Review #42: OK Computer, Radiohead
#42: OK Computer, Radiohead
Let’s keep in mind that at this point in my second road trip, my first encounter with Radiohead was less than positive. I wasn’t able to appreciate Kid A until listening to it in a small dark room with headphones on. So my reaction, after listening to the EPIC “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” I was about as excited to hear Radiohead again as I would be to get an unanesthetized root canal.
But I’m a good sport, so I listened to the whole thing anyway. And I was glad I did — this is much easier on the ears than Kid A. If you’re not in the mood, Kid A sounds like angry vomiting technology. This album has some lovely ballads on it, and even some sweet guitar parts.
FAVORITE SONGS:
“Airbag” — The opening guitar to this is SICK.
“Paranoid Android” — The beginning of this song is so beautiful and then around the 2 minute mark it starts to FREAK me OUT. But I love the part in the middle where the guitar is like “DU-NUNU-NANUNU-nunununu-nuNU” and Thom Yorke is like ngyeahhhhh.
“Exit Music (For A Film)” — I’m learning that there is often a fine line between slow-gorgeous and slow-boring. This one is slow-scary-beautiful. This was also in Westworld a few years ago! Very fitting, since Thom Yorke is a robot.
“Karma Police” — This album is so cinematic! The lyrics to this are like a less annoying version of “Creep.”
“Fitter Happier” — A real trip to listen to while driving 70 mph. What a relief to hear Thom Yorke’s real voice!
“Electioneering” — Oh cool, a rock song!
“Climbing Up the Walls” — Love the synth at the beginning. This sounds like a Gorillaz song.
“No Surprises” — Why is this song so relatable? I don’t to be surprised either.
“Lucky” — I love the way his voice slides on the chorus.
LEAST FAVORITE SONGS:
“Let Down” — This one is just a tiny bit too ~chill~ for me.
“Subterranean Homesick Alien” — And this one is gouge-my-eyes-out-boring.
“The Tourist” — Wow, what a lame song to end on.
IS RS FULL OF IT?
I don’t know. I love “Exit Music” and “Karma Police” a lot, but it just seems to me that there are other, more deserving albums that could occupy this spot. Only a few of these songs have really stood the test of time.
You know what album has stood the test of time? Hair, the Broadway Musical, currently not on the list AT ALL. “Aquarius” and “Hair” and “Good Morning Starshine” are all on it, and “The Flesh Failures (Let The Sunshine in)” gives me full-body goosebumps every time I hear it. Plus, it spawned one of the wildest covers of all time, “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” by The 5th Dimension. Yes, I watched Hair recently, why do you ask?
