OK COMPUTER

I can appreciate OK COMPUTER for what it's worth, a massively successful indie-art rock album. Radiohead can create interesting atmospheres with the keyboards they use and all guitarists on board aren't too shabby, eschewing solos for more effect-driven texture staplings.

However, I follow this album as just a plain old indie-rock album with artsy tricks splattered all over the place. The opening third of the album holds promise with only ''Subterranean Homesick Alien'' being disposable. ''Airbag'' is a solid opener leaning towards Nirvana (Seattle band), and ''Paranoid Android'' is a good enough art rock tune that acts as an epic for Radiohead with the dynamic changes, although the comparisons to ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' are overcooked. ''Exit Music'' is the best track here for the climactic build to the end; pieces that are a big crescendo are usually my cup of tea.

After ''Let Down'', OK COMPUTER is a letdown. There are little remarkable tracks to speak of. The crescendo trick that worked on ''Exit Music'' fails on other tracks like ''No Surprises'' (title speaks for itself) and ''Lucky'' (the wah guitar at the end made me notice). ''Climbing Up the Walls'' has a padded-room effect to the sound, but never really impressed me.

OK COMPUTER is almost monotone in its sound. While loud, many times the guitars work better than turkey in terms of putting me to sleep. Yorke's vocals are rather dry and monotone that have few standout moments (with the exception of the horrible falsettos in ''Paranoid Android''). The drumming is rather stiff and unexciting, and I can't find the bass.

All indie rock fans and 90's nostalgists should have a copy of this. Prog rock fans will likely be confused by the seemingly generic rock. Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't figure out where the prog rock is on OK COMPUTER.