It's weird -- while the band certainly achieved an annointed status, also 
afforded to Wilco and Flaming Lips, IMO, that leads to worship rather than 
objective analysis, I think that Radiohead is a great band.

THE BENDS was simply an awesome record -- one of the most influential albums 
of the last 10 years. Great songs rendered with superb production.  
Everything from the hooks to the playing to the arrangments and details are 
top notch.

OK COMPUTER upped the arty ante.  Before it came out, record company folks 
were alarmed by what they saw as a lack of songs.  But numbers like "Karma 
Police" and "No Surprises" still had conventional melodies and hooks (though 
they were spooky as hell) and rubbed elbows with oddball stuff like 
"Paranoid Android".

For me, the KID A and AMNESIAC duo were near the "fart in a bag" territory.  
I think they were self-indulgent discs by a band doing their lab experiments 
in public, putting the results on display regardless of whether they were 
coherent.  Each disc has it's moments, but the praise heaped on the band, 
IMO, was misguided, as they were being lauded for the output, which wasn't 
that great, rather than the attempt, which was somewhat daring.

However, HAIL TO THE THIEF is a different animal.  I think all of the 
experimenting they did on the last 3 albums comes to fruition brilliantly.  
The band brings back an emphasis on song structure (I've seen reviews and 
such stating to the contrary -- "This isn't much different than KID A and 
AMNESIAC" -- and I think those people must have been smoking crack -- there 
are more structured songs on this album than since THE BENDS, me thinks) 
while incorporating a lot of the things they have learned along the way.  In 
so doing, they have really made a statement that encapsulates the tension 
inherent in their music - technology based alienation from society, 
expressed in music that embraces technology in seemingly every form.  I 
think the album is addictive and is littered with great songs.

Mike Bennett



Record reviews and more at http://fufkin.com





>From: AssociationWorks@aol.com
>Reply-To: audities@smoe.org
>To: audities@smoe.org
>Subject: Radiohead
>Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 12:09:21 EDT
>
>I haven't seen much list discussion on "Hail to the Thief" yet....
>For quite some time now, I've felt that Radiohead was one of the
>most over-rated bands on the planet...and the collective drool
>fest most critics have had over their latest reaffirms my belief...
>I think Spin Magizine Editor-in-Chief Sia Michel said it best several
>months back that the band could virtually "fart into a bag", put in
>on a record and critics and music journalists would call it the best
>thing ever recorded. Does anyone else out there just see these guys
>as a by-the-numbers indie rock band that's mediocre at best....or am
>I missing something completely? Just curious for some other feedback...
>
>Jeff

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