Radiohead: 'Nude'

Was Radiohead's decision to sell their In Rainbows album for whatever price fans wanted to pay really such a radical idea? While the men in suits at EMI may have been breaking a sweat, the rest of us merely sat back, chuckled and waited for the inevitable CD release six months down the line. Looking back, the only truly shocking thing about the whole affair was that the album itself was one of the best of the band's career. Behind all the hoohah lay a record that recaptured their OK Computer commercial appeal without shedding their experimental and left-field sensibilities.

New single 'Nude' shows off the vigour and rediscovered confidence that epitomises the album. Built around throbbing bass and brushed drum strokes, it's a mixture of the ethereal and the melodic that the band haven't truly mastered since the likes of 'Karma Police' and 'No Surprises'. Yorke's lyrics are at their most intriguing ("You'll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking"), but, crucially, the subject matter remains elusive. Plus, the lush, haunting outro (which has more than a hint of Sigur Ros about it) even sounds faintly romantic. This is the sound of one of Britain's most feted bands finally living up to their often near-ludicrous hype.