Radiohead - OK Computer (Review:Ben)

Having spent last week binging on In Rainbows from Radiohead, I was very happy to see OK Computer added for this week and anticipated another fantastic album from Radiohead. I've rather shamefully only just got in to them and so I was quite excited to hear this record. I love the simplicity in Thom Yorke's vocals and find that coupled with the complexity of the music it creates an incredibly enjoyable sound.


OK Computer gets off to exactly the start I had anticipated from my second Radiohead album. 'Airbag' has a 'more-of-the-same' kind of feel to it yet still branches off in a totally different direction to anything from In Rainbows. I'd attribute a lot of Radiohead's success to their ability to craft songs that all sound similar yet strikingly different. All too often a band find a sound that works and stick to it but Radiohead seem to be constantly looking for new and innovative ways to further advance their sound.


One of the main things I've found in my brief listening to Radiohead's back catalogue is that they are incredibly consistent. In the two albums I've heard I wouldn't be able to name one track which I felt was a 'filler' track and similarly I'd struggle to name too many stand-out tracks. I never want to listen to one track of theirs, for me it is the whole album or nothing. There is something so complete about their albums as a whole that just can't be captured in four minutes of sound.


Getting back to the content of OK Computer, I'd probably say 'Let Down' was the first track on the album that made me think "wow, this is a really incredible song". I'm not great with the technical side of music and so can't talk about different scales or tones but something about this song makes it instantly lovable. When I first heard some Radiohead, I expected it to take four maybe five listens of the album before I was completely into their sound but 'Let Down' dispells any of these preconceptions. Other real standout tracks include 'Paranoid Android', 'Karma Police' and 'Climbing Up The Walls' but I know that with every listen of this album I am going to get a different favourite.


I don't think I've actually mentioned how much I am enjoying this album. It is an incredible album and one of the best I've heard. I don't want to skip any tracks, I just want to listen to it all and absorb everything from it that I can. There is only one possible score I can to an album that is so consistent and creative throughout and so OK Computer easily scores a 5/5 from me and I can't wait to listen to more of their stuff.