[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Cover of The Bends"]
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I love Radiohead. I got into them about ten years ago when Hail to the Thief came out in 2003. We all know Radiohead. If you don't know their music, you know their name. They are iconic in the music industry and definitely associated with the idea of resisting pop culture, partly because of their lyrics, which tend to have a tone of exclusion from the mainstream. But Radiohead has also resisted the mainstream by releasing their latest albums (In Rainbows and King of Limbs) independently. I should mention, though, that they are only able to do this with great success because of their initial work with EMI.
The crazy thing is, I never listened to The Bends (or any of their other albums pre-2003) from start to finish. I would consider myself part of the "newer" Radiohead generation, so when I listened to The Bends, I expected much more electronic, synth- and FX-driven tunes with code-like lyrics that evoke a lot of emotion but don't always make sense. On The Bends, I found something totally different. I love how stripped down the band sounds after listening to all of their digitized releases in the past ten years.
Listening to The Bends feels like a momentous and special experience for me, and I think a lot of it is because their sound is totally different than I expected. The recording has got a real sense of togetherness in the instrumentation, but still feels like it still incorporates enough room for each band member to breath and move a bit within the framework they obviously laid down before recording. I love the clean, precise grunginess of the title track, and then the contrast of moving from "The Bends" to "High and Dry", which is well-known for its stripped-down sound and lyrical honesty. Would you believe me if I told you that I heard Jamie Cullum's version of "High and Dry" (from Twentysomething) before I heard the Radiohead version? True story.
The Bends was released in 2003 after Radiohead's debut, Pablo Honey, put them in the spotlight. As their career progresses, you can see that they resist the idea of mainstream-pop lifestyle and success. The Bends is a demonstration of this, with songs like "Fake Plastic Trees", which is a very obvious comment on a culture of fakeness, referring to personalities, and also plastic surgery. But, as Yorke sings, "gravity always wins".
"Sulk" was the first track that really reminded me of any of Radiohead's newer music, but only because the drums at the beginning of the song reminded me of "Weird Fishes/Arpeggio" from In Rainbows.
I don't even know what to write about the last two tracks. As "Sulk" begins, it creates a feeling of isolation which shifts into resignation, especially as the track ends and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" begins. Apparently Yorke says that "Street Spirit" is their saddest song. As I listen to this track, I get an overwhelming sense of calmness, even as I feel like I'm drift down this tunnel of despair. Its tragically beautiful, just as the entire album finishes with one last, powerful thought, almost as one last exhale: "immerse yourself in love".
I want to know about your experiences with this album, so please tell me what you think! I love it and I am so glad that I finally sat down to listen to it, start to finish.
[/caption]
I love Radiohead. I got into them about ten years ago when Hail to the Thief came out in 2003. We all know Radiohead. If you don't know their music, you know their name. They are iconic in the music industry and definitely associated with the idea of resisting pop culture, partly because of their lyrics, which tend to have a tone of exclusion from the mainstream. But Radiohead has also resisted the mainstream by releasing their latest albums (In Rainbows and King of Limbs) independently. I should mention, though, that they are only able to do this with great success because of their initial work with EMI.
The crazy thing is, I never listened to The Bends (or any of their other albums pre-2003) from start to finish. I would consider myself part of the "newer" Radiohead generation, so when I listened to The Bends, I expected much more electronic, synth- and FX-driven tunes with code-like lyrics that evoke a lot of emotion but don't always make sense. On The Bends, I found something totally different. I love how stripped down the band sounds after listening to all of their digitized releases in the past ten years.
Listening to The Bends feels like a momentous and special experience for me, and I think a lot of it is because their sound is totally different than I expected. The recording has got a real sense of togetherness in the instrumentation, but still feels like it still incorporates enough room for each band member to breath and move a bit within the framework they obviously laid down before recording. I love the clean, precise grunginess of the title track, and then the contrast of moving from "The Bends" to "High and Dry", which is well-known for its stripped-down sound and lyrical honesty. Would you believe me if I told you that I heard Jamie Cullum's version of "High and Dry" (from Twentysomething) before I heard the Radiohead version? True story.
The Bends was released in 2003 after Radiohead's debut, Pablo Honey, put them in the spotlight. As their career progresses, you can see that they resist the idea of mainstream-pop lifestyle and success. The Bends is a demonstration of this, with songs like "Fake Plastic Trees", which is a very obvious comment on a culture of fakeness, referring to personalities, and also plastic surgery. But, as Yorke sings, "gravity always wins".
"Sulk" was the first track that really reminded me of any of Radiohead's newer music, but only because the drums at the beginning of the song reminded me of "Weird Fishes/Arpeggio" from In Rainbows.
I don't even know what to write about the last two tracks. As "Sulk" begins, it creates a feeling of isolation which shifts into resignation, especially as the track ends and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" begins. Apparently Yorke says that "Street Spirit" is their saddest song. As I listen to this track, I get an overwhelming sense of calmness, even as I feel like I'm drift down this tunnel of despair. Its tragically beautiful, just as the entire album finishes with one last, powerful thought, almost as one last exhale: "immerse yourself in love".
I want to know about your experiences with this album, so please tell me what you think! I love it and I am so glad that I finally sat down to listen to it, start to finish.
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