Radiohead - OK Computer (Review: Dan)

It annoys me, and I'm sure others too - my stubborness. I have been adamant to not enjoy Radiohead from the start, just because I said I didn't once. And I hate conceding defeat. It pleases me, then, that this time I don't have to.

OK Computer has had high standards set from everyone I know who has heard it. They aways tell me how brilliant it is. One time I was played the song 'Paranoid Android' and I absolutely dispised it. But I did go into this album allowing it some space to change my mind. Still, after the boring 'Airbag' it shouldn't have needed to do much.
In some fairness, it was a lot better. But I still didn't like it. It sounds like a few songs that they decided could work better if they merged them into one. And I do not like it.

The rest of the album follows suit in that it bores me through every track. The first time I listened to the album, it wasn't until 'Testify' by Rage Against The Machine started playing that I realised it was over.

I think I know what's wrong with this. As musicians, Radiohead are very talented and I have to give them credit where credit is due. And as such talented musicians they know how to combine their own individual sounds into what is clearly recieved as very good music. But I think that what goes wrong for me is that they may have combined it too well. It flows well, but there is never anything exciting to come from it. They use the same formula in all of their tracks to provide music that I think you either love or hate. This is why I really like the song Idioteque, from the album Kid A; It sounds a lot different from everything else I've heard of the band.

I did like a song though. It was Karma Police. I thought it was very good. That's another thing with Radiohead; The songs I do think are good, I think are very good. The rest is just dreary though, and, hard as I try, I can't seem to find enjoyment from it.

On a final note, I love Thom Yorke's voice. It's magnificent, and I'm sure over time many more tracks will come along that can excite me. But for now, Radiohead just isn't working for me.

2/5.

Looks like it will have to be Lostprophets at Reading this year then...Even though I think that Idioteque is better than every Lostprophets song, and I don't want to miss it. What a tough decision :(

Album Highlights:
[6]Karma Police