Ever since we all fell in love with the moody crooners back in 1997, when they secured their rock icon status with OK Computer, Radiohead have been keen to shake off the status of ‘Superband’. Through their last three albums Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief respectively, they have flirted with controversy by moving away from the traditional rock style and experimented with a harsher electronic sound.

Releasing new album In Rainbows as a download, for which fans can choose how much they pay, certainly maintains the rule-breaking prowess Radiohead have so lovingly nurtured over the last few years. In Rainbows does however show the band returning to their more melodic roots, particularly on my pick for The Greatest Song In The World This Week, ‘House of Cards’.

Opening with a nice undistorted electric guitar riff, you are instantly lulled into what seems to be (again, sticking with the theme of controversy) a love song! Never did you think you would hear Thom Yorke revealing his feelings in this way - at least not outside of his solo work. The melodic riff and lyrics evoke ‘Street Spirit’, an absolute highlight of Radiohead’s career, while the almost Whale-esque strings in the background of ‘House of Cards’ bring the song up to date with the less conventional tone with which Radiohead have been dabbling with over the last few years. It is this combination that makes ‘House of Cards’, and In Rainbows as a whole, so great.

Their experimental phase perhaps alienated people who found their new style inaccessible, but In Rainbows, and ‘House of Cards’ in particular, show Radiohead mastering the best of both worlds, managing to remain fresh and distinct but structured by coherent and melodic tracks.

Listen to "House Of Cards" here

Buy "In Rainbows" here

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