10 YEARS AGO: OK COMPUTER BY RADIOHEAD

On July 1, 2007, Radiohead's OK Computer was released in the US, and it sure doesn't sound 10 years old. I'm sure a lot of people will talk about it (Stereogum even has an intriguing song-by-song tribute on their site), as it was a definite turning point for the band propelling them from arena pop/rock into a less categorizable and more cerebral/progressive direction that they've continued on to this day. It remains one of my all-time favorite albums (in fact, I'd actually pay to buy this disc again, and was secretly hoping they'd release a special edition as mine is severly worn out--I think it skips on "Let Down" and "Electioneering").

Way back in 1993, the band's loud/quiet/loud debut single "Creep" became a smash hit, but was unfortunately accompanied their weakest album Pablo Honey. Their sophomore effort The Bends, is a solid rock record with nary a weak track to be found; however, it was all but ignored in the US, where despite some excellent singles and MTV airplay (on the much missed 120 Minutes, and even a live performance by the pool at the MTV Beach House--blech) it garnered lukewarm public and critical reception (I recall a blah review in Spin, who gave it a 6/10). However, OK Computer was a different animal altogether, charting high in the States and garnering universal acclaim. Released pre-millennium and post-grunge when UK-based Britpop and electronica were prevalent, it didn't neatly fit into any category (and may have inadvertently created its own). There was simply no way to predict they were capable of an album like this, and a decade later, there still hasn't been anything quite like it.

When I first heard the album, I was immediately taken by its sound: a dense, claustrophobic din, with chiming guitars and expressive vocals. But it is the creeping dread, and themes of alienation and paranoia brought on my the pressures of modern society found in Yorke's lyrics that set it apart. Almost overnight, they went from being the second coming of The Who to appearing to need some serious psychotherapy. It certainly was a polarizing album for many fans, who preferred the more accessible guitar rock of The Bends. But it was the edgier, more experimental feel, and the deeply affecting yet detached lyrics that I found more attractive. (My girlfriend at the time didn't get it at all, and I don't think she really got me either, which is probably one of the reasons why that relationship didn't last. Yes, I blame this album.)

Here we are, ten tumultuous years later, and it still sounds fantastic. "Airbag" kicks it off with a soaring and swooping guitar, which is joined by a second guitar's arpeggio and kickstarted with a driving beat, and Thom Yorke declares, "In an interstella burst/I'm back to save the universe"; it's simply a great opening track. I still don't know how they got that shimmering/squealing guitar sound on the alien abduction anthem "Subterreanean Homesick Alien": it somehow manages to sound both otherworldly and comforting. "Climbing up the Walls" is easily one of the creepiest songs they've ever written; the Romeo + Juliet (1996) inspired "Exit Music (For A Film)" starts off as a slow burn and erupts into a stunning climax; "No Surprises" features a great melody backed by chiming guitars and fantastic multitracked harmonies at the end. (I could go on and on, but I won't. Though I will mention that the slick, menacing video for "Karma Police" fits its subject matter rather well.)



However, the cornerstone of the album is "Paranoid Android", a non-radio friendly 6½ minute long pastiche of three seemingly disparate songs, much like the structure of the Beatles' "Happiness is a Warm Gun". Brilliant and confounding, it's the band's most epic and schizophrenic song. A moody shuffling opening section featuring scathing lyrics ("Ambition makes you look pretty ugly"), followed by a searing guitar solo, a forlorn middle bridge ("Come on reign down on me/From a great height"), and a clamarous ending. If you hate this song (and I don't necessarily blame you because it's a pretty harsh rollercoaster ride), there's a good chance you never listened to Radiohead again. But I've always thought it was an incredible song, and the (tortured) soul of the entire album. Even the video featuring a removed, detached antagonist floating through a particularly crazy day seemed to sum up the overall feel of this album: concerned (but powerless).



Radiohead set the bar pretty high with this album, and I think they'd be the first to admit it. Wisely, they didn't try to repeat themselves with an OK Computer 2.0, and instead went even more overboard and overwrought with the experimental and occasionally brilliant Kid A and Amnesiac sessions. It may not have made us all fitter and happier, but this album stands apart as the one to beat.

Happy 10th Anniversary, OK Computer!

Radiohead - Official Site
Radiohead - Original OK Computer website