Well my two favourites are 2nd to last and 3rd to last. In Rainbows is great though, i dont see it as them being in autopilot, just in a state of contentment and relaxation.

Much as one might feel on auto-pilot, but nonetheless I see your point

I would argue against that, Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief were albums bubbling with experimentation and innovation. The band became preoccupied with pushing the boundaries and the music was often on a knife edge - intense and alienating. In Rainbows is markedly different in that there is an evident change of approach, the music seems more personal and representative of where they are personally as both a group and individuals - they seem more at ease with what they're doing and consequently more relaxed and self-assured.

Pretty much what I figured you meant, it's a well thought out idea, and very well could be spot on, but for me, the songs just aren't as good. Not as catchy, interesting or compelling as in the past.

Thats fair enough, i can see why people think that. Personally, though i think its a great album in its own right, i prefer HTTT and Amnesiac. I'd place it on a par with OK Computer as my joint third fave.

Kid A, In Rainbows being in somewhat close second. Kid A is one of the most purgingly scary things I've ever listened to, and it contains just about every emotion a person is capable of feeling.

Does anyone else get shivers during the part of "Morning Bell" when Yorke goes from "Round and round and round," to "cut the kids in half"?

Aye, a powerful metaphor, that one.

I actually think In Rainbows is a great cd.
It's not my favorite, that goes to Kid A. I think it might be third or fourth favorite though.

In Rainbows is freaking amazing in my humble opinion! I think it consolidates some of the sharper, more direct songwriting elements of the band, as well as commiting itself to the more interesting sonic side of the band... percussive beauties like 15 Step, yearning like "All I Need" and Mellow goodness like House of Cards and Weird Fishes... no other band than Radiohead could make music this great... it's amongst their best...

It's tied with OKC for 2nd place for me... for starters it's their most accessible album besides maybe The Bends, but it is a hell of a lot better. Combine that with a lot of the people voting probably got their first Radiohead exposure from In Rainbows and that explains the number of votes it has.

In Rainbows itself is beautiful. While it's not the experimental Radiohead that we love, it has some of the just plain best songwriting and melodies they've ever crafted. The arpeggios on Weird Fishes and the percussion on Reckoner are unmatched by anything similar they've done before.