Radiohead: OK Computer

OK Computer

Best song: Exit Music (For A Film)

Worst song: maybe Let Down but there isn't one really

Overall grade: 6

 It is pretty amazing how far this band came between each of their albums up to the millennium. ‘OK Computer’, their third, is considered by many to be their masterpiece. In fact, according to besteveralbums.com, which correlated thousands of critical reviews, it is the highest rated album of all time. Well, here’s what I think it is: a transitional album. An outstanding transitional album, it has to be said, but not the defining statement it’s often made out to be.

Back to transitional – it’s still fairly guitar-heavy and conventionally arranged, similar to ‘The Bends’, but there’s also a lot of computerised and electronic noise going on that hints at ‘Kid A’ in the future. Of course, some of these noises are used as sound effects that link to the concept in a Pink Floyd-y style, but I still don’t think ‘Kid A’ should have been as much of a surprise as many people claim.

Despite all this, ‘OK Computer’ does stand up in its own right. ‘Airbag’ has a great distorted backing that’s meant to represent a car crash, which it does. It’s good, a very good opener, but it’s almost overshadowed by the excellent ‘Paranoid Android’ which comes straight after it. Very dense and textured, and the way the riffs are subtly changed throughout is clever. Its lyrics fit the song perfectly, the whole idea of not trusting anyone, like ‘When I am king you will be fast against the wall’ and the refrain of ‘What’s there…?’

‘Exit Music (For A Film)’ isn’t necessarily the song I enjoy most (as that title probably falls to ‘Karma Police’) but I absolutely think it’s the most accomplished song Radiohead have written up to this point. The attention to detail is outstanding here; you will certainly pick up on something new with every listen. It begins with just vocals and acoustic instruments, and it’s heartbreakingly, darkly beautiful, but it doesn’t just stay in one place – it builds up and becomes incredibly climactic towards the end.

‘Let Down’ is, of course, a let down after that (sorry, I had to) but that’s probably a good thing. If all the songs were that overwhelming then the album would just be too much, so we need these less attention-grabbing interludes to collect our thoughts. ‘No Surprises’ fills a similar role later on – it’s a very pretty and enjoyable guitar ballad, but it’s very sedate compared to the unsettling, creepy atmosphere of the rest of the album.

The planning and ideas for the whole album started with ‘Lucky’, which is chucked in near the end and does sound like a kind of blueprint for the standouts on the first half. I love how it’s intermittently quiet and loud, with the quiet parts lulling the listener into a false sense of security before the loud parts crash in.

I feel like I should quickly mention ‘Fitter Happier’ which really divides opinions, so here’s mine: you’d never listen to it out of the context of the album, but it makes a point and it makes it well. Don’t skip it.

The narrator in the first song feels blessed to have survived a car crash, but the rest of these songs make him realise that maybe the world’s not such a great place to be, if it’s a place where we’re never safe, where we’re always being watched but nobody ever interacts. It’s a bleak look at the world, but think about it: how many famous, seminal albums that stand the test of time show the world in a positive light?