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 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.
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.