The discussion of In Rainbows has focused primarily on its rather unique distribution scheme. Free of a record label, Radiohead has decided to offer the album via their website and digital download for a small transaction fee and donation. They also are offering a more robust, material collector’s edition of sorts, called the Discbox for 40 pounds. Most interpreted this move as a political statement against the music industry and its antiquated stance on copyright.

When asked by Pitchfork about the concept of accepting donations instead of a set price for the album, Greenwood had a different perspective:

It’s just interesting to make people pause for even a few seconds and think about what music is worth now. I thought it was an interesting thing to ask people to do and compare it to whatever else in their lives they value or don’t value.

Whether Greenwood sees it or not, this is indeed a political stance against the music industry. But it doesn’t just pit them against record labels, but music itself.

I originally grabbed In Rainbows free as a torrent download because their website was inaccessible. After one listen, I returned to the website several times persistent in my resolve to purchase the Discbox.

From Greenwood’s perspective this proves that music, to me at least, is worth quite a lot. That’s really not the case at all. If it were, than I would’ve been purchasing more than a couple albums a year; instead I download fifteen albums a year and decide to purchase only a couple—and rare is the case when one of these is an actual CD.

Instead, In Rainbows demonstrates to me how important Radiohead is to me. In a swirling mass of mediocrity, corporatization, and disappointment at a general lack of exciting innovation, Radiohead is now what I cling to with hope. They are meticulous craftsmen, capable of occupying a buzzing space between horror and exultation that perhaps no other band can reach. In Rainbows is a transcendence in both its content and delivery, further solidifying the band as among a handful of artists capable of not only making music that is worth your money, but your faith.