Radiohead is one of those bands that constantly reinvented their sound, yet always managed to sound uniquely like themselves. Each album they’ve produced, more or less, is groundbreaking in some fashion. Let’s look at three particular times Radiohead reinvented their sound and shocked fans… for better or for worse. (Though, mostly better.)
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1. ‘OK Computer’ (1997)
Few albums from the 1990s have come to define the culture of their time quite like Radiohead’s 1997 alternative rock record OK Computer. Musically, it sounds so different from the post-grunge releases of the era. It’s a pretty gorgeous example of an experimental record that wasn’t “too weird” for the mainstream to enjoy, yet was still really weird. OK Computer’s themes were extremely poignant at the time, exploring the growth of technology and social isolation that we’re still dealing with as a culture today.
2. ‘Kid A’ (2000)
Following up OK Computer was no easy feat, yet Radiohead did it gloriously. And while it has that Radiohead sound, Kid A couldn’t be more different from OK Computer. Kid A incorporated more electronic sounds into the record, with more abstract lyrics and randomly assembled vocal tracks.
It’s a major departure from what the industry was putting out at the time. Likewise, the band opted to avoid releasing singles from the album and rarely did any interviews in anticipation of its release in 2000. It’s wild to think that the band was extremely burnt out during the album’s production and that Thom Yorke suffered from writer’s block before working on this stunning exploration of very surreal themes.
3. ‘The King Of Limbs’ (2011)
The King Of Limbs came out about four years after the release of In Rainbows. The 2011 experimental rock record remains a controversial one among Radiohead fans. Like many of Radiohead’s previous albums, this record is a blend of experimental rock and electronica. However, it also has a much more organic feel to it. That’s likely because the record’s producer, Nigel Godrich, incorporated quite a bit of sampling and looping into it. The King Of Limbs also explores, according to Yorke, themes of “wildness and mutation.” It was heavily inspired by nature and fairy tales.
Some fans weren’t happy about the notable departure from Radiohead’s established sound. Other fans were unhappy about the short 37-minute runtime of the album. Just as well, others bemoaned how “funky” the record was. However, personally, I think The King Of Limbs is a brilliant evolution of Radiohead’s sound, with a notable level of maturity that only comes with age.
Photo by Frans Schellekens/Redferns
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