I don't even know where to begin with this album other than stating that it is without question my favorite album of all time, and will probably remain in that spot for the foreseeable future. It is simply perfection. I'd even go far enough to say that it is the greatest album of my generation (some would say "What about Nevermind?!" I wasn't even fucking conceived when that album came out so, obviously, that album doesn't count.) It is a feat of songwriting and minimalistic art-rock beauty. For me personally, this album is almost inexplicable, it's just hard to comprehend making it difficult to explain. Why it's my favorite album, how I've felt listening to it, the album's style, it's all difficult to put into words, but shit, I'm gonna give it my best attempt
I remember being a depressed, pimply 8th grader when this album entered my life. The year was 2006, almost a decade after the album was originally released in 1997 when I was only 4 years old. I was in the car with my dad on the way to my Grandma's restaurant Marino's where I bussed tables every weekend (4475 Ingraham St. great pizza!) Anyway, my dad had a burnt copy of the album and inserted it into the drive, and upon hearing that unforgettable, anthemic opening riff, I knew this was going to be an album I would grow to love, I just didn't know how fast I would grow to love it. By the time the dark, dramatic "Exit Music (For a Film)" was playing through the speakers, I was sold: this album is a masterpiece. And that was only the fourth track! The rest of the album luckily did not disappoint. You have the plaintive piano driven "Karma Police" and the hard rocking "Electioneering" along with the emotional "No Surprises" and the relaxing "The Tourist". Oh, and don't forget the masterpiece "Paranoid Android" which is undeniably the "Bohemian Rhapsody" of the alternative generation with all its twists, turns, and pitfalls over its six and a half minute runtime. The problem here is that the adjectives I'm using to describe these tracks just don't do these songs justice, going back to what I said earlier about this album being hard to describe. In short, I had to listen to this album again ASAP, so as soon as I came home that weekend I ran it through my boombox and it was even more impressive than before as I picked up on more nuances. Singer Thom Yorke's vocals can be off-putting to some, but I thought his high, yearning vocal delivery fit the music and did the songs justice. Johnny Greenwood and Ed O'brian's minimalistic guitar work is simply delightful and a major departure from their work on the band's previous album, The Bends, which some critics called a savior of guitar-rock in a post Nirvana musical landscape. Instead of a guitar dominated rock sound, Greenwood and company (Yorke also plays guitar) throw in wispy guitar licks here and there, but somehow, the music on this thing sounds lush and vibrant, not weak and thin. However, there are some moments of dense guitar to add some variety; the heavy part in "Paranoid Android" and the aforementioned rocker "Electioneering". There's excellent variety WITHOUT sounding inconsistent. In fact, this is one of the most cohesive albums I've ever heard.
Another thing that needs to be mentioned about this album is it's over arching theme which adds even more depth to this album, as if the music wasn't already enough. The themes deal with political unrest, alienation, and a world that's moving at too-fast a pace and made cold by a new digitized age of information. Basically, this album is not only a musical masterpiece, but a prophetic one. While not a concept album, the over-arching theme makes this album stand out among it's contemporaries, and its sometimes tortured subject matter hit home for me, a person who leans toward the darker side of things. The album's message can be summed up on the 7th track "Fitter, Happier" which is marked by a digitized voice reciting a list of life instruction set to an unbelievably haunting piano track, and this track may never leave your mind for as long as you live.
For years I listened to this album mostly in a state of ignorance. I didn't know about the over-arching themes within the album's lyrics until a couple years ago, but on top of that, I didn't even know what the album cover looked like because it was just a burnt copy. Shit, I didn't even know the names of the fucking songs for years! I just listened and enjoyed, as I do to this day. But I don't listen to this album too often because I just don't want this thing to loose its effect on me, but almost every time I listen to it, I notice a little something I've never noticed before. A blip here, a bleep there, little beats tucked away in the corners, it's an album that keeps on giving, and that's just one reason why, out of the 500 plus albums in my collection, this is my favorite of them all.
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