Radiohead- In Rainbows (Self-released/XL, 2007)

Portishead-Third (Island/Mercury, 2008)

Why talk about these two albums together? Oh, I dunno. The bands both have head in their names, and they both came out around the same time, I s’pose. Radiohead did a pretty cool and groundbreaking thing by initially making the album available to fans at a price of their choosing. It was the beginning of artists (even major label ones) starting to function more independently of the system, and taking more creative control. Record labels- just as movie studios now- don’t have the power that they once did. I love the varied songs on Rainbows, and it certainly has one of my favorites that they’ve ever done (the absolutely beautiful “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi”). It can’t be pegged down in one particular genre, although it has a looser/more understated feel and is less rock, with the exception of “Bodysnatchers.” I also love the somber ending, with “Videotape.” Portishead’s Third is such a monster of a record; I certainly enjoy it as much as Dummy, and perhaps more, in some ways. I still get blown away by the staggering heights of “The Rip,” and there’s not a bum track on it. The vinyl is superb; 2 LPs at 45 RPM, a bit unusual to do for a full length, but some bands do it to preserve sound fidelity, instead of packing too many songs on one side. It sounds like a record for the end of the world; such pain, hurt, longing, sorrow, and yet glimmers of hope and determination, as in the ukulele-driven “Deep Waters”:

I’m drifting in deep waters
Alone with my self-doubting, again
Try not to struggle this time
For I will weather the storm

I gotta remember (gonna remember)
Don’t fight it (don’t fight it)
Even if I (even if I)
Don’t like it (don’t like it)

Somehow, turn me around (somehow, turn me around)

No matter how far I drift
Deep waters (deep waters)
Won’t scare me tonight