My baby's got the bends...oh no!! (The Bends - Radiohead)

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Product:	The Bends - Radiohead
Date:	25/06/01 (3 review reads)
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it's amazing how quick people are to point out that "ok computer" is the greatest album of the 90s. it's a damn good record, but it isn't even the best radiohead material out there. "the bends" is better. yeah, yeah, crazy experimentation is great, especially when it all works out well, but sometimes it's a little excessive and seems forced. this album is decidedly different from conventional pop-rock, but it never sounds like that was done intentionally. thom yorke himself admitted that "the bends" dealt with his personal demons or whatever you want to call them - a trait that is not readily apparent in any of the newer albums. as with poetry, music is always better when it is personal, simply because it's what you know best. maybe i'm generalizing, but this album has a much more passionate, emotional feel to it, especially in comparison to the intentionally lifeless (in my opinion) "kid a." listening to "high & dry", "fake plastic trees", and "black star", that much is evident. not surprisingly, this is also yorke's best singing. "planet telex" has a slight psychedelic tinge to it with the reverb on full display, creating a spacey, but intricate sound that is perfect for such an intro. what follows is a stunning example of balance and beauty. unlike other bands' sorry attempts to recreate the aura of this album, this is not sappy, mushy pop-rock. yorke pulls off the cobain-esque trick of spouting out his feelings wholeheartedly, yet the listener immediately makes a deep connection. as he sings in the record's best song, the loud and energetic "just", "don't get my sympathy, hanging out the 15th floor." that pretty much sums up his take on misplaced sympathy, which instantly ups his credibility throughout the album. once you realize that, somehow the title track sounds like your life; somehow "my iron lung" is an eeri
ly familiar picture of your frustrations, even though the song is about radiohead's hatred for "creep." somehow, i think that "the bends" will be lost in the shuffle when people mention radiohead twenty years down the road, but that doesn't take anything away from this. it's easier to enjoy every single song here equally, and it's easier to associate with them as well. in the end, that is what makes this one of the best and most important rock albums of the 90s. if you're a fan of u2, travis, or coldplay, this is the only radiohead album that will truly satisfy you.

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