Radiohead released In Rainbows first as a download that let listeners choose a price, before its physical editions followed. Beyond that release experiment, the album puts intricate rhythm and close ensemble playing around some of Thom Yorke's most direct melodies.

“15 Step” opens with an uneven electronic pulse, while “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” builds through overlapping guitar figures. “Nude” gives the voice and bass more space, and “Videotape” closes around piano and displaced percussion. The ten songs change texture repeatedly while maintaining a warmth that comes from the instruments answering one another.