It is understandable that you as well as many radiohead listeners were disappointed by In Rainbows simply because the new release and their second-generation work such as Amnesiac, OK Computer, and Hail to the Thief are incommensurable. The style of In Rainbows is distinctly different from this era so inevitably some fans will appreciate when a band redefines itself while others prefer the older stuff. Another reason why you might not have liked the album is that many of the studio recordings are inferior to the live renditions that predate the commercial release. Live versions of Jigsaw Falling into Place (open pick), Weird Fishes, Reckoner, and Bodysnatchers have long been favorites on my playlists and I still prefer them to studio quality. I have an amazing recording I can easily P2P of Weird Fishes with some orchestra that is really mind-blowing. Again, the album failed to receive recognition for the same reason Hip-Hop is excluded from the list; there are no universal standards of taste, and clearly many Radiohead fans prefer the older work.
On another note, Neon Bible and Armchair Apocrypha by Andrew Bird were two of the best albums of the year that were not listed. The latter tends to attract a strange group of listeners anyway, so its not surprising that it failed to make the list.
Jake, It is understandable
Jake,
It is understandable that you as well as many radiohead listeners were disappointed by In Rainbows simply because the new release and their second-generation work such as Amnesiac, OK Computer, and Hail to the Thief are incommensurable. The style of In Rainbows is distinctly different from this era so inevitably some fans will appreciate when a band redefines itself while others prefer the older stuff. Another reason why you might not have liked the album is that many of the studio recordings are inferior to the live renditions that predate the commercial release. Live versions of Jigsaw Falling into Place (open pick), Weird Fishes, Reckoner, and Bodysnatchers have long been favorites on my playlists and I still prefer them to studio quality. I have an amazing recording I can easily P2P of Weird Fishes with some orchestra that is really mind-blowing. Again, the album failed to receive recognition for the same reason Hip-Hop is excluded from the list; there are no universal standards of taste, and clearly many Radiohead fans prefer the older work.
On another note, Neon Bible and Armchair Apocrypha by Andrew Bird were two of the best albums of the year that were not listed. The latter tends to attract a strange group of listeners anyway, so its not surprising that it failed to make the list.