As much as I love music, I am still the kind that kicks, scratches and claws his way into finding a mathematical "explanation" for everything pertaining to it. If I like a song, it's always because this hook sounds like that song, 'cause that's a rare chord sequence, or because there was just a very high decibel level going on. But ultimately, it always comes down to numbers.
Radiohead have gained a massive following for reasons that could be debated til the cows come home, but apparently, there is something about their music that resonates with a lot of people. "Resonates" being a key word here, because I remember all too well being frustrated by that monster of a word in Physics class. Everything else had a solid formula, but resonance within atoms was one of those things Mrs. Davis told us we just had to accept. I hated that.
And for the same reason, I sort of "hate" this album. It's like one of those squishy plastic hot dog things full of water that jumps out of your hands. Every time I think I have a grasp on what exactly it is I like about a song, I find myself at a loss for words. I could talk on and on about beats or chord sequences, but as a whole, the songs on
OK Computer amount to a sum far greater than their parts combined. Such is the way of the true musical artist. Not that I would know.
It's not that the whole thing is entirely abstract -- songs like
"Exit Music" and
"Karma Police" have structures that are, how do I put this,
physical enough that you could teach someone to play them on the piano. Others such as the choking, crunching
"Airbag", the illustrious glimpse that is
"Let Down" and a very abrasive
"Electioneering" depend entirely on their haphazard production, as well as their natural way of unfolding which I can only describe as
spontaneous freakin' combustion.
But overall, there is a dark undertone to the entire thing. When I listen to it now, I feel compelled to put on
The Wizard of Oz at the same time. Only a few exceptions to the darkness happen on the album, incidentally on the tracks whose numbers are multiples of the extremely useful five (so should we try
Short Circuit?).
"Let Down" has an angelic, chiming vibe and a quickened but shy beat.
"No Surprises" on the other hand, is such a pink song that you could use it to put your two-year old niece to sleep.
A lot of times, what happens is that you'll have a song that seems to be a dream in itself, and suddenly you catch a whiff of reality sneaking in. Case in point,
"Paranoid Android" which sounds much as its title suggests, with haunting alien-like high notes playing out in an eerie fashion. Suddenly, the song shifts to a more reality-based, bass-led segment and shortly later, it jolts awake, only to fall back asleep again.
"Subterranean Homesick Alien" is more of the same, switching from a sleepy, hollow, flat melody to an anthemic burst of shimmering wails off the electric guitar, only to relapse, rinse and repeat. Aside from the more digestible ditties,
"Alien" is probably the fastest of the growers.
Contrary to the pop, I always considered
"Climbing Up The Walls" to be the weakest track. Up until that point in the album, every song had a jarring shift in tone, and suddenly you have this one that, change in speed notwithstanding, feels a lot like the song before it. It also kind of irks me how you can barely decipher the words, I don't get involved enough to care when it culminates in a gargantuan scream out of frontman Thom Yorke, or how the rest of the song sounds so painfully "normal". It's a great scream, though.
What really pushes this album into five-star territory though, are the last two songs which happen to be two of its greatest cuts.
"Lucky" is a sad, wailing, desperate masterpiece.
"The Tourist" may get you on the first listen if you're giving it your undivided attention. Surely, someone in your life has already earned enough sympathy from you by their rushed routine that this song will serve to enhance and intensify that feeling of sympathy. Did for me, anyway.
This has been one of those rare moments when I found it in me to just sit down and spit it out. Hundreds of others have offered their own insight, and in many cases have done so far better than I.
But I guess it really says something in favor of a band when trying to put their music into words proves to be so much of a challenge. Not to mention trying to figure out those damn music videos.
Other Radiohead reviews:
Hail To The Thief
The Bends
Kid A
Amnesiac
Pablo Honey
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Germany
United Kingdom
Australia
USA
