Joni Mitchell - Clouds
Roisin Murphy - Overpowered
Pearl Jam - Vs
Radiohead - OK Computer
Fairly slim pickings here, really. So let's talk about OK Computer. Partly because it seems I haven't talked about it specifically before, and partly because I was surprised how long it was since I had last listened to it.
In full, that is. I strongly suspect that this is one of those albums that's been on my player at work, and I've been interrupted, and I haven't gone back to it. That happens to me fairly frequently in general (more than I'd like, but, you know, they're not paying me to listen to music and if something comes up that requires me to speak to other human beings instead of just quietly work away at my desk, the music has to take second priority), but it's especially difficult when listening to a rich, dense album.
Let's face it, OK Computer has been talked about an enormous amount since it first came out in 1997. It's one of the more acclaimed albums in rock music history. I think that's not only because it's good, but because in some ways it was unexpected.
I don't have my figure on the pulse of current, up-to-date music in the way that music journalists supposedly do, so I can't tell you what music generally sounded like in 1997, and therefore I can't tell you whether OK Computer was unlike anything else on the market. I do sometimes get that impression from what's been written about it. It also was frequently praised for somehow tapping into the zeitgeist, or even being ahead of the curve: a 21st century album written before the 21st century began. Lyrically, there are hints of a high-speed, impersonal and isolating world that certainly do seem relevant to our age of technology.
What I can say for myself is that I'm fairly sure this album was unexpected from Radiohead. Their first album was that of a fairly average rock band, all set for one-hit wonder status. It's difficult to remember any song besides 'Creep' and it's difficult to muster up much interest in listening again - apparently, I haven't sat through Pablo Honey since I started this blog.
Their second album, The Bends, is a vast leap in quality. It's a fine record, but it's a fine record from a fairly straight-ahead rock band that sounds like it wants to fill arenas. Actually that's probably not entirely fair, as the album does have lots of nice touches that aren't completely straightforward, and point in the direction of later Radiohead if you already know what you're looking for.
But back in 1997, people didn't already know what later Radiohead sounded like. And what OK Computer sounded like was a vast collage of sounds. Layer upon distorted layer. 'Airbag' opens proceedings with processed drums, jangling guitars and something that sounds like sleigh bells. 'Paranoid Android' throws in a computerised voice and changes sound and pace multiple times. 'Subterranean Homesick Alien' features great washes of keyboard sound, and so it goes on.
There are times when it's quite difficult to work out what sort of instrument is used, as acoustic, electric and electronic contributions collide. 'Climbing Up The Walls' features the scariest string section you can imagine.
Every song contributes something a little different, and pretty well every song is a winner. My favourite, though, has always been 'Let Down'. The melody line of the song is sheer genius, with steps constantly falling downwards even while each sequence manages to take the melody slightly higher than before. Each of the 3 verses has a different melodic shape, with the last of the 3 expanding gloriously into a kind of ecstasy. Somehow, a song with lyrics about the 'emptiest of feelings' and being 'crushed like a bug in the ground' ends up being one of the most achingly beautiful and uplifting things I've ever heard.
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