Not quite on the level of Dark Side and Dorothy, but there are a few outside-the-bong schools of thought on Radiohead’s latest release circulating that you might wanna know about.
#1 – The Binary Theory
This comes by way of Puddlegum, and it’s all about the mystical connection of 1N RA1NB0WS and the number 10. The facts are these:
In Rainbows came out 10 years after the landmark OK Computer, with only 10 days advance notice, on 10/10.
In Rainbows was preceded by 10 cryptic messages on deadairspace: nine featuring lots of the letter X (Roman numeral 10 — e.g. “Xendless Xurbia”), and a tenth of the boys drinking some tea. Which we’re pretty sure even puddlegum agrees is random.
In Rainbows has 10 letters, 10 tracks, and was rumored to be available for download on 10 servers.
PG says that “someone associated with Thom Yorke” wrote them after reading the article, and offered Thom’s response:
?The meaning behind all of this is right in front of our faces, we?re just overlooking it. [Thom] has been expecting an article much like this one for a couple of years, as have I. But I?m willing to wager he?ll have fun waiting a few more. On the other hand, it seems to annoy him that no one ?gets it? yet, given the mountain of clues.?
They go on to draw out a tracklist which they claim proves the intentional connection of OK Computer and In Rainbows, but that’s where we’ll leave it. No dilly dallying when there’s more speculative fun to have…
#2 – The Golden Section
According to a post on Mortigi Tempo, you can hear Thom sing the album’s title, along with those blissful strings, right when In Rainbows enters The Golden Section (or Golden Ratio), the old Renaissance-era theory that 1.6180339887 (or 61.8%) is an aesthetically pleasing “sweet spot” in a work of art. How it applies here:
In Rainbows is 42m 34s, or 2554 seconds long. 2554/1.618 is the 1578th or so second of the album, which is 2m49s into Reckoner, precisely when the strings come in with the album title.
It’s Golden, Jerry! Golden, I tell ya.
#3 – In Rainbows To Be Released In The U.S. Via Dave Matthews’s Label ATO
Far out, right? Best part about this one — it’s true!
Thanks to reader Brian K. for filling us in on the first two. And thanks to those burnouts at New York Times for the DMB connection.
You Might Also Like
 Radiohead – “Bloom (Jamie xx Remix 3)” |  Check Out More Early Radiohead (On A Friday) Demos |  Latest Radiohead Demo A Hoax |  The 10 Biggest Band Beefs Of 2011 |
 |
 |
10 is the new 23
How about the fact that “OK Computer” has the same number of letters as “In Rainbows”?
In that same 2-letter-word-then-8-letter-word fashion, no less
And if you put those first 2-letter words together you find the word “Oink”. Which actually died today, and I think Radiohead has something to do with it.
Zayin_451 ftw
Or maybe they consider it their 10th official release? Not counting singles but maybe including EPs or DVDs or something? I dunno. I’m done.
I think what all of this means is hey, shut the fuck up Thom Yorke. If I wanted to take an I.Q. test I’d join Mensa. Get back to rocking.
I heard that if you play one copy of in rainbows mixed with another copy of ok computer backwards, while the wizard of oz is playing, and with 4 speakers in equal distances away from you at 45 degree angles…your head will explode.
can’t wait to get home and try that out!
I know a guy who knows a guy: no names. Anyways, according to him right before OiNK went down, the site admins decided to implement a new sorting algorithm for arranging torrents on the site. They used the golden ratio as the split point for their quicksort and at that very second, Thom Yorke burst through their door with a bunch of Interpol goons (the real Interpol, not the band… Thom thinks they’re lame)
Apparently he called them motherfuckers too. Because he’s CRAZY!
or if you play The Gloaming (hail to the thief) backwards at one point thom sings “the hairy bishop, the hairy bishop, the hairy bishop, the hairy bishop…”
when he’s normally singing “they should be ringing”
i haven’t worked out the meaning in that one as yet…
Whoa. There are 10 comments! …Oh rats, I just ruined it.
when i first heard the album i thought the bass line in the break in 15 step was very similar to the one in airbag (both track 1s). giving it more thought bodysnatchers and paranoid android are both the ‘rockers’ of their respective albums. i wonder if any other connections can be made between tracks 3-10.
this was all a conspiracy fabricated by radiohead while making ok computer. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you listen to every Radiohead album post-Pablo Honey, they all follow pretty much the same formula, not unlike movements in a symphony:
1. Upbeat opener (Airbag, 15 Step, 2+2=5, Planet Telex)
2. Heavy thematic/rocker (Bodysnatchers, Paranoid Android, National Anthem, The Bends)
3. Wistful ballad (Nude, Subterranean Homesick Alien, Sail to the Moon, Fake Plastic Trees)
4. Intermission (Faust Arp, Treefingers, Fitter Happier, The Gloaming)
5. Second half upbeat opener (Electioneering, Reckoner, Optimistic, There There)
6. Gradual wind-down that spans 2-3 songs
7. Brief rave-up (Lucky, Jigsaw Falling into Place, Morning Bell, Myxomatosis)
7. Wistful closer (The Tourist, Motion Picture Soundtrack, Videotape)
They stick to this tried and true formula pretty rigidly ? and In Rainbows is no different.
Klosterman is that you?
I think what this all means is that Radiohead are going to end up on the island with Jack and Kate in the next season of LOST
does anybody hear “in rainbows” at 2:49 in “reckoner”? i dont hear it…the back up vox maybe…a few seconds later..
Pablo Honey = 10 letters.
I bet all the kids @ ateaseweb are having fun with this ……. or losing their minds.
I thought the whole secret was just that they used musical samples from lots of OK Computer songs in all of the In Rainbows songs.
Listen to them and think about it… there’s a lot of re-used sounds.
If you google on rcaoimnpbuotwesr, which is an anagram of In Rainbows and OK Computer, A live Radiohead video of All I Need is only thing that shows up. Also, if you make a playlist with a song from OK Computer then In Rainbows pattern they fit perfectly. For example SHA’s ending note carries over to Nude perfectly. Seems to me everyone is really overlooking this like York says.
The whole 10 theory seems like a bit of a stretch. On Puddlegum’s site, he lists a combo playlist alternating songs between OK Computer and In Rainbows, so I decided to test the theory. I’ve gotta say, the two albums don’t mesh as well as everyone says they do….OK Computer is so doom-n-gloom, and In Rainbows seems to have a little more upbeat vibe overall…
on October 10 of 2010, Thom Yorke is going to indirectly kill ten people, all of whom will possess ten toes, ten fingers, full names consisting of ten letters, an apartment on the tenth floor of the tenth largest building in the state/province, and ten radiohead records, the tenth of which will detonate at 10:10.
Hey, the 10 letter album title thing works with Kid ABCDEFG, too!
You guys havent heard? Radiohead is a album produced to make you go insane, to make you go insane, to make you go insane, to make you go insane, to make you go insane, to make you go insane, to make you go insane, to make you go insane.
See you counted to see if it was typed 10 times. Youve officially gone insanenogenasni.
How about you all get a job and just enjoy the new cd. That is the subliminal message I heard. “Get a job, and enjoy our cd”. That’s what Thom said 2 me.
Backmasking in “in Rainbows”
Couldn’t hear him singing the title but tried reversing it as 10 is the reverse of 01, and found lot’s of hidden messages I think. Pretty sure they are in there on purpose as they sort of make sense, and Radiohead do this kinda thing all the time, but I might have misheard or be imagining some of them….here goes:
15 steps – “everybody will see”
bodysnatchers – “This time”
nude – “be afraid”
all i need – “There’s love” (not sure about this one)
faust arp – “you didn’t realise”…….”you need a new life”
reckoner – “your eyes won’t” – think he says – “believe”
house of cards – “and”….”i am sick of this” – think he says – “hour off”
Has anyone else tried it?
@TJ — Nice! My sentiments EXACTLY!
anybody else notice that the In Rainbows version of Reckoner is different than the one played live during the OK Computer days… the older version was more rocking…
sorry Reckoner was Kid A era.
my bad.
Everyone has been remarking how Reckoner is so different from the live version at the Gorge -
I think that’s because it’s an entirely different song with the same name. No correlation what so ever. But I might be wrong? Anyone?
This e-mail is going out to radio folk:
————————————–
Download the mastered versions now!
Here are two higher quality bit rate/mastered versions of “Bodysnatchers” and “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”, the tracks a lot of guys are already playing, from the forthcoming physical release of “In Rainbows”.
Radiohead
“Selections from “In Rainbows”"
2 tracks – 00:08:10
on Side One Recordings/ATO Records
@Chuck: your pattern definitely fits, esp. since I can think of other songs on other Rhead albums that fit that pattern:
3. Wistful ballad (Exit Music)
7. Wistful closer (Street Spirit)
um, I can think of more too!
I noticed that the album The Bends has a pretty consistent song structure: intro/riff, verse, chorus, riff, verse, chorus, freakout/bridge, chorus (sometimes instrumental chorus followed by chorus with words)
yea theyve reused this template for every album, the closer reminding of death and rebirth, the realization of some idea that is given a life of its own through the album (kid a born in everything in its right place, realization of life from a crash in airbag, the fact he can’t force creativity and life in planet telex, the fact that he follows this exact pattern in 15 step (how come i always end up where i started, right where i belong), and realizing that what youre waiting for is right in front of you in packt like sardines in a crushd tin box. then he goes through this idea as if it were a journey to accepting it, then theres the interlude, which is usually the turning point of the album, it changes tone and character drmatically after, like in fitter happier, after treefingers he abandons the keyboard ambience and disguising of his voice and growth occurs, then the golden section hits and its usually a moment where he sees whats going on and tries to face it in the next song, and then completes the cycle (death in motion picture soundtrack, street spirit, videotape, the tourist (which is an interesting one because its about the happening of the crash that he talks about in airbag). i dont want to sound like that guy but if you take out motion picture soundtrack the album is the exact length of darkside of the moon? coincidence? i wonder if they were both made with the golden ratio in mind and that since a shocking amount of nature is based off of the fibonacci sequence, and it is said that the golden section of music is naturally the most pleasing.. that darkside of the moon or any other truly great piece of art, or something that fakes this by using the ratio conciously plays into natural patterns of the world that our brain, itself using the golden ratio in its very structure (look at our fingers the bones follow a golden pattern, and makes us think they line up becaus they line up to the basic formula we percieve things by? the wizard of oz, may follow these patterns too in the length of their scenes, innately. also the lengths of each song on both albums are very similar, i think it would be great to see someon do some actual research on this rather than dismissing it as hippie pseudoscience
Everything about In Rainbows is interesting – except for the music.
Ok so 10 is a one and a zero. 1 + 0 = 1, which is exactly the number of tens in the number 10.
Oink (ok computer-in rainbows): the sound a pig makes..remember paranoid android “Kicking, screaming gucci little piggy”…look at the inside cover ok OKC, where there is written “against demons”, in the right top..doesn’t it seem a pig?
Try also to reverse Nude…
Bye
Jeff
If you combine OK COMPUTER/IN RAINBOWS you get several anagrams such as
WIRE PORNO / CUNTS AKIMBO
ROBOTIC PUNK ARMIES NOW
I BECKON WARIO; RUN, STOMP!
Future career paths? Viral marketing for HBO/Daft Punk/Nintendo? YOU DECIDE!
BRO UP, KNOW CREATIONISM
Is the distinction “In Rainbows FOR STONERS” really necessary?
hey mister Ian L. The youtube-clip google hit happens because there is a site in which rcaoimnpbuotwesr is the text for a link to that clip. Oh and golden ratio dont forget that, just 30 hundreths of a second off.
Try Puddlegums playlist with a 10 second crossfade…the transitions are seamless
How do i set a ten second crossfade on Itunes? Can i even do that or should i use another program? If so, which program?
what a bunch of morons. turn off your stereos and talk a walk outside and see this in action. ur missing life. golden ratios? come on for god sake, get a grip. no wonder the worlds going to the dogs…
what a bunch of morons. turn off your stereos and talk a walk outside and see this in action. ur missing life. golden ratios? come on for god sake, get a grip. no wonder the worlds going to the dogs…