Radiohead marathon part 2
A couple of months ago, I decided to re-evaluate my long-held hatred for Radiohead and their works, by sitting down and listening to their first five albums in a row. I learned that my teenage self was wrong: Radiohead are capable of producing good music. However, they don't seem to be capable of doing so consistently. Some of their albums I genuinely (in the main) liked: Pablo Honey is a decentish soft-rock album, Kid A was enjoyable enough, and Amnesiac was actually quite good, apart from a couple of tracks I absolutely loathed. If I'd been able to approach The Bends on my own terms, I might have quite liked it: it's not Physical Graffiti or Nevermind or Kind of Blue or Rounds, but, you know, there are some good bits in there. As it is, though, my conditioned flinch reaction to the sound of Thom Yorke's voice - like that of a puppy that's been kicked too many times - makes listening to it really rather stressful. And OK Computer is just a trainwreck.
[While I'm aware that my opinions on music are largely subjective, I shall be stating them as facts throughout this post. This will hopefully spare us a tedious debate about the philosophy of aesthetics and keep my prose crisper.]
Radiohead have just released a new album, and so it's time to finish off the project and listen to their albums Hail to the Thief, In Rainbows and The King of Limbs. Afterwards, if I still have time and energy, I'll listen to the Easy Star All Stars' Radiodread, a reggae version of OK Computer. As before, I'll put up comments under each track name as I get to it, so check back throughout the afternoon.
Hail to the Thief
2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.)
Started out like it was going to be Interesting and Different, but then it's straight back into their mid-Nineties sound. Dull. Gets a bit louder at about 2:00, then there's a fun mariachi-style bit at about 2:30. Ended better than it began, some nice stuff going on in the background, but overall I'm not that impressed.
Sit Down. Stand Up. (Snakes & Ladders.)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH.
I'm not sure who that backing singer is, but I hate his voice too.
Good bassline starts kicking in at about 2:30, then it goes into a crescendo/accelerando thing, getting really quite good by 3:30. Ends well.
Sail to the Moon. (Brush the Cobwebs Out of the Sky.)
I'm sure in certain moods the dreamy, portentous piano intro would work for me. I'm not in one of those moods right now.
The vocals continue in the "dreamy dirge" vein. I hope the whole album isn't going to be like this.
Backdrifts. (Honeymoon Is Over.)
Was that a callback to the Doctor Who theme I heard there?
Reminds me a bit of early Nine Inch Nails, this.
The "wob-wob-wob" noises at about 4:00 are cool.
Goddamn it, Spotify.
Go to Sleep. (Little Man Being Erased.)
Heavy bluegrass influence. Opens well. I'm quite enjoying the singing, though a quick Google reveals that it is indeed Yorke.
Where I End and You Begin. (The Sky Is Falling In.)
Big contrast between the end of the last track and the opening of this one.
I feel a responsibility to say something intelligent or at least amusing about this track, because it's apparently luckylove's favourite Radiohead track OF ALL TIME. But I've just listened to it twice, and it failed to hold my attention both times. It was OK, I guess. Pleasant background music. Not as good as Go to Sleep, but better than anything else so far today.
We Suck Young Blood. (Your Time Is Up.)
A cool 15-second instrumental break at the 3:00 mark surrounded by four minutes and 41 seconds of boring dirge.
The Gloaming. (Softly Open Our Mouths in the Cold.)
Going a bit Aphex Twin here. Nice drum loop kicks in at 0:45.
Hey, the wob-wob-wob noise is back.
I thought my phone was going off for a minute, but no, they've used my ringtone as a sample. Or some Google engineer has used their sample as a ringtone. Probably the latter, to be honest. Or I'm just pattern-matching and drawing conclusions based on superficial similarities.
It's easier to listen to than most actual Aphex Twin, but (for that same reason!) lacks the uncompromising integrity of his work.
There There. (The Boney King of Nowhere.)
Intro reminds me of From Dusk Till Dawn, the greatest vampire movie of all time.
Interesting how the guitar part segued from the initial bleakly threatening tone to something altogether warmer by 1:15.
This track's pretty cool.
Not having a telly and not listening to commercial radio, I have managed to avoid actually listening to a "compare the meerkat" advert until this moment. I can't say the experience has enhanced my life.
I Will. (No Man's Land.)
I'd have to check the lyrics to be sure, but I think this may well be an actual dirge. It would go quite well at a funeral. It's tuneful, though, giving it a leg-up on most of their previous attempts in this direction.
A Punchup at a Wedding. (No No No No No No No No.)
Pretty languid punchup, if you ask me. Maybe the combatants are both taiji practitioners. According to the chorus it's a drunken punchup, which would slow down their reactions and general speed, but this sounds more like an ether-fuelled punchup.
Good riff, though.
Myxomatosis. (Judge, Jury & Executioner.)
The riff on this one is much less good. The fat synth sound is initially annoying, but I guess I might warm to it.
3 minutes in, and I haven't warmed to it yet.
Nope, never warmed to it.
Scatterbrain. (As Dead as Leaves.)
The pretty plinky noises are nice. I guess the rest is OK.
David Mitchell (or possibly Chris Barrie) advertising some product so pointless I've forgotten it already. BTW, is it just me, or is David Mitchell insufferably smug?
A Wolf at the Door. (It Girl. Rag Doll.)
The kittens have gone to sleep. I don't think that's a comment on the music, though, as they go to sleep quite often.
The music was kinda forgettable, TBH.
I wasn't going to do the second disc (which Spotify has, but neither Amazon nor Wikipedia mentions), but then I saw there was a remix of Scatterbrain by Four Tet called Skttrbrain on it, so I'm listening to that. It's, well, a slightly messed-about Scatterbrain with Four Tet's signature glitchy drums. Not bad, but a bit ho-hum.
Right, that wasn't too bad (though there was a point half-way through Sail to the Moon where I was seriously considering calling the whole thing off). I'm off for a run round the park while it's still sunny, then on to In Rainbows.
In Rainbows
15 Step
Much more promising. Upbeat percussion, twangy guitars, vocals working as a component of a larger sound mix. Good track.
Bodysnatchers
We're back into Pablo Honey territory here. And I for one am not complaining a bit. Great riff, bit of aggression, overall a well-crafted rock song.
Nude
It couldn't last, of course. This song's firmly back into OK Computer-land, until about 3:10 when it goes all Rat Pack and generally improves.
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Opening reminds me of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for some reason.
About 1:30 in, and it's growing on me.
Sorry, got a bit distracted there. Generally pleasant, though.
All I Need
I can't shake the feeling that Radiohead is a great backing band wasted on a mediocre singer. OK, so I'm guessing that bears no relation to their actual creative process, and it would be hard to demote him to "composer and backing guitar" at this point. But damn, I'd love to have heard what, say, Alex Harvey would have made of this song.
Faust Arp
Oh, it's a Beatles sample. Thought it was familiar.
Like the strings.
Not bad.
Reckoner
Good track!
House of Cards
Chilled.
I can see why dynix thought this was their best album. I don't think I agree: Amnesiac had lower lows, but also higher highs. But In Rainbows has so far had nothing hateful on it, four tracks that are actively good (15 Step, Bodysnatchers, Faust Arp and Reckoner), and a few tracks of decent background music. That's their best hit rate since Pablo Honey, and In Rainbows is significantly better-crafted and more technically accomplished than PH.
Jigsaw Falling into Place
Stepping it up a gear. That's at least five actively good tracks, then.
Videotape
It wouldn't be a Radiohead album without one miserable song, right? A disappointing end to the album.
The King of Limbs
So, it's 1900 and I'm actually half-way through listening to this album, but I'm just feeling totally uninspired writing-wise. I'm going to take a break for now, go juggling, and resume this later on. I hope that's OK with y'all.
It's now the following morning, which I guess counts as "later" :-) On with the motley.
Bloom
Glitchy. A five-minute instrumental elaboration of the first minute would be right up my street.
The vocals start at 1:00, and kinda work as part of the overall sound mix. I wish there'd been more variety in the drumming, though.
Morning Mr Magpie
Picking up the pace a bit. I like the way this track maintains a sense of urgency. Non-static drumming, which is IMHO essential in a track of this nature.
Not bad.
Little by Little
Abrupt transition there.
I listened to this track twice through in a row, and still can't think of much to say about it. Starts well, I didn't much like the chorus, nice warm sound. Generally OK, but nothing to write home about.
Feral
More glitchy snare drums. I like the heavily-distorted scat singing.
This track is what I wish Bloom had been.
I'm going to have to listen to some real electronica when this is over. Probably Music Has the Right to Children, I haven't listened to that for a while.
Lotus Flower
I've gotta say, I really like the cover art for King of Limbs. The luminous, bleeding-at-the-edges ghost figures fit the sound very well, and I like what they've done with the tree background.
I was thinking last night that none of Radiohead's covers look anything like each other, and then I started wondering if there are any bands which do have consistent visuals? The only one I can think of is Iron Maiden.
So, anyway, the track. Starts well, I like the hand-clapping at 0:50.
Dear God, Thom Yorke's actually being tuneful at 1:30. You know, I think he's actually bringing something positive to this track.
I can't help but wonder how it would have sounded with a female vocalist, though. My guess is "better". But which one?
I like the subtle drum crescendo at about 4:00.
Codex
A minute of acoustic piano noodling.
A sad song, but not a bad one.
Thought that was a track change at 3:40, but no, it's just an abrupt shift of direction. For about ten seconds, until the piano comes back in. I wonder what they were trying to do there?
And now there's some random birdsong for the last few seconds. WTF?
Oh, it's part of the next song.
This exercise has left me with a newfound respect for music critics. What I'm doing here is the laziest, easiest form of music criticism, and it's much harder than it looks even to produce something this mediocre.
Give Up the Ghost
Sparse, twangy guitar. Very minimal sound - simple vocals, guitar, backing vocals. Which makes the introduction of the warm brass at about 1:30 more of a shock. I like it.
2:00, and the drums have become noticeable.
2:20, and I think that's the bass. I am, as you may have noticed, a sucker for tracks that start simple and gradually pile on the complexity, so I'm really digging the construction of this track.
Best track so far, hands-down.
Separator
Another abrupt transition. Again starting sparse: clean drums, the occasional very quiet synth note, heavily-processed vocals. Some backing vocals at about 1:40. An instrument I can't identify at 2:30. Nice sound, though. Bouncy strings of some sort.
Positively cheerful, this track.
Just when I was really getting into it, it ends. I'd have enjoyed another couple of minutes of that.
Radiodread
Airbag
The echo effects on the vocals just put a big silly smile on my face.
Was that trumpet in the original? If not, good move. I expect it was and I just don't remember it, though.
The scrunchy electric guitar doesn't go all that well with the bouncy style.
I like the outro.
It's worth mentioning at this point that I've listened to very little reggae, so I'm not familiar with the conventions of the genre.
Paranoid Android
Heavier drum on the intro than the original had.
Aha! An answer to my question "how would this sound with a female vocalist?", said vocalist apparently being Kirsty Rock in this case. I was right, it does sound better.
I can't wait for the big instrumental break.
OK, I was not expecting them to do it with brass. Kinda disappointing, but it works on its own terms.
The reggae beat in the background works really well here.
Saxophone solo at 3:10. I defy anyone to find a song that would not be improved by the addition of a saxophone solo.
The mood goes darker at 4:00, counterpointed by hopeful background beats.
My flinch reaction is there in the background, but it's very faint. Faint enough for me to appreciate the melodies.
5:30, and gosh, that was abrupt. Presumably it was like that in the original; there's no fscking way I'm going back to check.
Subterranean Homesick Alien
I don't like this vocalist as much as the last one. I like him more than Thom Yorke, obviously, but that's a given.
This track's a lot less reggae-tastic than the last one. All they seem to have done is make the drums a bit louder and got a singer who enunciates properly. And there's some sort of (wind?) instrument in there I can't identify.
Exit Music (For a Film)
IIRC this track sucked in the original, so I'm pleased to hear that the ESAS version starts off sounding almost nothing like it.
Hehe. This is cool.
I would totally go and see this film.
No, Spotify, I do not wish to win a guitar signed by R.E.M.
3:40, and it's gone on a bit too long. I guess it's nice to know that animal action was monitored by the American Humane Association, though.
Let Down
More ska than reggae, this one, at least to my untutored ears. What on earth is that instrument, though? Muted trumpet?
They've taken the languid misery of the original and turned it into something positively life-affirming. It's like alchemy.
Good work, chaps.
[Edit: I see from my contemporaneous notes that I thought the original Let Down was "gently upping the positivity". In retrospect, I think this tells you more about Exit Music (For a Film).]
Karma Police
You may remember that this track was the lowpoint of the whole album, and caused me to start screaming about the Salem witch trials. So I'm bracing myself here.
I still don't like the track, but there are things to like here. The backing vocals are great, for instance.
I don't like the ending.
Fitter Happier
They've still got the electronic voice, but now it's got a Jamaican accent. This is a vast improvement. Designers of talking robots take note.
Electioneering
This was one of the very few tracks on the original OK Computer I actually enjoyed. This version is a lot more chilled out and laid-back than the high-energy original, but it's still pretty good.
The riff survives well.
Good track, though (shock! horror!) I liked the original more. It's still more fun than real electioneering, but not such good exercise.
Climbing Up the Walls
Another female vocalist, this time one with a lovely deep voice.
What's that instrument at 4:26? Sounds cool.
No Surprises
They've dispensed with the "quiet plinky intro". Still a bit plinky, but it's far from quiet.
Great baritone vocalist. Satan's ice-cream van's still there in the background, and getting increasingly annoying, but the vocals go some way to making up for it. And the brass at 1:40 helps, too.
Still pretty annoying, overall.
Lucky
Nice use of echo effects.
I still don't have much to say about this track. No sense of doom on this version, but still a bit meh.
The Tourist
Lovely warm sound. Nice drums from 1:20.
2:44 hey, that guitar twiddle was really cool.
Good track.
Exit Music (For a Dub)
As these things tend to go, this version bears an even more casual relation to the original than the version reviewed above. Hence, I like it more than the other version, and despite being sixteen seconds longer the time doesn't drag at all.
An Airbag Saved My Dub
Some slighly unnecessary "oo-wee, oo-wee" noises, but other than that this is pretty cool.
Overall conclusions
Hail to the Thief was pish.
In Rainbows was overall a bit inoffensive and bland, but had surprisingly many good tracks on it.
The King of Limbs would have been better if it had gone full-bore electronica, but it wasn't bad as-was, and the last two tracks were pretty good.
Radiodread doesn't always work, but when it does it's a considerable improvement on the original.
[While I'm aware that my opinions on music are largely subjective, I shall be stating them as facts throughout this post. This will hopefully spare us a tedious debate about the philosophy of aesthetics and keep my prose crisper.]
Radiohead have just released a new album, and so it's time to finish off the project and listen to their albums Hail to the Thief, In Rainbows and The King of Limbs. Afterwards, if I still have time and energy, I'll listen to the Easy Star All Stars' Radiodread, a reggae version of OK Computer. As before, I'll put up comments under each track name as I get to it, so check back throughout the afternoon.
Hail to the Thief
2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.)
Started out like it was going to be Interesting and Different, but then it's straight back into their mid-Nineties sound. Dull. Gets a bit louder at about 2:00, then there's a fun mariachi-style bit at about 2:30. Ended better than it began, some nice stuff going on in the background, but overall I'm not that impressed.
Sit Down. Stand Up. (Snakes & Ladders.)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH.
I'm not sure who that backing singer is, but I hate his voice too.
Good bassline starts kicking in at about 2:30, then it goes into a crescendo/accelerando thing, getting really quite good by 3:30. Ends well.
Sail to the Moon. (Brush the Cobwebs Out of the Sky.)
I'm sure in certain moods the dreamy, portentous piano intro would work for me. I'm not in one of those moods right now.
The vocals continue in the "dreamy dirge" vein. I hope the whole album isn't going to be like this.
Backdrifts. (Honeymoon Is Over.)
Was that a callback to the Doctor Who theme I heard there?
Reminds me a bit of early Nine Inch Nails, this.
The "wob-wob-wob" noises at about 4:00 are cool.
Goddamn it, Spotify.
Go to Sleep. (Little Man Being Erased.)
Heavy bluegrass influence. Opens well. I'm quite enjoying the singing, though a quick Google reveals that it is indeed Yorke.
Where I End and You Begin. (The Sky Is Falling In.)
Big contrast between the end of the last track and the opening of this one.
I feel a responsibility to say something intelligent or at least amusing about this track, because it's apparently luckylove's favourite Radiohead track OF ALL TIME. But I've just listened to it twice, and it failed to hold my attention both times. It was OK, I guess. Pleasant background music. Not as good as Go to Sleep, but better than anything else so far today.
We Suck Young Blood. (Your Time Is Up.)
A cool 15-second instrumental break at the 3:00 mark surrounded by four minutes and 41 seconds of boring dirge.
The Gloaming. (Softly Open Our Mouths in the Cold.)
Going a bit Aphex Twin here. Nice drum loop kicks in at 0:45.
Hey, the wob-wob-wob noise is back.
I thought my phone was going off for a minute, but no, they've used my ringtone as a sample. Or some Google engineer has used their sample as a ringtone. Probably the latter, to be honest. Or I'm just pattern-matching and drawing conclusions based on superficial similarities.
It's easier to listen to than most actual Aphex Twin, but (for that same reason!) lacks the uncompromising integrity of his work.
There There. (The Boney King of Nowhere.)
Intro reminds me of From Dusk Till Dawn, the greatest vampire movie of all time.
Interesting how the guitar part segued from the initial bleakly threatening tone to something altogether warmer by 1:15.
This track's pretty cool.
Not having a telly and not listening to commercial radio, I have managed to avoid actually listening to a "compare the meerkat" advert until this moment. I can't say the experience has enhanced my life.
I Will. (No Man's Land.)
I'd have to check the lyrics to be sure, but I think this may well be an actual dirge. It would go quite well at a funeral. It's tuneful, though, giving it a leg-up on most of their previous attempts in this direction.
A Punchup at a Wedding. (No No No No No No No No.)
Pretty languid punchup, if you ask me. Maybe the combatants are both taiji practitioners. According to the chorus it's a drunken punchup, which would slow down their reactions and general speed, but this sounds more like an ether-fuelled punchup.
Good riff, though.
Myxomatosis. (Judge, Jury & Executioner.)
The riff on this one is much less good. The fat synth sound is initially annoying, but I guess I might warm to it.
3 minutes in, and I haven't warmed to it yet.
Nope, never warmed to it.
Scatterbrain. (As Dead as Leaves.)
The pretty plinky noises are nice. I guess the rest is OK.
David Mitchell (or possibly Chris Barrie) advertising some product so pointless I've forgotten it already. BTW, is it just me, or is David Mitchell insufferably smug?
A Wolf at the Door. (It Girl. Rag Doll.)
The kittens have gone to sleep. I don't think that's a comment on the music, though, as they go to sleep quite often.
The music was kinda forgettable, TBH.
I wasn't going to do the second disc (which Spotify has, but neither Amazon nor Wikipedia mentions), but then I saw there was a remix of Scatterbrain by Four Tet called Skttrbrain on it, so I'm listening to that. It's, well, a slightly messed-about Scatterbrain with Four Tet's signature glitchy drums. Not bad, but a bit ho-hum.
Right, that wasn't too bad (though there was a point half-way through Sail to the Moon where I was seriously considering calling the whole thing off). I'm off for a run round the park while it's still sunny, then on to In Rainbows.
In Rainbows
15 Step
Much more promising. Upbeat percussion, twangy guitars, vocals working as a component of a larger sound mix. Good track.
Bodysnatchers
We're back into Pablo Honey territory here. And I for one am not complaining a bit. Great riff, bit of aggression, overall a well-crafted rock song.
Nude
It couldn't last, of course. This song's firmly back into OK Computer-land, until about 3:10 when it goes all Rat Pack and generally improves.
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Opening reminds me of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for some reason.
About 1:30 in, and it's growing on me.
Sorry, got a bit distracted there. Generally pleasant, though.
All I Need
I can't shake the feeling that Radiohead is a great backing band wasted on a mediocre singer. OK, so I'm guessing that bears no relation to their actual creative process, and it would be hard to demote him to "composer and backing guitar" at this point. But damn, I'd love to have heard what, say, Alex Harvey would have made of this song.
Faust Arp
Oh, it's a Beatles sample. Thought it was familiar.
Like the strings.
Not bad.
Reckoner
Good track!
House of Cards
Chilled.
I can see why dynix thought this was their best album. I don't think I agree: Amnesiac had lower lows, but also higher highs. But In Rainbows has so far had nothing hateful on it, four tracks that are actively good (15 Step, Bodysnatchers, Faust Arp and Reckoner), and a few tracks of decent background music. That's their best hit rate since Pablo Honey, and In Rainbows is significantly better-crafted and more technically accomplished than PH.
Jigsaw Falling into Place
Stepping it up a gear. That's at least five actively good tracks, then.
Videotape
It wouldn't be a Radiohead album without one miserable song, right? A disappointing end to the album.
The King of Limbs
So, it's 1900 and I'm actually half-way through listening to this album, but I'm just feeling totally uninspired writing-wise. I'm going to take a break for now, go juggling, and resume this later on. I hope that's OK with y'all.
It's now the following morning, which I guess counts as "later" :-) On with the motley.
Bloom
Glitchy. A five-minute instrumental elaboration of the first minute would be right up my street.
The vocals start at 1:00, and kinda work as part of the overall sound mix. I wish there'd been more variety in the drumming, though.
Morning Mr Magpie
Picking up the pace a bit. I like the way this track maintains a sense of urgency. Non-static drumming, which is IMHO essential in a track of this nature.
Not bad.
Little by Little
Abrupt transition there.
I listened to this track twice through in a row, and still can't think of much to say about it. Starts well, I didn't much like the chorus, nice warm sound. Generally OK, but nothing to write home about.
Feral
More glitchy snare drums. I like the heavily-distorted scat singing.
This track is what I wish Bloom had been.
I'm going to have to listen to some real electronica when this is over. Probably Music Has the Right to Children, I haven't listened to that for a while.
Lotus Flower
I've gotta say, I really like the cover art for King of Limbs. The luminous, bleeding-at-the-edges ghost figures fit the sound very well, and I like what they've done with the tree background.
I was thinking last night that none of Radiohead's covers look anything like each other, and then I started wondering if there are any bands which do have consistent visuals? The only one I can think of is Iron Maiden.
So, anyway, the track. Starts well, I like the hand-clapping at 0:50.
Dear God, Thom Yorke's actually being tuneful at 1:30. You know, I think he's actually bringing something positive to this track.
I can't help but wonder how it would have sounded with a female vocalist, though. My guess is "better". But which one?
I like the subtle drum crescendo at about 4:00.
Codex
A minute of acoustic piano noodling.
A sad song, but not a bad one.
Thought that was a track change at 3:40, but no, it's just an abrupt shift of direction. For about ten seconds, until the piano comes back in. I wonder what they were trying to do there?
And now there's some random birdsong for the last few seconds. WTF?
Oh, it's part of the next song.
This exercise has left me with a newfound respect for music critics. What I'm doing here is the laziest, easiest form of music criticism, and it's much harder than it looks even to produce something this mediocre.
Give Up the Ghost
Sparse, twangy guitar. Very minimal sound - simple vocals, guitar, backing vocals. Which makes the introduction of the warm brass at about 1:30 more of a shock. I like it.
2:00, and the drums have become noticeable.
2:20, and I think that's the bass. I am, as you may have noticed, a sucker for tracks that start simple and gradually pile on the complexity, so I'm really digging the construction of this track.
Best track so far, hands-down.
Separator
Another abrupt transition. Again starting sparse: clean drums, the occasional very quiet synth note, heavily-processed vocals. Some backing vocals at about 1:40. An instrument I can't identify at 2:30. Nice sound, though. Bouncy strings of some sort.
Positively cheerful, this track.
Just when I was really getting into it, it ends. I'd have enjoyed another couple of minutes of that.
Radiodread
Airbag
The echo effects on the vocals just put a big silly smile on my face.
Was that trumpet in the original? If not, good move. I expect it was and I just don't remember it, though.
The scrunchy electric guitar doesn't go all that well with the bouncy style.
I like the outro.
It's worth mentioning at this point that I've listened to very little reggae, so I'm not familiar with the conventions of the genre.
Paranoid Android
Heavier drum on the intro than the original had.
Aha! An answer to my question "how would this sound with a female vocalist?", said vocalist apparently being Kirsty Rock in this case. I was right, it does sound better.
I can't wait for the big instrumental break.
OK, I was not expecting them to do it with brass. Kinda disappointing, but it works on its own terms.
The reggae beat in the background works really well here.
Saxophone solo at 3:10. I defy anyone to find a song that would not be improved by the addition of a saxophone solo.
The mood goes darker at 4:00, counterpointed by hopeful background beats.
My flinch reaction is there in the background, but it's very faint. Faint enough for me to appreciate the melodies.
5:30, and gosh, that was abrupt. Presumably it was like that in the original; there's no fscking way I'm going back to check.
Subterranean Homesick Alien
I don't like this vocalist as much as the last one. I like him more than Thom Yorke, obviously, but that's a given.
This track's a lot less reggae-tastic than the last one. All they seem to have done is make the drums a bit louder and got a singer who enunciates properly. And there's some sort of (wind?) instrument in there I can't identify.
Exit Music (For a Film)
IIRC this track sucked in the original, so I'm pleased to hear that the ESAS version starts off sounding almost nothing like it.
Hehe. This is cool.
I would totally go and see this film.
No, Spotify, I do not wish to win a guitar signed by R.E.M.
3:40, and it's gone on a bit too long. I guess it's nice to know that animal action was monitored by the American Humane Association, though.
Let Down
More ska than reggae, this one, at least to my untutored ears. What on earth is that instrument, though? Muted trumpet?
They've taken the languid misery of the original and turned it into something positively life-affirming. It's like alchemy.
Good work, chaps.
[Edit: I see from my contemporaneous notes that I thought the original Let Down was "gently upping the positivity". In retrospect, I think this tells you more about Exit Music (For a Film).]
Karma Police
You may remember that this track was the lowpoint of the whole album, and caused me to start screaming about the Salem witch trials. So I'm bracing myself here.
I still don't like the track, but there are things to like here. The backing vocals are great, for instance.
I don't like the ending.
Fitter Happier
They've still got the electronic voice, but now it's got a Jamaican accent. This is a vast improvement. Designers of talking robots take note.
Electioneering
This was one of the very few tracks on the original OK Computer I actually enjoyed. This version is a lot more chilled out and laid-back than the high-energy original, but it's still pretty good.
The riff survives well.
Good track, though (shock! horror!) I liked the original more. It's still more fun than real electioneering, but not such good exercise.
Climbing Up the Walls
Another female vocalist, this time one with a lovely deep voice.
What's that instrument at 4:26? Sounds cool.
No Surprises
They've dispensed with the "quiet plinky intro". Still a bit plinky, but it's far from quiet.
Great baritone vocalist. Satan's ice-cream van's still there in the background, and getting increasingly annoying, but the vocals go some way to making up for it. And the brass at 1:40 helps, too.
Still pretty annoying, overall.
Lucky
Nice use of echo effects.
I still don't have much to say about this track. No sense of doom on this version, but still a bit meh.
The Tourist
Lovely warm sound. Nice drums from 1:20.
2:44 hey, that guitar twiddle was really cool.
Good track.
Exit Music (For a Dub)
As these things tend to go, this version bears an even more casual relation to the original than the version reviewed above. Hence, I like it more than the other version, and despite being sixteen seconds longer the time doesn't drag at all.
An Airbag Saved My Dub
Some slighly unnecessary "oo-wee, oo-wee" noises, but other than that this is pretty cool.
Overall conclusions
Hail to the Thief was pish.
In Rainbows was overall a bit inoffensive and bland, but had surprisingly many good tracks on it.
The King of Limbs would have been better if it had gone full-bore electronica, but it wasn't bad as-was, and the last two tracks were pretty good.
Radiodread doesn't always work, but when it does it's a considerable improvement on the original.