Radiohead : The Bends

Thom Yorke's voice on the 2nd album has become the central point for the band by the time of this record and it still sounds (for me) to be at it's pinnacle with The Bends - not matched subsequently. Track two - 'The Bends' has remained for me one of the strongest openings to a track ever - John Leckie's production of the soft/hard blend that became a staple of Radiohead songs. The double tracking of electric and acoustic guitar on this track and others on the album is another prominent feature. Choppy guitar interlaced with a swirling chorus takes the song to it's strength (and a rarity) the best part of the song is the bridge. Yorke's semi-rap propels the song to the sing along coda of "I want to live, breath, I want to be part of the human race" (a wee bit melodramatic but at that age I felt the isolation too...sure..!).



"Just" is maybe the strongest link to the first album in sound - and I think is the only disposable song on the album. I just (sic) think it's one of those songs that 'tries too hard' which is a pet peeve of mine. Whereas the rest of the record feels like part of a bigger whole 'Just' is too spikey and contrived. My Iron Lung on the other hand could be seen as a harbinger for what Radiohead would become on OK Computer. Huge arrangements and intricacies make you listen intently as the song never goes quite where you expect it to...which is excellent.

The last four tracks on the album have their own environ in my opinion as what was pretty much a rock/singles album becomes a lot larger and more thematic. Beginning with Bullet Proof the album goes to a different level. One of the first Radiohead songs that plays with the 'less is more' theory, the very acoustic track with heavy background noise by Greenwood is as beautiful now as when I first heard it all those years ago. Black Star has an opening that fools you into expecting another loud 'rocker' but then segues into another gentler number which showcases Yorke's ability to make his voice the lead instrument. A great song that still sounds fresh as a daisy. 'Sulk' is a song that I would have really like to have been an instrumental so you could hear the bassline more clearly. It's got wonderful guitar/bass overlays and I think it really is a song that it somewhat drowned in the vocals. Has there even been an instrumental version? I must find out.

The album closes with 'Street Spirit' which then (as now) sounds like something you first heard when you were 3 years old. So ingrained is the natural chord progression that I've wondered for years whether the song was 'borrowed' from elsewhere or if it simply is just that good. Perfect film score music - so long as the film is good.