Radiohead - OK Computer

OK Computer - A Beautiful Downer

With their new album, Radiohead has re-set the standard by which the rock bands for the next decade will be judged. "O.K. Computer" is perhaps 1997's second most significant rock album. (In my humble opinion, Bob Dylan's "Time Out of Mind" is about as good as it gets!) Such eloquence and musicianship have rarely combined to create such a riveting and beautiful picture of despair in the electronic age. The characters in these songs are portraits of people in a world that does not know God, where humankind is attempting to evolve into a heartless, computer-brained, technology-governed society.

This release is quite a step forward for Radiohead. 1995's breakthrough album "The Bends" offered a dozen views of our broken world: fractured families, cynicism, disillusionment, rage. It sounded good, but gave us little to think about besides motivations for suicide.

This album? A planet-hopping star-wars action-movie sonic rollercoaster ride! There's aliens. Car crashes. Plane crashes. A bravado rescue of a girl from her cruel father's fortress. Haunting by demons. Men who move so fast that sparks come out of their heads.

"OK Computer" is about the longing for escape from a world gone mad with escapism. "Pull me out of the air crash/ Pull me out of the lake/ 'Cause I'm your superhero..." wails lead singer Thom Yorke. He is crushed by the cruel cruel world and cries out for help, even as he struggles with the self-centered perspective the world has taught him to have. In a society that says "You control your own destiny! Believe in yourself!", a car accident can be a real wake-up call.

What Radiohead's visions lack is hope. There's no one to call for help, even though loud sirens echo from all corners. Taken too seriously this guitar-driven masterpiece is just as likely to drive you off a cliff as the previous album. One can hope that these guys know better, that they're merely illustrating the plight of so many hopeless souls today, and that perhaps they're helping people escape the darkness by revealing it for what it is. Time will tell.

Radiohead credits U2 among their strongest influences. That may be true, but U2 have always pointed to the world's true hope (even though they've done so with subtlety and humor.) Maybe Radiohead should listen to somebody like Bruce Cockburn, a man with a guitar who can invoke just as much pathos and angst, and then can turn our eyes to the stars and show us something more hopeful than a Heaven's Gate-style spaceship getaway. Cockburn knows Someone who just might understand and care about us in our self-destructive plight. (Cockburn's poetic new release "The Charity of Night" is a perfect example of his artistry.)

"OK Computer" shows that Radiohead has the strengths of great bands in hand. Listeners will hear the vast dramatic flourishes of U2 and the mystery and musicianship of REM. The indulgent operatic harmonies of Queen; the rapid-tempo teamwork and energy of Rush. Nirvana's angst and anguish; Pavement's out-of-control spontaneity. The Cure's gloom; Pink Floyd's dark hallucinations.

Fortunately, this gutsy five-some doesn't depend on those influences. They have their own songs to play, and they break a lot of new ground. This is Radiohead, not "that band that sounds like...." Their songs rarely follow formulas; their style is almost like classical, with crisscrossing melodies, different movements within songs, and subtle background activity that rewards repeated listens. Pay attention to Christian rock for a while; it'll be a year or two, but the imitators are sure to appear.

So if rock and roll is your thing, listen closely; enjoy the music. Hopefully you know there are alternatives to the perspectives represented in this album. If you do, then you can enjoy the artistry of this album and find insight into the despair of the modern world, without letting the bleak landscapes discourage you. Otherwise, consider this one of the all time great downers.