Number 27: OK Computer by Radiohead
Release: May 21st, 1997
Genre: Alternative
Favorite Tracks: No Surprises, Airbag, Let Down
Where I heard it:
In an effort to broaden my musical taste, I checked out the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die from my library off a recommendation from the internet. Designed as a coffee table book to flip through at leisure, I read this thing religiously for weeks over the summer of 2011. However, contrary to the spirit of the book, I found myself simply thumbing through entries from bands that I was only vaguely familiar with through repeated suggestions. The only album from this book I really remember having any significant resonance to me was Radiohead's OK Computer. While I'd never listened to the album, I knew about the reverence behind OK Computer since I was a child. My internet browsing habits often led me to a niche gaming discussion forum called VGF, which developed a small but close user base over the couple years I frequented the page. As such, many additional forum subjects were added apart from video games like sports, television, and music. Radiohead were infamous among VGF for their decidedly high amount of favorability, which made sense because the average age of each user at the time was early to mid 20's. I had only just started to acquire my taste in music, so I never gleamed much from Radiohead's notoriety until my high school years. I quickly rented a CD of OK Computer from my library (support your local libraries, man!) to see for myself what all the fuss was about after all these years. Turns out the opinions I encountered in my adolescence were entirely fact: OK Computer is one of the greatest albums of the 90's, dare I say of all time.
I wish they'd swoop down in a country lane
Late at night while I'm driving
Take me on board of their beautiful ship
Show me the world as I'd love to see it
I'd tell all my friends but they'd never believe me
They'd think that I'd finally lost it completely
I'd show them the stars and the meaning of life
They'd shut me away
But I'd be alright
~ Subterranean Homesick Alien
What to expect:
When it comes to the Radiohead discography, there's hardly a bad choice to the question of which album is their best work (except Pablo Honey, that's definitely the wrong answer). Radiohead are unique in that their musical evolution goes through several different iterations to reach the ethereal and industrial style they're known for today. OK Computer marks a pivotal turning point in the career of Radiohead, reaching what I believe is the apex of their sound that merges the sappy alt rock ballads of The Bends with the experimental tones of Kid A and the majority of their following installments. This duality is split evenly between the track listing of OK Computer, each half embodying its own style to curate a more cinematic experience compared to previous entries. The album's first six tracks mirror the solemn and lovesick aura of The Bends before a tonal shift occurs with the eerie Fitter Happier that shatters all expectations with more exploratory elements than the band is used to. Layered between the deep impact of Philip Selway's drums and echoing strums of Jonny Greenwood, Thom Yorke's haunting vocals paint abstract imagery of a dystopian digital age, penning lyrics from the perspective of its inhabitants who are useless to resist its stranglehold on the modern world. While the overall narrative of OK Computer is a bit disjointed, its themes tend to revolve around the motifs of an anti-capitalist uprising that contrasts the societal acceptance of rapidly advancing technology. Yorke's songwriting was heavily inspired by political literature from authors like Noam Chomsky, while the music shrouds itself in a mysterious atmosphere full of tension and terror. This dissonance from OK Computer wreaks havoc upon the listener, toeing the edge of sanity with poetic ramblings that border intellectual dribble to those attempting to contrive brevity from them. Despite its occasional nonsensical nature, Radiohead relies on gradual pacing throughout OK Computer to create moments of emotional affect that blossom into beautifully tragic melodies. This composition method would become the primary model for future Radiohead albums as the band began to find their niche, but none of it would have been possible without the gamble of OK Computer that paid off in massive dividends for music as a whole.
A job that slowly kills you
Bruises that won't heal
You look so tired, unhappy
Bring down the government
They don't speak for us
I'll take a quiet life
A handshake of carbon monoxide
No alarms and no surprises
Silent
~ No Surprises
Why it's my favorite:
There's a wealth of 90's alternative bands that simply pale in comparison to the monumental strides that Radiohead took during this period. Given the direction of Pablo Honey and The Bends, Radiohead very well could have found themselves among this massive heap of content with nothing to differentiate them from their contemporaries. Instead, OK Computer took a bold chance integrating cybernetic components to their subtle melancholy with the hopes of spurring something entirely new into the music sphere. Radiohead has since solidified their brand as mainstays of innovation with every release, from In Rainbows to their most recent installment A Moon Shaped Pool. Just when you might feel acclimated to the sound of Radiohead, each record slightly reinvents the formula in order to achieve a uniqueness among the discography. Yet, they all seem to fall just short of the metamorphosis that OK Computer embarked upon so many years ago. To call this album a revolution is a massive understatement. OK Computer set the standard for the alternative genre, and certainly helped guide the trajectory of my own personal music taste. Throughout high school, I yearned for music with the same bittersweet flavor as OK Computer. I felt late to the party first listening to OK Computer fifteen years after its release, but now allow myself to celebrate in all the wonderful qualities that make this album such a favorite of mine. There are few examples of albums that I can listen to in times of both joy and sorrow. Like many others, I wasn't privy to a good cry while Let Down or No Surprises softly played over my speakers. Meanwhile, songs like Airbag and Paranoid Android regularly appeared in playlists I made to listen to while at work. OK Computer's versatility assures a listening experience unlike any other, earning its status as one of the best albums ever recorded.
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