1) Airbag opens with an ominous motif in the electric guitar as a brighter electric guitar cuts through in the upper voices with another of the pieces motifs. We get our melody line with Thom Yorke’s signature English crooning, as the bass enters with a much livelier pattern moments later. We’re treated to an instrumental interlude at the conclusion of the first verse, adopting elements we’ve seen before in the piece. Our second verse begins similarly to the first verse, but with a heavily distorted guitar playing a soprano pattern above the other voices. Two distorted guitars playing countermelodies close our second verse, as the bassline moves along. We arrive back at the chorus, again with some mode-mixing. We hit some experimental electronic junk with some vocal accompaniment, this time featuring the ensemble in the foreground. Yorke enters with the melody as the ominous electric guitar motif returns, replacing the bassline in the process. The song closes as the instruments fade out. This one I really disliked at first, but it’s grown on me upon every listen. The soprano voice in the distortion guitar is probably the saving grace of this piece, which is otherwise pleasing, but unexceptional. (7/10)

2) Paranoid Android, arguably their most well-known piece, opens with acoustic guitar and Yorke seamlessly transitioning between his head voice and characteristic falsetto. The instruments come in with a very quintessentially “Radiohead” chord progression (Cm – F – Gm – C/E), which is a phenomenal harmonic pattern that we see return numerous times. This modal-mixing chord progression returns varied in the first chorus as Thom Yorke’s voice is front and center. The second verse opens slightly more decorated, with prominent acoustic guitar and slight variation in the bassline. The second chorus is akin to the first, this time with a spoken word accompaniment in the background. We hit an instrumental break leading us into the bridge. The time signature becomes more alien as Radiohead plays with the tempo in the bridge with an irregular rhythm that deviates from the clear duple meter in the first half. The guitars lead us through an instrumental break before the song swells dramatically, the guitars becoming distorted and Yorke’s melody becoming more percussive. We’re treated to a guitar solo as we hit a new movement in the piece, which quickly hushes to unison in multiple voices in a new section. Vocal harmony soon joins in as Yorke begins a new melody line as the ensemble continues. Yorke’s voice here is very reminiscent of DeVotchKa’s Nick Urata here. The chord progression is a simple walking pattern in a minor key as Yorke continues in the forefront with two melodies coexisting. We emerge into a clanging mesh of electric guitar and electronics before the piece’s abrupt ending. A multi-movement endeavor with interesting motifs and virtuosic singing, this is a masterpiece, although the guitar solos are at times self-indulgent or unnecessary. The piece loses much of its momentum toward the latter half with the “ballad” offering little. Brilliant first half, with a lackluster second half. (9/10)

3) Subterranean Homesick Alien opens with electric and bass guitars, quickly swelling as we add synth and a soprano electric guitar voice. The instruments subside as Yorke enters, with a chord progression similar to Paranoid Alien (G7 – G6 – Cm/G – G), as the instruments sustain a G chord while we walk down from F – E – Eb – D chromatically. It’s simple, but effective, and walks us through a range of emotions as Yorke continues in the verse. We return to our intro as the second verse continues. The piece builds as we hit the chorus, marked by an influx of experimental electronic elements, as we return to our G7 walkdown motif as a cascade of reverbing synth notes welcomes us to our next verse. Our bassline is modified, this time busier, as Yorke’s voice swells as the song builds, but eventually tapers off to return to our introduction. The next chorus is accented by piercing soprano notes in the distorted electric guitar, followed by a “melisma” in the synth. We’re met to one final barrage of fat chords as the song closes. This was great! The motif never overstayed its welcome and the dynamic journey was satisfying! (9/10)

4) Exit Music (For a Film) opens with an acoustic guitar and Yorke, again utilizing a familiar harmonic palette. The stripped down verse makes way for myriad voices at our first chorus, with a mix of synthetic and authentic voices creating a series of lush, dissonant chords typical of Nintendo 64-era soundtracks. The separation between each chord and the choppy nature of the song by proxy is clearly intentional and tasteful, creating a soothing DIY vibe. We return to another verse again accompanied by acoustic guitar, with experimental electronics in the upper voices. The drum fill leads us into a wall of sound created by the synth, as Yorke continues accompanied by a simple picking pattern in the distortion guitar. He bellows, his trademark tenor met with a moving bass pattern, followed by his falsetto and one final quiet verse as the song nears its end. This piece is a blast and a great lesson in dynamic contrast, as well as one of the few pieces I knew going into this listen. (10/10)

5) Let Down opens with a traditional pop chord progression and simple melody line (I – V – vi – V), with countermelody in the two electric guitars. The chorus is fun and deviates a bit from this melody, but short as we enter the second verse. Here, we have Thom Yorke joined by another male voice singing in unison as a third voice joins in harmony. The chorus is again marked by the electric guitar countermelodies, with the song decrescendoing at the end of the second chorus. The bass enters, this time in fixed position as the chords change around it. A bass fill signals that it’s Yorke’s time to shine, as his head voice joins the instruments. Again, an electronic cascading harmony joins us here in our next instrumental. Our final chorus gives us some of Yorke’s falsetto with the continuation of our I – V – vi – V progression. Personally, the chord progression doesn’t lend itself to much of a build, as constantly ending on a half-cadence left me unsatisfied. This song was great, but had it gone just a bit further over to the pop side with I – V – vi – IV it would have felt more resolute and satisfying, offering a much stronger climax. This song failed to create much momentum, and while the chorus was serene and kept my attention, the verses were frustratingly irresolute. (5/10)

6) Karma Police returns to the Radiohead style with a chord progression more reminiscent of the first section of this album (Am – D/F# – Em – G | Am – F – Em – G), with that modal-mixing between borrowing from Em in the first half and remaining true to the key in the second half a hallmark of Radiohead’s harmonic style. Yorke opens with a very well-known melody in “Karma Police,” two verses remaining relatively undecorated. We hit the first chorus as Yorke drop an octave for a quiet chorus, accompanied by an imitation bassoon from the mellotron. The next verse begins slightly louder, with the addition of distortion guitar embellishments. The mellotron follows Yorke in our next chorus as we hit the climax of the piece as he makes the jump to a confident, yet tentative chest voice. We’re treated to virtuosic vocals on Yorke’s end as two singers accompany him with tasteful glissando slides. We’re welcomed to a thunderous electronic pattern as the piece closes to a faint whisper. This is feel-good rock if there ever were a good example, a harmonic journey that showcases Yorke’s range as a singer. (10/10)

7) Fitter Happier opens with some cool Microsoft Sam shenanigans, and is a surprisingly motivational art rock piece. The accompaniment is a discordant lone piano, followed by a brooding string part. The chords are neat, the electronics are cool and the spoken word is welcome. (10/10)

8) Electioneering opens up with some textbook 1950s electric guitar, joined by some zealous cowbell. Yorke’s simple melody line enters as the cowbell and guitar continue, followed by bass. The walking bass pattern is enjoyable as we near the first chorus. The second verse is akin to the first, albeit with an extra guitar layered on top and more distortion. The chorus features Yorke enjoying himself as he gets to deviate from everything else on this album. We reach a subdued interlude with a simple strumming pattern in the guitars, which lead us to an electric guitar solo with full band accompaniment. The song reaches its climax as more and more instruments are layered in, but it still fails to go anywhere. A deviation from the rest of the album for sure, but oftentimes self-indulgent and a bit too cacophonous or grating at times. This is, of course, the purpose of a piece like this, but it failed to leave a lasting impact and upon another listen, this was the song I was least excited to hear again. (4/10)

9) Climbing Up the Walls begins with a droning synth bass and shrieking artificial harmonics from our distortion guitar. The dynamic shaping here is great as the bass ebbs and flows naturally to create a menacing atmosphere. Our first verse features the continuation of this theme as Yorke joins with a simple melody line in his head voice and falsetto, with the bass swell leading us to the second verse. The second verse gives us some electric guitar quick-picking, but it’s virtually unchanged. The first chorus gives us some lush chords as the bass fills keep up the momentum. An electric guitar fill leads us to a louder third verse, now with a moving bass pattern in the bass guitar rather than synth. Yorke comfortably navigates between his head voice and falsetto as we hit our second chorus, marginally louder than the first. The chorus swells as a wall of sound leads us to a synth solo that oftentimes teeters on the verge of dissonant. Once we get our electric guitar solo, Yorke’s belting transitions out of the interlude, as we’re met with an assortment of whistle tones from the guitar and synth which signal the end of the piece. While it creates a great atmosphere, this piece was unmemorable and I wouldn’t listen again. Even upon a second listen, this is the piece I couldn’t even recall having listened to. (4/10)

10) No Surprises opens up out of key from the traditional 12-tone scale, which creates an illusion of a DIY or home video with small bits of distortion. It’s a common element in lo-fi music and was much more common in the 1960s and 1970s, but I wish more groups did this! The mind isn’t used to hearing entire songs pitched outside of our 12-tone scale, but I love it! The song begins with a simple pattern in a clean electric guitar which serves as both melody and harmony, accompanied by glockenspiel and droning bass guitar. Yorke croons the first verse, in an almost lullaby-esque melody with a soundscape that mirrors that of 1960s Brill Building artists. The chorus treats us to a moving bassline with a dominant 7th that again harkens back to the days of the early-1960s. Yorke opens the next verse with a countertenor harmony above him as the band joins in the middle of the phrase. We hit a brief interlude before our final chorus hits us with Yorke and a male countermelody accompaniment. Finally, the opening electric guitar-glockenspiel motif closes us out. This song is basically everything from 1960-1962 corporate pop thrown into one song (bar the lack of wind instruments), but was nice! It fails to build, but this style doesn’t rely on dynamic contrast or a host of innovative techniques to entertain. The guitar and glockenspiel are basic, but soothing, and work well with Yorke’s voice here. (9/10)

11) Lucky gives us a brooding opening, with another Radiohead-esque chord progression and a simple melody line. The verse is quiet, tentative even, but the chorus offers complex layering as the full band joins in abruptly. The chorus ends and the second verse opens a bit less reserved, as we’re treated to a moving bass pattern. The harmonic structure is outlined here by the upper voices, a nice wall of sound that’s easily discernible from the rest of the voices. Yorke jumps an octave seamlessly as we reach a pre-chorus with momentum bringing us into a much stronger chorus in Yorke’s chest voice. Rhythm and lead electric guitar play together, later accompanied by the bass as we get a guitar solo using the harmonic structure from the chorus. That guitar is a superhero!!! Yorke returns at the end as the song just in time to close the piece. This piece adopts elements from arena rock—swelling guitars—and grunge—atmosphere and the use of noise—to great effect. Simpler than many other pieces on this album and for a “heavier” song, it lacks the gravitas or virtuosity we see in “Paranoid Android” or “Karma Police.” (8/10)

12) The Tourist signals the end of my journey as a tourist just a portion of the Radiohead mélange. The piece begins with a subdued harmonic structure marked by a simple bassline and percussion pattern with muted cymbals and Yorke’s head voice and falsetto, again almost lullaby-esque. The verse builds as we’re treated to a miscellany of lush chords. Again, Yorke builds abruptly into the chorus as layers are added and the rhythm section gets busier. We exit the chorus and return to a very quiet verse, this time with some countermelody in the electric guitar jumping from phrase to phrase in the verse. Again, the verse builds in the middle as another male vocalist accompanies Yorke. The chorus is again abruptly loud with an interesting chord progression filled with lush chords. The end of the chorus is marked with a melodic pattern in distortion guitar outlining the chorus harmonic structure. The song hits its climax here as Yorke rejoins, returning to a quiet whisper as we’re left with just bass and drums for the outro. Above all else, this song bored me, with the repetitive bass pattern overstaying its welcome. The ensemble often rested on a single chord for too long, and the piece relied on dynamics to carry the momentum while varying the texture or harmonic structure would’ve proved much more fruitful. (4/10)

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Overall Thoughts:

This is a good album! Lots of Radiohead’s best hits are all consolidated into one album here. I had never experienced much of Radiohead before this, but upon each listen this album gets better and better, with the greater hits growing on me, while I grow continuously sour to the more hackneyed pieces. I’m not a huge fan of music driven by piercing distortion guitars, which to me has a grating timbre. Unfortunately, a good portion of this album was driven by piercing distortion guitars! Despite that, OK Computer is full of gems, showcasing a good mix of easily digestible rock and innovation with the incorporation of experimental elements.

A head of Their Time:

Paranoid Alien

Subterranean Homesick Alien

Exit Music (For a Film)

Karma Police

Fitter Happier

No Surprises

Lucky

Turn the Radio Off:

Let Down

Electioneering

Climbing Up the Walls

The Tourist

10 Recommendations Based on This (Disclaimer: this is based on similar vocal styles, instrumentation, bands inspired by Radiohead or similar harmonic palettes):

Mother Falcon: OK Computer: A Tribute

DeVotchKa: A Mad and Faithful Telling

Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation

Dan Deacon: Bromst

Sigur Rós: ( )

Immanu El: They’ll Come, They’ll Come

Grouper: The Man Who Died in His Boat

St. Vincent – Now, Now

Other Lives: Tamer Animals

Jeff Rosenstock: I Look Like Shit