Search - Radiohead :: Ok Computer

Simply the best

Lolita | Rosario, Argentina | 02/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those who are still doubting wether to buy it or not just click on add to shopping basket. I can make sure it will be the best record you could ever listen to. It is a masterpiece!Every single song will move something inside of you. The way Thom Yorke sings will blow you away. Still doubting? Well, from now on youll be responsible for missing the best album ever or listening to it 10,000 times a day. You wont regret. The best one ever."

The best album of the '90s

finulanu | Here, there, and everywhere | 05/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Radiohead's story, I think, is pretty well-known. Their initial release, Pablo Honey, was weak mock-grunge with a few exceptional songs. One of them was "Creep", the biggest hit of their career (I think), and the one that got them pegged one-hit wonders. But The Bends, a fantastic album, proved everyone wrong, netting the group four more hit singles ("High and Dry", "Fake Plastic Trees", "Just", "Street Spirit (Fade Out)". Then this came out, and elevated Radiohead to new levels of fame and critical attention. And it deserved it.

The first song on the album establishes its tone well: Daring, experimental, and melodic. "Airbag" rules, with a heavy guitar in one speaker and a cello in the other, as well as funky drumming. Fantastic lyrics about surviving a car crash, which could be read as reincarnation, and powerful vocals from Thom Yorke. Plus there's this cool part where the song temporarily ends, only to pick back up again. "Paranoid Android", the best song on the album, is even more ambitious. It's taken in three parts: a quiet acoustic section, a blistering hard rock part that made me jump out of my seat the first time I heard it, and a chilling mass choir conclusion. And weird lyrics. "Subterranean Homesick Alien" is considerably more mellow, and strikes me as an early wandering into techno, before the group went into it full-on with the fantastic Kid A. By contrast, songs like the amazing, U2-like "Let Down" (with overdubbed Yorkes), triple-guitar crunch of "Electioneering", and the almost optimistic, really catchy "Lucky" are actually pretty close to traditional rockers. But really, really good ones. For another contrast, take the record's two hits, both of them ballads. "No Surprises" is depressing lyrically but has one of the most gorgeous melodies known to man; and the Beatles-quotin' "Karma Police" is an eerily impersonal piano ballad that takes a shot at the system.

Just for a bit more diversity, there are also a series of spooky, impenetrable songs here. My favorite of these three is "Climbing Up the Walls", a devastating portrait of either a schizophrenic or a murderer. I haven't really made up my mind on it yet. "Exit Music" is quite underrated, reaching a chilling climax. Finally, the gently waltzing "Tourist" closes the album on a high note. And if that wasn't enough, there's also an anti-materialist spoken word piece ("Fitter Happier").

I just can't shut up about this album. A highly recommended portrait of the walls between our society. It's cold and detached, and while that may be a turn-off at first, subsequent listens may reveal that the lack of emotion actually bolsters the message."