I have gained the travel bug in the last few years and have had the chance to discover many new and ...
I have gained the travel bug in the last few years and have had the chance to discover many new and wonderfull places. Some I have already written about and the others no doubt I will get round to them at some point.
I enjoy many forms of music and...
Member since:03.08.2000
Reviews:86
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After immersing myself in Kid A and Amnesiac for months I got this out and rediscovered the joys of listening to simpler, more accessible, almost singalong, good old fashioned adult rock. This for me is the best album they have so far produced. Add to the fact that they dedicated it to Bill Hicks just raises them in my eyes by another notch.
This was actually the first Radiohead album I had bought, enticed in by the ethereal sounds of Street Spirit on a free magazine cover disk. Thank you Q !!
From the opening reverb and guitars on Planet Telex to the opening words, “you can force it but it will not come” sums up the style of writing and delivery of song in this album and later that will soon take over his entire voice in Kid A etc. In this particular song Thom sings with a gusto and only a hint of an edge leaving it balanced and complementing the song rather than trying to take it over by forcing our attention onto it.
The Bends at times almost dives into heavy metal
only to save itself suddenly at the last moment with neat twists in the riffs and shifts back into quiet sections with Thom pleading before the band launches into full scale guitar hero mode. Unlike many tracks it also asks serious questions and allies itself to many peoples confusion to paraphrase where in fact do we go from here ?
To High and Dry is the answer. I always find this is one of the songs I quite happily hum along to putting my own spin on the lyrics rather than the dark shadows and meanings that gave birth to it. The music itself, if broken down to its individual parts aren’t that good, the bass is solid and steady, the drums go along for the ride and the lead guitar just gently strums along but that is the beauty of it. It sucks you in leading you away on a four minute journey waking up at the end thinking what happened ?
What happened, well all these shiny happy people got found out to be false and worthless and made of Fake Plastic Trees. Taken at any level, this can be aimed at a single person, a group, a thing, a country a feeling. One of the best depressive songs of the decade with the acoustic guitar, keyboard drums, Thoms voice all mixing in and out of each other in one long plaintive beautiful whinge against anyone and everyone.
For me Bones just doesn’t quite click, I don’t know what it is about it, the lyrics are as acute and pointed as ever talking about the ongoing pain of life, the mix is maybe a bit too grungy, I don’t know. Perhaps the weakest track on the cd.
Nice Dream takes us back to the territory of the acoustics taking the lead, the bass and drums not being over done, creating again, well a dream a like quality. A Nice Dream indeed except for the large explosion of heavy guitars in the middle. Was it a dream or a nightmare ? Or more confusingly a mixture ?
Just is probably the closest Radiohead will get to doing a full psychological profile of a victim who cant break the downward circle of fear. Scary song, scary guitars, scary voice.
My Irong Lung is surprisingly an almost totally live track, only the vocals were re-recorded. What were the band going through “we are losing it cant you tell” ( and did they realise things would get worse in later years ) when they wrote this. Whatever, for anyone having a hard time I recommend it as a defence against the world.
From the hell that was to the heaven that awaits. Bullet Proof is a gentle wistful thing that would willingly send you to sleep it you let it. All is designed to comfort not to worry, from the vague touches of the guitars, the almost inaudible keyboards to the merest brushing of the drums.
Black Star is again for me a bit of a filler in the album, in another album it would be seen as very good but battling against the standard here it loses out.
Sulk lives up to its name with Thom throwing a big one but somehow pulling it off and carrying it above his head like the world cup, showing it off to the world. For me the best part is the last minute or so when Thom just lets himself free and his voices soars carrying all before it and the rest of the band with it almost not keeping up with his pace.
To what is the best Radiohead track of all time. Street Spirit. This is in fact the first track I had ever heard of theirs and what an introduction. The gentle introduction of a single guitar repeating the same pattern again and again, then Thoms voice fading in and out ( pun intended ) the rest of the band then joining in, gently, patiently, with a ting of a triangle it builds, emotionally physically leaving you knowing nothing but its beauty until with a final plea of “immerse your soul in love” it dies.
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After the massive success of Pablo Honey--or, more specifically, the single "Creep"--had ... more
made them a household name, most had written Radiohead off as one-hit wonders. That they could return with an album as awesome and monumental as The Bends, therefo...
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Advantages: Some Fantastic Tracks, no weak ones at all. As close to a flawless album I think I have heard Disadvantages: None, unless you dont like Radiohead
Andy.mack 15.11.2003 (05.04.2004)
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