Chris Coplan articulates many of my feelings toward Radiohead when writing about hating Ok Computer, which I think is a perfectly acceptable response to OK Computer. [via]
OK Computer is a truly experimental album from a band who already pushes loads of musical boundaries. But there should be a distinction made between what the band is doing and what I think real experimentation entails. Regardless of the artist, be it Kelly Clarkson or Kraftwerk, there should be this thrill that something new and potentially frightening is happening, that the band/singer is throwing off the familiar and embracing the unknown. With Radiohead, there’s none of that, and the band are merely doing away with structure, randomly banging on their instruments and making silly noises, capturing whatever may result. In this way, their “experimentation” actually comes off less as a means of creative exploration and more of a half-hearted excuse to do something new while creating an out if it all falls to pieces. In fact, so much of their process feels like it falls into one narrow and constrictive category.
