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Topic	Rank the Tracks Week 10: Radiohead's OK Computer (plus Achtung Baby results)
Giggsalot 05/11/21 2:56:50 AM #43:	Album Seminal, justifiably canonized, must-listen, etc. OK Computer flows effortlessly, and the perfect production and thematic consistency can fool you into thinking that the songwriting is a lot more even than it actually is. In that way, it's a pretty perfect example of the album form, and deserves its status. As with quite a lot of albums of that kind, though, there's a very strong argument that it doesn't even stand out in its own creators' discography divorced of the sociocultural context from which it came. Still, I'd love for my 4th - 5th album to be this good! Airbag As alluded to above, the bookends on OK Computer feel 'appropriate', which is an ideal way of hiding that they're not especially great songs. Airbag has cool atmosphere and a nice guitar tone but not a huge amount else. Paranoid Android Yeah, we all know this one is great. I could make a case that the only truly spectacular section is the "rain down" chorus, but I've been snarky enough already and who needs more of that. This is a classic for a reason. Subterranean Homesick Alien I really like the dreamy folk vibes here, which makes me wish Radiohead would tap into this sound more frequently. But they've never really paired it with a great song (see also Give up the Ghost). I like the lyrics here and this climaxes well, but there's not a lot else here for me. Exit Music Yep, this is where the album really takes off for me. This has the best core melody so far by miles, and OK Computer's best songs are the ones where they hone in on a simmering, almost trip-hop-esque tension. That buzzing bass is the sound of dreams. Let Down One of only about three genuinely pretty songs on the album (RH got way better at this later on). I've never adored this the way most fans do, but it's crept up on me over the years. Consider me charmed. Karma Police Note-perfect classic, and the only one of the three singles here that hasn't suffered from overplay. Who cares that it's basically Sexy Sadie, they should teach this in schools. I will not be taking questions. Fitter Happier It's weird that people hate on this, it's the conceptual heart of the album and it does its job perfectly. Sure, in these album rankings it kind of acts like the fodder line, but there's no shame in that. Electioneering Actually kind of underrated, if this was on The Bends it would be one of the best songs there. The burst of energy the album needs after Fitter Happier. Climbing up the Walls Loving the appreciation for this so far in this topic! This is the best song here hands down for me. An absolute masterclass in building tension, with a climax that just completely burns the house down. No Surprises I came here planning to write that this was a tiny bit too cute, but that's bullshit. Not my absolute favourite here, but this is perfect in its own right. The album probably should have ended here, the last two songs feel a bit like footnotes after this. Lucky Actually a bit underrated, probably their best straight up britpop song. That chorus fucking soars, man. The Tourist Like Airbag, this feels like an appropriate end, which cleverly hides the fact there's almost no song here at all. It's definitely possible that I might think more of this if it was by Low or Red House Painters - in principle, I like a lot of the artistic choices here - but given that Radiohead closers are almost informally amazing, this is a weird exception. Climbing up the Walls Karma Police Exit Music Let Down No Surprises Paranoid Android Lucky Electioneering Fitter Happier Airbag Subterranean Homesick Alien The Tourist --- And if you don't know, now you know. <cite>Giggsalot posted [p:953780653] in Rank the T... [t:79449805]...</cite> <quote>Album Seminal, justifiably canonized, must-listen, etc. OK Computer flows effortlessly, and the perfect production and thematic consistency can fool you into thinking that the songwriting is a lot more even than it actually is. In that way, it's a pretty perfect example of the album form, and deserves its status. As with quite a lot of albums of that kind, though, there's a very strong argument that it doesn't even stand out in its own creators' discography divorced of the sociocultural context from which it came. Still, I'd love for my 4th - 5th album to be this good! Airbag As alluded to above, the bookends on OK Computer feel 'appropriate', which is an ideal way of hiding that they're not especially great songs. Airbag has cool atmosphere and a nice guitar tone but not a huge amount else. Paranoid Android Yeah, we all know this one is great. I could make a case that the only truly spectacular section is the "rain down" chorus, but I've been snarky enough already and who needs more of that. This is a classic for a reason. Subterranean Homesick Alien I really like the dreamy folk vibes here, which makes me wish Radiohead would tap into this sound more frequently. But they've never really paired it with a great song (see also Give up the Ghost). I like the lyrics here and this climaxes well, but there's not a lot else here for me. Exit Music Yep, this is where the album really takes off for me. This has the best core melody so far by miles, and OK Computer's best songs are the ones where they hone in on a simmering, almost trip-hop-esque tension. That buzzing bass is the sound of dreams. Let Down One of only about three genuinely pretty songs on the album (RH got way better at this later on). I've never adored this the way most fans do, but it's crept up on me over the years. Consider me charmed. Karma Police Note-perfect classic, and the only one of the three singles here that hasn't suffered from overplay. Who cares that it's basically Sexy Sadie, they should teach this in schools. I will not be taking questions. Fitter Happier It's weird that people hate on this, it's the conceptual heart of the album and it does its job perfectly. Sure, in these album rankings it kind of acts like the fodder line, but there's no shame in that. Electioneering Actually kind of underrated, if this was on The Bends it would be one of the best songs there. The burst of energy the album needs after Fitter Happier. Climbing up the Walls Loving the appreciation for this so far in this topic! This is the best song here hands down for me. An absolute masterclass in building tension, with a climax that just completely burns the house down. No Surprises I came here planning to write that this was a tiny bit too cute, but that's bullshit. Not my absolute favourite here, but this is perfect in its own right. The album probably should have ended here, the last two songs feel a bit like footnotes after this. Lucky Actually a bit underrated, probably their best straight up britpop song. That chorus fucking soars, man. The Tourist Like Airbag, this feels like an appropriate end, which cleverly hides the fact there's almost no song here at all. It's definitely possible that I might think more of this if it was by Low or Red House Painters - in principle, I like a lot of the artistic choices here - but given that Radiohead closers are almost informally amazing, this is a weird exception. Climbing up the Walls Karma Police Exit Music Let Down No Surprises Paranoid Android Lucky Electioneering Fitter Happier Airbag Subterranean Homesick Alien The Tourist --- And if you don't know, now you know.</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
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