Bends, The - Radiohead > Reviews > Where do we go from here...

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Sublime Music
Disadvantages:	Screams out to be listened to .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The first mega-successful album by Radiohead is the best for me. It will remain one of the best and most influential albums of the Nineties and rightly so. But one warning. You cannot take this album at face value! If you listen to it once and don’t like it, then do not write it off – you’ll miss out!

After buying Pablo Honey, and loving it, at first this album didn’t live up to expectations. There were none of the lively songs, like ‘Anyone can play Guitar’, or ‘Ripcord’. The only song with a bit of life seemed to be ‘Just’, and that was the only one with understandable lyrics. After listening to the album once, I put it back on the shelf and cursed myself for wasting £13 on such a depressing album. But, about a month later, after persuasion from friends, I put the CD back in my player, and gave it another try!

I’m glad I did! I don’t know whether it was the mood I was in, or whether my expectations were simply too high, but there is a lot more depth to the album than I had previously thought! Songs that seem depressing are full of guitar melodies and haunting lyrics that add life and soul to them. Radiohead aren’t a band that rely on anything in their songs – they use melodies, strong lyrics, percussion and now synthesisers and special FX machines and come up with a surreal, yet sublime sound that no other band has been able to produce.

So here’s my guide to the album, track by track – forgive me if I’m a little over enthusiastic!

1) PLANET TELEX – Slightly ethereal opening – like wind over a hillside. Leads to a powerful song where Thom Yorke provides the main changes with his voice – the guitars play mainly the same tunes over and over with an FX machine used and melodies laid over one another. Ends on a repeat of a simple guitar melody. Good opening tune in it’s own right, but a little under par when compared to the rest of the album.

2) THE BENDS - The title track has a strong opening and leads into some classic Radiohead – Thom giving it everything, interspersed with great guitar tunes, building up to a crescendo of Yorke and Ed competing for the best bits. Sounds like an angry song, one of the few based on a boy-girl relationship! Deserves the name.

3) HIGH AND DRY - The first really depressing song. Exquisite melody and Thom reverting to his quiet, contemplating lyrics to provide a song that can make you want to cry. Again, the voice and the guitars back each other perfectly and produce a song that has become famous even though it was never meant to.

4) FAKE PLASTIC TREES – Slightly silly sounding lyrics and a quiet tune. Sounds a little like an Oasis song gone wrong. Very depressing and during the bridge and chorus, you can imagine the anguish the singer would be going through if he meant what he was singing. ‘It wears me out’ sounds like an anthem for a writer who cannot explain how he feels. Makes you think and feel depressed for Yorke, yet, still a great tune to listen to.

5) BONES – Opening sounds like a guitar being played by many three-year-olds. Strong lyrics again, broken up by echoing guitars and once more, Thom fighting the percussion and guitars for supremacy. Disdainful sounding lyrics are almost spat out and this produces another angry song. One of the average songs on the album!

6) [NICE DREAM] - Quiet opening leads you into a false sense of security. A strong melody is played quietly and Thom Yorke sings distressing lyrics in a tone that makes you feel he may be losing his mind. The other members of the band can be heard singing, just before a sudden change of mood leads to a brilliant crescendo of guitars. Disturbing, yet sheer magic!

7) JUST – Probably the most famous of the songs on the album and the second best (in my opinion). The song swings between quiet (ish) annoyance, to full-blown anger. Absolutely brilliant mix of the best bits of Radiohead. The guitars have the best instrumental of the whole album and move between hard rock and indie sound effortlessly! Brilliance itself!

8) MY IRON LUNG – Another really depressing sounding tune. The guitars have their own way in this song being as the lyrics are mumbled, as if Yorke doesn’t even have the energy to sing. But, they do a good job, and when you do manage to catch the words, you feel a sense of pity for the singer. Sad lyrics, but still a good song.

9) BULLET PROOF… I WISH I WAS – One of my favourites, but probably the most disturbing of the lot! Synthesiser and guitar open the song and continue throughout the song, creating an eerie atmosphere, fuelled by lyrics like ‘heat the pins and stab them in’. The background effects make the song, and are the first indications of where Radiohead were going with the next 3 albums.

10) BLACK STAR – Fades in, which sounds great, but is quite an unusual effect! Thom hits the high notes in a falsetto voice and then deepens for a rich chorus full of great phrases and some guitar melodies that almost sound like ‘ad-libs’. Not one of the best, but still an average attempt at a rock-type sound by the band.

11) SULK – This song is almost instantly forgettable – Radiohead have a habit of putting n average song just before the end of an album –they did it with Lurgee on Pablo Honey. The reason why it’s forgettable is probably because the guitars almost drown the lyrics, which are unintelligible anyway. The meaning of the song is quite true, but they just aren’t given enough conviction. The worst song on the album.

12) STREET SPIRIT [FADEOUT] – The best always comes at the end. This song is haunting and soulful, without being too depressing. The guitar opens the song with a simple repeating melody, a little like No Surprises. This repeating is continued throughout with only key changes and a little backing from percussion and second guitar. Thom Yorke puts his heart and soul into the lyrics, which can make you cry if you let them. And there’s an extra treat as the rest of the band sing again. This song is even better live. Absolutely perfect. I love it!

Just buy it and listen to it – as often as you can. You won’t regret giving it a chance – promise!