Album: The Bends
Artist: Radiohead
Year Released: 1995
I really got into this album...
Circa 2000
Favorite songs include...
“Fake Plastic Trees"
“Planet Telex”
“Street Spirit (Fade Out)”
Why it’s so good...
Thom Yorke has this ability to communicate from this dark, cryptic place that I've never understood while knowing I possess it within myself as well. Yes, he can be a bit of a downer- and this album is a clear sign of that. I mean you can't help but listen to a song like "Bulletproof (I Wish I Was)" and feel pretty bummed for the guy.
But what I really mean is the sincere loneliness we can all sometimes feel in the day-to-day motion of life. He's saying don't lose yourself in routine and the world, or you'll forget how to be happy and complete.
I really enjoy the range of this album. You have some guitar-driven rock tunes in "Just" and "My Iron Lung" (both quite enjoyable to listen on full blast) but it's really balanced with songs like "High & Dry" and one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard "Fake Plastic Trees". Imagine it- one band provides Johnny Greenwood to knock you down with extreme guitar skills, while Thom Yorke makes your heart ache with lyrics like "And if I could be who you wanted all the time".
It's the epitome of college rock. Which at first puts a bad taste in my mouth, yes, but no young adult can help but love it. It's mature but not adult. It's not juvenile- it's intelligent. But still maintaining a sense of honesty and vulnerability.
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