OK Computer

First off, thanks to @Flapjack483 for putting me on this. This is phenomenal

Radiohead is definitely a band. They might be in your neighbour's CD collection, they might hold a special place in some RYM user's heart, they might be hated to the core by some random guy on Twitter. However, I think there's no denying the impact that Radiohead has had on music as a whole. They have a classic lineup featuring 'A Moon Shaped Pool', 'In Rainbows' and 'Kid A', but are going to talk about one of their albums in particular. One which has been regarded as one of the best albums of all time by fans and critics alike, an album that pushed boundaries mixing rock with electronic. That album is the 1997 'OK Computer'.

First off, the sounds are perfectly executed. It's messy, it's calm, it's sad, you name it. This album is a big witches brew of various sounds and feelings that really kinda immerse you in the album. You are able to feel so much when you listen to this, which is something a lot of artists and albums fail to do perfectly, especially in an album like this where it was experimenting with the new electronic stuff happening in those years. This album was really ahead of its time with how it is sonically which is something I greatly appreciate it for.

Let's talk about the songs now. 'Airbag', the starting track, is such a raw way to open the track but it works so well. Everything going on at the same time over Thom's vocals really makes for a messy beauty. Definitely surprised me when I started listening to the album considering I hears 'No Surprises' in the past and while this did catch me off guard it was a very pleasant surprise.

'Paranoid Android' has that same sort of feeling but in my opinion it doesn't really hit the same as 'Airbag'. I see the vision, it does have the same sort of feelings as the track before it but while the song may be great it doesn't do it as good for me as 'Airbag' does. Like I said, still a good track, but not as good as the first one.

'Subterranean Homesick Alien' flips the sound with a more calm feeling, if you can call it that? It still has some partial elements of the last two but overall this felt much smoother to me in terms of how raw this album has been so far, and I love it for that. How you can completely turn the narrative and make it sound amazing is something hard to do.

'Karma Police' continues the album with a song that holds more meaning. A song with simple lyrics, the meaning is more than that. This song is about karma, hence the name 'Karma Police', and the lead singer Thom Yorke sings about judgement with the lines "Karma police, arrest this man / He talks in maths, he buzzes like a fridge". The whole song is about judgement and judging people badly can still make you feel guilty about the same things. Meaningful song which sounds basic while also being great for the ears.

I think there is no surprise when it comes to the fact that 'No Surprises' is my favourite song from here, like many of us. It is one of the most sombre sock songs I think I have ever heard. Everything about it, the instrumental that gives you the immediate feeling of sadness, to Yorke's meaningful lyrics, makes it the most emotionally connecting song here, and maybe one of the most sad songs of all time. I have cried to this song before which shows you just how powerful this song is. Call me basic but this is definitely my top 1 for the album.

All in all, yeah this definitely deserves the spot it has as one of the greatest albums of all time. Once again thanks to Flapjack for suggesting this to me, I've got a couple more suggestions from you that I will get to. I love this album, definitely one of the greatest of all time.

100/100

Favourite songs: No Surprises, Airbag
Least favourite: Paranoid Android