It is 12:29 a.m. Wednesday morning. The ding of an electronic bell echoing throughout my room indicates a new e-mail. Click. Four years is way too long for this moment... download commences, completes and In Rainbows is added to the iPod.
Walking down my apartment steps on to the leaf crunched sidewalk, I press play and turn the volume all the way up. I find myself drifting through the streets of Madison. A cold breeze chills my neck as leaves slowly fall atop my head. The normally chaotic streets of downtown Madison are now silent, as the only sounds absorbed into my eardrums are that of pounding, Aphex Twin-inspired electronic beats. Colin Greenwood's grooving bass stands out over the syncopation, children cheer with glee and Thom York's voice drifts into infinity.
Amps break as the opening riffs of Bodysnachers"" kill my eardrums, and the The Bends-era drive of the song makes me want to run into the black horizon. I decide that I need to get lost, and I walk into Muir Woods.
Off the beaten path and no sign of civilization around, I find myself swimming in the reversed textures of ""Nude."" Instantly I feel as if I'm trapped, floating inside a well, looking down on Picnic Point and the iridescent glow of the Capitol. Using brick cylinder as a guide, I make my way out and float over the cumulous clouds slowly creeping above Lake Mendota. I turn around to face the exit of the well and look back inside. At the other end are two speakers - like me - suspended in the air, echoing every sound.
Suddenly I give in to gravity and hit the water with a gigantic splash. The frigid water tenses up all the muscles in my body, and as I sink deeper and deeper into the blackness, my body feels as if it is going through rigor mortis. Just as I begin to close my eyes and accept my fate, a school of fish surrounds me and beckons me to join in their swimming odyssey. Rocks splash into the deep, narrowly missing me - chaos seemingly ensues, and I am engulfed in the feedback.
I crawl out of the lake and claw my way to the Lakeshore Path. Cloud patterns spin and twirl in various shades of black and gray. I am desperate for rest, and the awe-inspiring buildup at the end of ""All I Need"" drives me further and further into REM.
York beckons me to ""wakey, wakey"" as a soft drizzle and symphonic-supported acoustic guitars overwhelm my senses. I look through the sublime trees creeping over me to a panoramic view void of color and distant lands of unknown. Above me, the bright flashing lights of an airplane descending into the Dane County Regional Airport reflect off the rippling, night-engulfing water of Lake Mendota and accentuate the night.
As the lucid percussion of ""Reckoner"" discharges into my brain, the cold rain no longer trickles but pours down upon my head. I close my eyes, tilt my head backand let my bones soak. My arms stretch out and water droplets explode when they hammer into my skin. My heart pounds, and the music blends into my soul, for the final 48 seconds of the song may very well be some of the most amazing music ever composed. The hauntingly beautiful cello line only adds to one of the greatest moments of my life.
The rain settles as the slow groove of ""House of Cards"" aids me back to State Street. As I look up, the sky clears and the stars burn themselves in my retina. I pause for a moment as they spin circles in my mind.
The heart-racing tempo of ""Jigsaw Falling Into Place"" provides the perfect soundtrack to the busy nightlife. Buses, bikes and taxis fly by, and through windows I see coins flipping in the air while drinks slide down throats in a last desperate measure before the masses are herded out onto the night streets.
The flashing lights of a tow truck blends seamlessly with the downbeat piano in ""Videotape."" It is the perfect song to end a perfect night while listening to a near-perfect album from the best band of our generation.
If you consider yourself the slightest fan of any music, I urge you to download the album for any price in which you choose (I paid A,A£5) off of www.radiohead.com. It is perfectly legal to get the album for free (so don't worry about being sued by the RIAA), but whatever you do, when you get the album, go for a walk at night and get lost in the music.
