"Ok Computer" Album Review
Alpha101 Radiohead is an alternative rock band. No, Radiohead is THE alternative rock band. They're one of the most popular bands of the genre, is not the most recognizable. I can see why, for they are very talented in many different areas. Whenever I first heard this album, I didn't enjoy it. I listened to two songs and quit. If you want to get the full experience, listen to it all the way through. it was meant to be listened to that way. I'm really glad that I went back to it because it's now my favorite album of the genre."Airbag" is the opening track, and it does well, for the most part, at giving the listener a glimpse of what lies ahead. It's one of the weaker tracks on the album, but it still great.
"Paranoid Android" is one of Radiohead's best. I loved "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," and this is mainly about a robot found in the story. The robot, named Marvin, is depressed, and he has been for millions of years. Nothing cheers him up, so he just wallows in his self pity, and hates others. It's a very nice track, and I love the line, "When I am king, you will be the first against the wall," which also references the story.
"Subterranean Homesick Alien" is also one of my favorites. it has a very atmospheric tone to the song, and I love the message that it sends. I constantly feel like I belong on another planet, and that my alien parents will one day pick me up in their marvelous and extravagant space ship. I'm the only one that thinks this?
"Exit Music (For a Film)" was another fantastic song. It's very slow and mellow sounding, but at the ending, it begins to pick up, and it has one of the best climaxes in music history.
"Let Down" does not do what the title claims. Like the song above, it shifts between slow and fast, and it's one of the best on the album.
"Karma Police," in my opinion, is the best on the album, and is also one of the band's most impressive songs to date. I constantly wish suffering upon others, but I never realize that my day is coming to, and that I should just forgive my wrongdoers. That's what the person in the song fails to recognize. Like "Exit Music," it too has one of the best endings I've ever heard in a song. It's so full of emotion, and it's, to put it simply, awesome.
"Fitter Happier" really stands out from the other songs, and I love it for that. A robot is talking throughout the entire song. From what I gather, it is about how all of us strive to be perfect, but being too perfect can be horrifying. The robot symbolizes perfection, as humans can never be truly perfect, for we are...well, human. We should try to be good people, but we should recognize our weaknesses and wrongdoings, and try not to do them, even though we will never do everything right, as we would mentally become robotic. "Wash dishes. Clean room. Say hello. Say goodbye. Give hug. Watch T.V. Go to bed. Repeat until death."
"Electioneering" is my least favorite on the album. It's an okay track, but it's hardly as fine as the other tracks.
"Climbing Up the Walls" is a very uneasy sounding song, but that's what makes it beautiful. I adore the chorus, for it's upsetting, but harmonic vocals.
"No Surprises" is unlike most of the songs on the album. it is happy sounding, which is the exact opposite of the theme of the album. It was a pleasant surprise. Whenever I first heard it, it made me smile a little, for it's beautiful guitar work, and great vocals.
"Lucky" is great, but it's incomparable to some of the others on the album. It's still a favorite of mine because of it's sad, but, at the same time, uplifting tune.
"The Tourist" was a fantastic pick to end such a marvelous album with. Most albums to not end on a good note, but this one does. Sure, it's not as good as "Karma Police," or "Paranoid Android," but it's still one of the best.
I like this album. A lot. I didn't really give it a chance the first time that I listened to it, but I picked it up again, and my mind was completely blown. I now see why some people claim this to be one of the best rock albums in history, even up to par with the works of the Beatles and Pink Floyd. If you're looking for an album that has a sad, uneasy, but beautiful sound to it, then this album is perfect for you.
9.6/10 - Great Album