Radiohead; Top Three Albums
- Bradley Lengden
- Aug 21, 2017
- 2 min read
Since re-emerging last year with their incredible comeback record, A Moon Shaped Pool, Radiohead have been catapulted back into being of the most widely talked about bands on the planet, culminating with a historic return to Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage.
A band who have pushed boundaries and surprised throughout their 20+ year career, no Radiohead track has sounded similar to the last. From Greenwood's mastery of the guitar to Thom Yorke's obsession with electronics, it's hard to recall a band in recent memory blessed with as much musical prowess and drive to break through artistic walls as Radiohead possess.
The sheer diversity means that you could probably ask any fan, and no top three album picks would be the same, but here's my punt at it.
3. A Moon Shaped Pool Just sneaking in ahead of The Bends, is the long overdue comeback. The mystery that surrounded the whole release completed the experience, people receiving strange flyers through their door with lyrics from the lead single 'Burn The Witch' set up something spectacular. Seemingly stepping away from the electronic lead latter albums, A Moon Shaped Pool proved to be something of an orchestral masterpiece thanks to tracks like 'The Numbers' as well as providing a sense of closure for long-time fans finally hearing finished products of tracks like 'True Love Waits' that debuted all them years ago.
2. Amnesiac
A record that sounds daunting and twisted throughout. As Yorke's slur of a war cry in 'You And Whose Army' grow into a wail there's a sense of unease that is evident from the first track. That unease sounds even more prominent in the closing number 'Life In A Glasshouse' as the brass section can't help but feel like a descent into madness that has been happening through the course of the album. Radiohead seem to have always given voice to those who are different, and Amnesiac feels like it captures that as well as any album does.
1. Ok Computer It seems wrong to label an album as a seminal one, but in terms of impact, Ok Computer is as powerful and relevant as ever. The paranoia that's conveyed through it, the dystopian overtones are something that seem more relatable every day. The historic mansion used to record in allows every echo and reverb to be felt on a complete other level and only adds to that haunting nature of the record. From the epic rock opera of 'Paranoid Android' to the digital reading of 'Fitter Happier' Ok Computer shaped Radiohead and gave them that iconic and enigmatic persona that shrouds them to this day.