OK Computer is regarded as Radiohead’s magnum opus, and by many as one of the 90s’ greatest albums and one of the greatest albums of all time. As with all great bands and albums, there are plenty of detractors, but it is hard to deny OK Computer's brilliance. It was a breath of fresh air in the often brash, laddish world of Britpop. A stylistic contrast from their previous effort The Bends, OK Computer is an observational, eerily beautiful and often scary guitar based album. “Paranoid Android” lives up to its name, a fierce, sprawling track of intense guitars and shifting vocals. “Exit Music (For a Film)” is as epic and chillingly inspiring as the music of the composer who inspired it, Ennio Morricone. “No Surprises” is simply a beautifully written song, and proves Thom Yorke’s way with melody, as does “Let Down”. This track also displays Jonny Greenwood’s guitar virtuosity in its arpeggios and a solo played in a different time signature. Lyrically, the album captures alienation in the technological age perfectly, particularly on massive centrepiece “Karma Police”. This, and the album’s whole legacy within guitar music, makes OK Computer perhaps more relevant in 2010 that it was in 1997.
10.0/10
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