OK Computer

Let's start with a really thoughtful opinion on Radiohead discography by John Frusciante of Red Hot Chilli Peppers:

"...I didn't even like OK Computer either, I just don't like that kind of guitar playing, that they were doing back than. When Kid A came out, that's what got me really excited".

Why do I start with such a specific quote? Well, firstly, I love John Frusciante and I am a big fan of his songs and sloppy, yet quite charismatic guitar playing. Secondly, I mostly agree with this take.
The guitar playing on this album could be characterized as weird, crazy at times (like on Paranoid Android), unconventional, you could say it's inovative and I would agree, but in my opinion it's far from being perfect. This and some other problems, that I'll surely point out bring OK Computer down from the title of "another Radiohead masterpiece" to just a great and incredibly influencial album.

Ok, now let me explain myself by dissecting the album a bit.

About 40% of the songs on this album make me think "Oh yeah, this is why some people call it the best album of all time". The underappreciated Let Down tears me should apart with its beauty, Karma Police is incredibly catchy and has some great sonic dynamics that I really love, and all of the above I could say about No surprises fr. And my favourite would probably be Paranoid Android with its wild structure and intense and beautiful moments, build-ups and releases, it's just perfect (this is the point where I really smoothly transition into the main point of this review).

BUT the guitar that I've been talking about since the beginning acts as a centre of everything, it's mostly used in transitions or solos. Electioneering, Climbing up the Walls, Subterranean Homesick Alien, Airbag, The Tourist make me feel like this type of jem session guitar melody writing, which heavily relies on a feeling just overreaches and feels overused really fast. I'm really glad they stopped doing that right away and this wildness grew and spread into other sections of their songwriting. I feel like Kid A is wild in every way but it's so balanced throughout, it's incredible, like the sound of percussion on Idioteque or the free jazz trumpets on The National Anthem - the little things like that make me love Radiohead so much.

Also, let's face it, Thom Yorks singing voice is ugly. It's beatiful, but ugly somehow, which makes it so unique. And the guitars are quite ugly-beautiful too. These two make the worst match. Sometimes the guitars oversaturate Thom's vocals to the point where it's just annoying. That brings me to the best analogy you've ever heard (Being overly ambitious with my statements rhymes with my entire point really well haha)

To me OK Computer is like two bread and butter sandwiches. On one of them the butter is spread splendidly, every bite has this beautiful bread-butter balance, yet the other one has just a slab of butter thrown onto one side of half of it. It's still the softest piece of bread you ever tasted, and the butter has this reach pallette. Tasty but inconsistent. Sometime gross, sometimes underwhelming.

That's what's OK Computer is to me - like it a lot, but it's not the Radiohead, that I fell in love with.