Radiohead - Ok Computer (Review: Alex)

This was another album on my already extensive list. It worked well for me, therefore, that Matt put it up. Never have I disliked a Radiohead song that I've heard, and The Bends is one of my favourite albums. It was therefore looking good for Ok Computer.

This album is fantastic, really it is. From the word go it had me hooked, with the interesting opening to 'Airbag', which sounds like it shouldn't really work as a guitar line. Radohead seem to have a knack for creating songs which sound initially weird, but are paradoxically so perfect. Everything works, everything fits perfectly.
Thom Yorke's voice is truly brilliant, as are his self reflective lyrics, exploring the notion of a rigid structure of life; 'Ambition makes you look pretty ugly', he says in 'Paranoid Android'. In fact, every track on this album has a quality which makes me think about things: it's what I liked so much about the Damien Rice album (back to the depressing music, probably).

Radiohead seem to know each other perfectly, and can play off each other's musical talent to create the perfect sound. Everything is subtle: the guitar lines complement Yorke's vioce to the extent where you don't even notice them being there. Even the slightly odd track 'Fitter Happier', which I suppose is a sort of interlude, compells me to listen. In fact, it took me a while to realise the Stephen Hawking-esque voice emmitting from my speakers. I suppose this carries on from the idea of computers underpinning humanity. Ordinarily I would have thought this quite unoriginal. Perhaps it was the, I suppose, 'lyrics' which dictated otherwise. I don't usually pay too much attention to lyrics (by this I mean they aren't the first thing I notice), but Radiohead have taught me otherwise;
'healthier and more productive
a pig in a cage on antibiotics.'

I don't know why, but I always expect Radiohead to be a lot heavier than they are. I suppose that, at some early stage in my musical development, I somehow attributed Radiohead to grunge music. Since then, I have always been pleased every time I realise that they offer far more than this. Their music is so well crafted that I don't think I could honestly put it into any genre. It's no wonder they have such immense global success. I genuinely love this album, and for the second time in two weeks, I'm awarding a 5/5.

It looks like a good week for Album Swap.