OK Computer : Radiohead
Radiohead seamlessly merges divergent electronica with rock riffs and melodic interludes, inspiring the listener to be uplifted and reflective in equal measure. Their career highlight, 1997's OK Computer, has been nominated as one of the greatest albums of the last 20 years. Radiohead's third album got compared to Pink Floyd a lot when it came out, and its slow drama and conceptual sweep certainly put it in that category. OK Computer, though, is a complicated and difficult record: an album about the way machines dehumanize people that's almost entirely un-electronic; an album by a British "new wave of new wave" band that rejects speed and hooks in favor of languorous texture and morose details; a sad and humanist record whose central moment is Thom Yorke crooning "We hope that you choke." Sluggish, understated, and hard to get a grip on, OK Computer takes a few listens to appreciate, but its entirety means more than any one song.
Each track on the album has the ability of conjering up different emotions, and by the end, the emotional wirlwind leaves dizzy. The album's central theme of encountering genuin beauty in our world of technology, yet being unable to shake a certain feeling of unease, comes across perfectly. From the first track "Airbag" all the way to the sixth track "Karma Police" the album flows seamlessly with emotional continuity and thought. Thom Yorke's lyrics are haunting and deeply symbolic. From rich layerd guitar sounds, out of this world keyboard riffs and of course Thom's unforgettable vocals the sound of this album is unforgettable.
Song List: | 1. | Airbag | 4:44 | | 2. | Paranoid Android | 6:23 | | 3. | Subterranean Homesick Alien | 4:27 | | 4. | Exit Music (For A Film) | 4:24 | | 5. | Let Down | 4:59 | | 6. | Karma Police | 4:21 | | 7. | Fitter Happier | 1:57 | | 8. | Electioneering | 3:50 | | 9. | Climbing Up The Walls | 4:45 | | 10. | No Surprises | 3:48 | | 11. | Lucky | 4:19 | | 12. | The Tourist | 5:24 |
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