead.

2. With such a short time span between the news of this album’s existence and its birthing unto the world, this is a cunning business move that could take a big bite out of the proliferation of pirated copies.

3. This is all being done without the interference of a record label. Could this be a sign of things to come? While it seems inevitable that In Rainbows will hit the racks at your local music store eventually, for the time being sales are only going through the band’s website for album and/or digital pre-orders.

4. The band is offering their loyal consumers a choice: [a] You can either pay close to $80 USD for a “discbox” option that includes a two-CD set, double-vinyl record, plus artwork; or [b] set your own price and download just the 10-song album (really, set your own price? Yes, really.) As the band explains, in rather clear terms for a change:

THIS CONSISTS OF THE NEW ALBUM, IN RAINBOWS, ON CD AND ON 2 X 12 INCH HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL RECORDS. A SECOND, ENHANCED CD CONTAINS MORE NEW SONGS, ALONG WITH DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS AND ARTWORK. THE DISCBOX ALSO INCLUDES ARTWORK AND LYRIC BOOKLETS. ALL ARE ENCASED IN A HARDBACK BOOK AND SLIPCASE.

THE ALBUM DOWNLOAD AUTOMATICALLY COMES WITH THIS PACK. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE FILE DIGITALLY FROM THE 10TH OCTOBER 2007.

DISCBOXES ARE BEING MADE TO ORDER AND ARE PRICED AT £40.00 INCLUDING POSTAGE.
SHIPPING WILL BEGIN ON OR BEFORE 3RD DECEMBER 2007.

5. This is the real deal, folks.

The tracklist is as follows:

CD 1 AND VINYL
15 STEP
BODYSNATCHERS
NUDE
WEIRD FISHES/ARPEGGI
ALL I NEED
FAUST ARP
RECKONER
HOUSE OF CARDS
JIGSAW FALLING INTO PLACE
VIDEOTAPE

CD 2 AND VINYL
MK 1
DOWN IS THE NEW UP
GO SLOWLY
MK 2
LAST FLOWERS
UP ON THE LADDER
BANGERS AND MASH
4 MINUTE WARNING