Radiohead
OK Computer
(Capitol)
Let me say right off the bat that unless 10 brilliant albums come out between now and the end of the year, this disc will easily be in my top ten. Right now, it is probably gracing the top spot, as it has yet to find its way very far away from my CD player. I've listened to it from beginning to end about 20 times, and I still haven't gotten at all sick of it. I had listened to Radiohead a little before, but this album takes the group in a completely different direction. Their first album is a collection of nice songs, including probably their biggest song to date in "Creep." The Bends was a lot like the first album, but they did move in some different directions.
On OK Computer, Radiohead doesn't stick to any formulas and it easily makes for their most interesting and experimental album to date. If you've heard "Paranoid Android," you've already got a fine taste of what the album holds. The song doesn't stick to the traditional verse / chorus, verse / chorus format. Instead, it meanders through several different sequences. In my eyes, this one song is more moving and exciting than a lot of the albums I've heard this year. It is an album that makes many of its most outstanding statements in it's subtlety. The only real full-out rocking song is the eighth track entitled, "Electioneering." For the most part, the rest of the album is an exercise in control. There are a few moments when the guitars break out and rule a song, but for the most part it is the deeply stirring vocals of Thom Yorke and delicate, intricate instrumentation that make the album what it is--Ambitious without being pretentious.
Rating: 10
