OK COMPUTER

In the eyes of many, Radiohead is known as one of the more creative and original bands of their era. One of the few Progressive bands that reached mainstream attention during the 1990s, Radiohead's combination of prog weirdness and pop sensibilities culminated with 'OK Computer,' an absolutely stunning masterpiece, that ranks up with the Beatles' 'Revolver' and Dream Theater's 'Images And Words' as one of those albums that has that immortal power to blow one's mind.

The weirdness kicks off from the first second onward, and you would have to be utterly blind to think that there's nothing progressive or innovative about the band, whether or not the particular sound suits you or not. While the opener 'Airbag' is weird on it's own, the album reaches its first climax with the second song, the epic suite 'Paranoid Suite,' a piece that is on par with other songs of it's ilk such as 'Bohemian Rhapsody' or 'Stairway To Heaven.' The song represents perfectly; the band's power and skill as a musical unit. Non-believers of Radiohead should give this song a listen, and potentially reconsider why they don't like the band, when they have such superb material like that.

As the album goes on, I really got a nice realization of how superior the flow is on the album, and how consistently pleasant the music is to listen to. The other song I really love (besides 'Paranoid Android') is 'Exit Music (For A Film)' an incredibly melancholic ballad that builds up into the highest emotional point of the album itself, which can't be described as anything besides gut-wrenching.

While Radiohead has arguably made more progressive stuff in the years following this album (such as the incredibly challenging 'Kid A,') in my opinion, Radiohead has never made an album with such a balance between conventional songwriting and complex composition, emotion and intensity, accessibility and progressiveness. 'OK Computer' is one of the essential albums of the 1990s, and providing that there isn't some pre-existing uncompromising hatred towards the band (as I know that a lot of br00tal progheads are very critical of Radiohead) this is an amazing piece of music, and a perfect representation of the band's unique sensibility. Five stars.

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