Radiohead Videotape Radiohead Meeting People is Easy

The band's seminal third album, which is also one of the best albums of the 90's.

The Internet killed the music industry. Well, maybe "irrevocably altered" is more accurate, but "killed" grabs your attention.

Our generation has grown up in an age where CDs have gone the way of tape cassettes, LPs, and dinosaurs; where millions of tracks can be downloaded instantaneously for a buck a pop; where music is so easily accessible that it permeates every facet of our lives.

The rising ubiquity of music, however, has led to what I believe is a lack of appreciation for music. Whether we're studying, walking, or engaged in some sort of solitary activity, we almost always have our earphones plugged in and iPods on shuffle. For the most part (and there are always exceptions), we no longer treat music as something to actively engage with; instead, it acts as aural wallpaper.

The biggest consequence of this shift is the death of the album. (And by "death," I mean "diminished influence," but again, hyperbole grabs your attention.) Because of the way we purchase and consume music today–buying songs from iTunes or Amazon, listening to personalized Internet radio–we now think of music in terms of individual tracks instead of albums. And that's a shame, because that's like thinking of fiction in terms of chapters instead of entire novels. The best albums are collections of songs that add up to more than the sums of its parts, where each track is just one cog of the album's machinery.

I apologize for the crappy metaphors.

The point being: OK Computer contains some of the best songs ever made, but more importantly, it's one of the bestalbumsever made. In previous posts I cherry-picked various songs to discuss in no particular order, but this time I'm going to analyze every track in chronological order, in an attempt to illustrate the importance of digesting music in terms of albums, not individual songs.

1. Airbag

"Airbag" opens the album with a harsh, abrasive guitar lick, coupled with synthesized strings and, bizarrely, sleigh bells. The percussion is similarly harsh, sounding like a compressed drum machine, and the bassline is pleasingly minimalist. "Airbag" also showcases the band's shift to more cryptic, ominous lyrics, as lead singer Thom Yorke references the "next world war" and technological unease, a recurring motif of the album. The song appears to be written from the perspective of a car crash survivor who now harbors delusions of grandeur, another important motif. Lastly, in the last few seconds of the track, you hear four blips that transition into . . .

2. Paranoid Android

Definitely one of Radiohead's stranger music videos. Anyway, "Paranoid Android" is the fusion of three songs into one, similar to the structure of The Beatle's "Happiness is a Warm Gun." Yorke uses his signature high-pitched whine, which is juxtaposed with a dispassionate, computerized voice that would later be heard more fully in "Fitter Happier." In the quieter, more melancholy interlude, Yorke sings about "The dust and the screaming / The yuppies networking," bitterly commenting on the emptiness of corporate culture and introducing yet another important theme. At six and a half minutes, "Paranoid Android" is epic in the truest sense of the term, filled with not one but two soaring guitar solos. It's one of the bands most recognizable (and critically lauded) tracks.

3. Subterranean Homesick Alien

After the frantic, adrenaline-filled frenzy of the preceding track, "Subterranean Homesick Alien" kicks things down a notch (and references Bob Dylan's classic "Subterranean Homesick Blues"). Shimmering, spaced-out guitars and electronic keyboards reverberate, contributing to a mellow, almost relaxing atmosphere. The lyrics explore social isolation, describing the story of a misfit who wishes to be abducted by aliens, invoking feelings of paranoia and delusions, similar to "Airbag." Overall, though, the lyrics are a bit cheesy, and this is probably one of the weaker tracks on the album.

4. Exit Music (For A Film)

Originally written for Baz Luhrmann'smodern re-imagining ofRomeo and Juliet ,who would later go on to directThe Great Gatsby(full disclosure: I've seen neither), "Exit Music" features some of the darkest lyrics in the entire album, as you'd probably expect from the source material. The band has made plenty of songs about hopeless relationships before, but none have quite the emotional impact of "Exit Music," especially with its chilling final lines of "we hope that you choke." After opening with somber acoustic guitar strumming, the song shifts into full-on rock mode, surrounding the listener with a chaotic, distorted sound. It's disturbing yet strangely delicate, and smoothly glides into the next track . . .

5. Let Down

In contrast to the feeling of dread that "Exit Music" evoked, "Let Down" is musically brighter, though its lyrics are just as horribly depressing. As you can probably gather from the title, "Let Down" is a song about disappointment and despair, about being "crushed like a bug in the ground." Whereas in previous tracks Yorke's voice was filled with pathos, in "Let Down" he sounds weary, as if he's resigned to his fate. The band masterfully juxtaposes upbeat, densely layered instrumentation with soul-crushing lyrics.

6. Karma Police

This is theOK Computersong you probably heard on the radio, and with good reason: it's simple, catchy, and features not one but two sing-along choruses. "Karma Police" is well-composed, with a traditional verse-chorus-bridge structure, and is an early example of the band relying on a piano melody, which would later be explored in tracks like "Sail to the Moon" and "We Suck Young Blood." The song ends with an electronic warble that grows louder and louder before decaying, setting the stage for the infamous . . .

7. Fitter Happier

Sixteen years after its release, I've yet to hear a song more whiplash-inducing than "Fitter Happier." I hated it the first time I listened toOK Computer; I thought it was trying too hard to be provocative, that it was so utterly weird just for the sake of being weird. The more I listen to the album, though, the more I appreciate "Fitter Happier." It acts as a sort of thesis statement, laying out the different themes and ideologies the album touches on. Consumerism, institutionalization of individuals, the dehumanizing effects of technology, the anxieties of modern life; I could go on and on (as you can probably tell from this 1700+ word post). It's easy to imagine an Orwellian society where the sinister, computerized voice of "Fitter Happier" dictates our lives, where we're supposedly "calm, fitter, healthier and more productive." The last line, "A pig on a cage in antibiotics," made be wonder if the pig could symbolize us, the citizens of modern society. Have we succumbed to the ads, the propaganda, the eerie voices telling us what to do?

8. Electioneering

If "Fitter Happier" is a distinctlyOK Computersong, then "Electioneering" sounds more at home on one the band's previous albums. It's a rollicking hard-rock jam with noisy, clanging guitars bouncing off each other. Along with 2004's "2+2=5," "Electioneering" is Radiohead's most overtly political song, with references to riot shields and the IMF. It sounds like a protest song from the 60's, capturing the same anti-establishment fervor that swept through rock music at the time. Taken on it's own, "Electioneering" is a great song, but in the context of the album it sounds a bit out of place.

9. Climbing Up The Walls

Here's one to fall asleep to, if you don't mind having nightmares. "Climbing Up The Walls" uses ambient noises to create a creepy atmosphere straight out of a horror movie. Yorke's voice is disturbingly muffled, and the lyrics put you inside the mind of a mental patient. "Do not cry out or hit the alarm," he whispers, "You know we're friends till we die." The song eventually culminates in a harsh, chaotic guitar solo, as cymbals crash and Yorke screams like a madman. It'll send chills down your spine.

10. No Surprises

If "Climbing Up The Walls" symbolized a nightmare, then "No Surprises" is like waking up to the even scarier nightmare of normal life. The two songs are analogous to the pairing of "Exit Music" with "Let Down": the first is eerie and disturbing, while the second is musically upbeat but focuses on the banal disappointments of life. "No Surprises" is filled with ennui, resignation, and references to suicide. You get the feeling of being overwhelmed with despair, which is beautifully illustrated in the music video where Yorke is slowly submerged in water. I think the song is so effective because we've all been disappointed or defeated at some point, which is why "No Surprises" is my personal favorite from the entire album.

11. Lucky

Fun fact #1: "Lucky" was the first song to be recorded forOK Computer. I think this explains the more traditional musical style, though as a soaring rock anthem it works beautifully. "Lucky" is written from the perspective of a delusional narrator who appears to have survived an airplane crash, similar to the protagonist of "Airbag," who survived a car crash. Fun fact #2: Yorke's fear of transportation stems from a car accident in 1987, which perhaps also contributed to the paranoia evident in his songwriting.

12. The Tourist

By the time the closing track roles around, the listener is usually ready to rip out his or her earphones and take a break. So I'll admit that "The Tourist" was always theOK Computersong I forgot about; in contrast to the other tracks, "The Tourist" just sounded kind of bland.

Which is why I'm glad I re-listened to it. It's certainly slower-paced and more mellow than the songs that came before it, acting as a counterpoint to the majority of the album. Most of the tracks on OK Computer are about the negative effects of technology, how modern society wears us down and leaves us filled with disappointments and regrets, and how we're all slowly turning paranoid and insane.

"The Tourist" offers a solution: "Hey man, slow down."

Instead of rushing around like frenzied tourists, trying to see everything but absorbing nothing, maybe we should slow down the pace of our lives. Maybe we should take a break from the voices telling us what to do. Maybe we should turn off the music and enjoy solitude. And maybe, just maybe, when we do turn the music back on, we'll treat it as an experience to reflect upon, considering the intricacies of entire albums, and not just wallpaper.

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Source: https://sites.psu.edu/boenwang/page/2/