In Rainbows (Independent)

Offering a full-album download on a sliding pay scale from a buck to whatever has definitely put an interesting psychoanalytical twist on Radiohead's latest. Hard-core fans gladly shelled out a few dollars for In Rainbows, while casual listeners could choose for themselves what the long-running band was worth to them. A million or so downloads later, everyone is left with another spot-on collection from the art-rock veterans.

Scattershot snare hits accompany Thom Yorke's familiar falsetto on the blissfully glitched-out opener, "15 Step", a jazzier reprise of the English band's icy Kid A phase. Though Radiohead is legendary for pushing the boundaries of rock music with its futurist approach, much of In Rainbows has an old-school jam-band feel to it. Even with its theremin overtones and guitarist Jonny Greenwood's purposefully craptacular, blown-speaker sound, "15 Step" somehow comes off as the raddest Phish song ever.

Radiohead seems to be in a good place right now. Sad-sounding and down-tuned acoustic guitars float atop the driving backbeat of "Jigsaw Falling Into Place", yet the track still comes off more hopeful than anything from 2003's Hail to the Thief. "Today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen," Yorke sighs on "Videotape", the serene piano ballad that closes out the outfit's latest opus. While the melancholic melodies remain, In Rainbows is Radiohead's most inspiring set yet.