When you "get" Elfa, we'll all know what you mean, don't worry.
U2 might overwhelmingly be the commercial behemoth, but Radiohead seem too distant, detached and cold to really resonate with me. I don't find Ok Computer to be all that believable, lyrically. Maybe Bono is easier to trust and comes across as more authentic than Yorke, I dunno?
Wal-Mart or an Apple Store.
radiohead suck.
(actually, i don't subscribe to this opinion. i think they've got some crappy albums, ok computer not being one of them, though. but no one had actually said it yet, so i figured it might as well be me)
Kid A I can understand but Pablo Honey??
ok...
there are a lot of people who hail it is some super amazing piece of art.
there's nothing special by the way the tracklist flows together, album-wise. i think it's got about 3 good songs on it, individual song-wise, and the rest are just alright/tolerable. "fitter happier" is not groundbreaking, it's annoying.
yet, like i said, there are a lot of people still who think it's the most amazing thing ever. i'd like to see them substantiate their opinions.
i can do the same for AB, if you'd like.
In Rainbows is my favorite Radiohead album. It's a bit of back to the basics approach in that it's the most straightforward thing they've done since The Bends. I'd at least give it a shot.i hate creep. i think it's partly because i'm sick of hearing it, because i did used to listen to the radio at one point in my life and every now and then i get stuck somewhere where it's on, and i invariably hear the same shit over and over. like creep.
but skipping you, and starting with how do you and carrying through til blow out, it's an enjoyable rock album. nothing too spectacular, no sheer stroke of genius or masterpiece artwork album full of little electronic nuances that can't be comprehended fully without an expensive pair of headphones like a lot of fans swear the ok computer and after albums are, but oftentimes that's exactly what i like listening to.
well, ok. i don't know if i actually think this now. honestly, i haven't listened to radiohead in years. after amnesiac, i was pretty much done with them, but i bought hail to the thief when it came out anyway. i listened to it a couple times, didn't like it outside of "myxomatosis", and pretty much said ok i am done with this band. i checked the date on the cd, and apparently that was 7 years ago (it came out during the summer, right? because i vaguely remember buying it. i think it came out the same day as a couple other albums i had been looking forward to, and while i can't remember what those were, i have a very distinct memory of which sidewalk in northampton, ma i was walking down when i took it out of the plastic wrap. i have no idea why). i probably made one or two attempts since then to get back into the band, maybe discover something i previously wrote off to be crap to actually be good, but no such luck. i never even bothered with in rainbows.
yet, like i said, there are a lot of people still who think it's the most amazing thing ever. i'd like to see them substantiate their opinions.
Alright.
First off, I think the strongest aspect of OK Computer, the element that makes it the very special album so many purport it to be, is that it, an album that strove to capture the mood and pace of the era it was released, has held up so well. You often hear OKC referred to as "pretentious," "soulless," or "dull," but no one would ever refer to the record as dated. This is because its individual parts are of such high quality.
The production is one of the first things that people point to in a dated record, so let's start there. I will always, always refer to the album as among the warmest and most inviting records I've ever heard, which is an amazing feat when you take the narrative into consideration. Instead of alienating listeners, OKC ingratiates itself, enveloping you in warm haze you could cut with a knife (Subterranean Homesick Alien, Let Down, Climbing Up The Walls), while giving a human touch to the icy cold Fitter Happier through the use of field recordings. Even in the case of the latter, the record never stops feeling human. Again, that narrative is one of paranoia and isolation, but the characters always drive the action.
Which brings us to the lyrics. Another of OKC's greatest assets is the ambiguity of its narrative; you can read it as a tale of mankind's struggle with technology, you could read it as a series of character sketches, or you could just not bother (which works because the songwriting itself holds up to scrutiny outside the context of the record's narrative). No matter what, Thom paints a vivid picture of our society. He uses slogans, non-sequitur, physical observations...it's a kitchen sink approach that is effective because it reflects the sensor overload of its subject. And the best part is that it doesn't shy away from human emotion; because of their stark contrast to the steely tracks surrounding them, the sentiments of Let Down, No Surprises and Lucky feel all the more tender.
And then there's the music. Radiohead have indulged the avant garde and melodic sides of their sound at length throughout their career, but this record strikes a perfect balance. This does not cause the record to feel conservative the way In Rainbows often does either; Paranoid Android is everything that makes Radiohead great in under 7 minutes, and songs like Exit Music and Karma Police are positively cinematic. If you've ever doubted the strength of the Radiohead rhythm section, Electioneering tears away all doubt with the help of an inspired Selway performance that blows away much of his recorded output before or since.
I am a huge Radiohead fan, and it's all because of OK Computer. I heard it before all of their other records, and thanks to its sublime balance of classic songwriting, experimentation and raw ambition, all the rest of their discography was given context. It's the Radiohead album for all of these reasons and more, and because of its skill at capturing that feeling of numbness, indulgence and isolation so often attributed to the late '90s (and reflected in films of the time such as Fight Club and American Psycho), I consider it the defining '90s record, as well as my personal favorite.
I think it was the opposite effect actually: Yorke's love of electronica was leaking onto the albums more and more, and then he finally made a solo album to let it all out, which kind of allowed In Rainbows to step back from all of that. I'd at least take a listen to "Jigsaw Falling Into Place." That's the sound that made somewhat of a return on that album.one of these days i probably will. 'straightforward' was probably a more concise way of saying what i was trying to explain when i was trying to describe what i like about pablo honey. except then i said i liked myxatomaoes, so who the hell really knows what i'm talking about. at the time, when it came out, i was still fed up with HTTT and amnesiac that i wanted no part of any more radiohead. plus, if i'm not mistaken, it was after the thom yorke solo thing, right? what one or two songs i might have unavoidably heard from that i found to be the pretentious stupid bullshit i just assumed in rainbows is/was going to be. but one of these days, i'll feel compelled to listen to radiohead again for some reason. who knows, i might decide they're fucking awesome again and like them even more than i did when i was 17. 4a or 4b, i believe?
Which brings us to the lyrics. Another of OKC's greatest assets is the ambiguity of its narrative; you can read it as a tale of mankind's struggle with technology, you could read it as a series of character sketches, or you could just not bother (which works because the songwriting itself holds up to scrutiny outside the context of the record's narrative). No matter what, Thom paints a vivid picture of our society. He uses slogans, non-sequitur, physical observations...it's a kitchen sink approach that is effective because it reflects the sensory overload of its subject. And the best part is that it doesn't shy away from human emotion; because of their stark contrast to the steely tracks surrounding them, the sentiments of Let Down, No Surprises and Lucky feel all the more tender.
still my favouriteIn Rainbows.
in my revered opinion
I understand "getting" it. It took me a while to get Radiohead, but I eventually did. It was definitely worth it.
I think it was the opposite effect actually: Yorke's love of electronica was leaking onto the albums more and more, and then he finally made a solo album to let it all out, which kind of allowed In Rainbows to step back from all of that. I'd at least take a listen to "Jigsaw Falling Into Place." That's the sound that made somewhat of a return on that album.
Electioneering tears away all doubt with the help of an inspired Selway performance that blows away much of his recorded output before or since.
you don't like U2 no more?