Radiohead
OK Computer
Play OK Computer
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MOG Editorial Review
OK Computer marked the moment when Radiohead went from merely being another alternative band and transformed them into the forward-thinking, critically lauded band they are today. The epic "Paranoid Android," at over six minutes long, show that they had much more talent and ideas than most of their contemporaries, and the album's centerpiece only scratches the surface. It flawlessly builds from an acoustic opening, gradually becoming more layered, bolstered by a surging bass line, toward a spiraling array of guitar wizardry before it's back to a melodic and beautifully hummed second half. Elsewhere, "Exit Music (For A Film)" and "Subterranean Homesick Alien" start to hint at the futuristic textures they would make on later albums like the equally beloved Kid A. With so much going on at once, OK Computer only gets more entrancing with every listen, especially as Radiohead continue to evolve further from their traditional rock past.
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AMG Review of OK Computer
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music GuideUsing the textured soundscapes of The Bends as a launching pad, Radiohead delivered another startlingly accomplished set of modern guitar rock with OK Computer. The anthemic guitar heroics present on Pablo Honey and even The Bends are nowhere to be heard here. Radiohead have stripped away many of the obvious elements of guitar rock, creating music that is subtle and textured yet still has the feeling of rock & roll. Even at its most adventurous -- such as the complex, multi-segmented "Paranoid Android" -- the band is tight, melodic, and muscular, and Thom Yorke's voice effortlessly shifts from a sweet falsetto to vicious snarls. It's a thoroughly astonishing demonstration of musical virtuosity and becomes even more impressive with repeated listens, which reveal subtleties like electronica rhythms, eerie keyboards, odd time signatures, and complex syncopations. Yet all of this would simply be showmanship if the songs weren't strong in themselves, and OK Computer is filled with moody masterpieces, from the shimmering "Subterranean Homesick Alien" and the sighing "Karma Police" to the gothic crawl of "Exit Music (For a Film)." OK Computer is the album that establishes Radiohead as one of the most inventive and rewarding guitar rock bands of the '90s.
 "OK Computer")
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- Release Date 1997
- Label EMI UK
- Genre Alternative/Indie
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