Top 10 Radiohead Albums

The case for Radiohead is an interesting one. I initially was introduced to them through their greatest hits album - which unfortunately was the worst way to expose me to their style. Songs like "No Surprises" and "High and Dry" were ideal during long car rides that would lull me to sleep. Many times I would just let the greatest hits album run while I would fade in/out of consciousness in the backseat. Based on that, I don't expect anyone to like Radiohead on the first or even tenth listen. Hell, I didn't even begin to vibe with them until I got away from their greatest hits album (roughly the fortieth listen) and starting exploring their catalog with an album to album approach.

Once this process was underway, suddenly it "clicked" for me. I began to give Radiohead more of a fighting chance (often times it's easy to prematurely judge a Radiohead song within the first twenty seconds). I found that the lyrics weren't just filler, and the dissonant guitars came with a purpose and a background. Many types of music make it easy to tap into emotions of love, anger, or sadness; but Radiohead is able to channel deeper with emotions of urgency and emptiness. They've also always had this "having the strength to go on" kind of thing happening, which translates into the emotions felt when the odds are all against you. Radiohead's deceptive and depth-defying sonic layering is a breath of fresh air in an age where musical popularity is determined by mainstream success.

9. Pablo Honey (1993)

This was a solid start for Radiohead, and it's not a bad standalone alternative album. But there's little here to be remembered other than the smashmouth hit "Creep" - which brought the band to the masses in England and ultimately to MTV in America. For years, this was the only Radiohead song I was exposed to when I was growing up listening to classic rock stations (ala KSHE 95). While this is understandable, it gives the impression to the casual observer that Radiohead is merely a one hit wonder. But other tracks like the thunderous "You" and the raw energy in "Anyone Can Play Guitar" help to give Pablo Honey some commendable definition. I'd have to say Pablo Honey comes out so low on the list mainly due to what Radiohead would go on to do in their tenured career.

8. Amnesiac (2001)

Amnesiac is known for containing a lot of the the tracks that didn't make Kid A, but deserves to be remembered as more. There's a lot of musical moments found throughout even if they don't necessarily flow together as an album. The odd time signatures found in "Pyramid Song" help to create an impressive musical illusion that makes it feel as though you're in a free-fall (especially once Philip Selway's drum rolls come in). I wasn't big on "Pyramid Song" at first, but now I truly believe it is one of the most complete and musically in depth songs ever recorded. The experimentation in "Pulk / Pull Revolving Doors" might be uninviting to some, but to me it can simply be described as dope. The biggest knack on Amnesiac is that it doesn't end as strongly as it begins. After "Knives Out", there isn't much I can recall besides the jazz induced finale of "Life in a Glasshouse"; likewise there's not really a clear or defined message to take away after listening to Amnesiac.

7. The King of Limbs Live From the Basement (2011)

The studio version of The King of Limbs gets a lot of hate / negative reception due to its compressed and overproduced nature. But the live rendition puts all of that to rest. I really do feel that some of Radiohead's most brilliant musical ideas come through on these basement tapes - whether it be on the ever-growing crescendo of "The Daily Mail", or from the syrupy basslines of "Lotus Flower". Rich sonic atmospheres are conjured utilizing intricate live looping delays in the iconic "Bloom" and "Staircase". Let's take a moment to pause and just focus on "Bloom". I'm serious when I say that this live version of "Bloom" is perhaps one of the most mindblowing live renditions of a song ever created; perhaps this is truly one of Radiohead's greatest achievements. Overall, Radiohead's talented cast in this performance outshines the original sound they synthesized in the studio, and comes out even more organic by incorporating string and brass layering.

6. A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)

Radiohead is very much alive and well in the present era. A Moon Shaped Pool proves they quietly still exist in the 21st century (I wasn't even aware of AMSP until three years ago) with this well thought out project. There's some really fresh and exciting basslines in "Burn the Witch" along with superb rainy day tracks like "Daydreaming" and "Glass Eyes". But perhaps some of the real highlights to me come from Radiohead's Youtube channel with renditions of "The Numbers" and "Present Tense" that are stripped down to the bare essentials; with just Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood strumming along together to the backing of a CR78 drum machine. Likewise, I prefer the live version of "Identikit" which was originally performed at Coachella in 2012 to the studio version. The first studio release of the fan favorite "True Love Waits" (nearly 20 years after it was written) finishes the album with a potential somber ode to the deceased Rachel Owen. There's actually some theories out there that point to this being the very last Radiohead song ever. Although "True Love Waits" was written in the late 90s, it was actually released as the 100th Radiohead song (only counting LP's). So perhaps this doesn't bode well for future Radiohead studio albums. A Moon Shaped Pool's sneaky release goes under the radar to most but proves that Radiohead can still muster quality content after nearly 25 years of the band's inception.

5. Hail to the Thief (2003)

If you're a cynic, maybe this is actually the greatest album cover ever. But all subjective opinions aside, Hail to the Thief is really one of my favorite album covers. It bluntly takes a thorough examination of the "pillars" that modern society is built upon (with some bleak humor mixed in). This album definitely deserves more recognition overall and often gets overshadowed within Radiohead's other accomplishments. There's a great acid trip of a song in "Where I End and You Begin" - which has an apocalyptic tone on the subject of incompatibility by blending punk energy with sophisticated electronic noodling (truly a personal favorite Radiohead song). Hail to the Thief is probably more electronic than any of Radiohead's other works (with maybe the exception of Kid A) evidenced in songs such as "Backdrifts". Yet slower songs such as "Sail to the Moon" and "Scatterbrain" are very beautiful in their own right - which I find myself coming back to periodically. There's a Beatles influence in "A Wolf at the Door" and a very hardcore sound in "Myxomatosis" which would later be crafted in the live version of In Rainbows.

4. The Bends (1995)

Radiohead perhaps took their first creative giant leap forward with The Bends while also being commercially viable. They showed great maturity from the departure of Pablo Honey by becoming adventurous and daring, excitable but melancholy. Timeless anthem rock classics like "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Just" ensured Radiohead didn't fall into a one hit wonder and forced the band into new sonic territory. "Planet Telex" starts off the bending with a fluctuating heavy tremolo induced swirl; while "Bullet Proof... I Wish I Was" and the desolate nature of "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" hint at the future of Radiohead's direction.

3. In Rainbows (2007)

Including the B sides, In Rainbows is probably Radiohead's most accessible album. It takes a departure from some of the desolate melancholy found in the 3 previous albums and gives hope for the future. There's a great balance of hard rocking ("Bodysnatchers") vs soft crooning ("All I Need"). The hauntingly beautiful "Nude" references the usual signature Radiohead motif:

Now that you found it It's gone

Now that you feel it You don't You've gone off the rails

So don't get any big ideas They're not gonna happen

"Nude" and "All I Need" go down as some of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. And what better song to put in between than "Weird Fishes?" The explorations in "Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi" yearn of something more during its explosive sonic moment: "Everybody leaves If they get the chance And this is my chance". The dense layering found within a song like this is really what separates Radiohead from the competition.

One feeling Radiohead is able to conjure for me is that of urgency. "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" speaks about the hypothetical / what could've been: right as something in life is about to set into place, it gets taken away without a rhyme or reason.

Jigsaw falling into place

So there is nothing to explain

You eye each other as you pass

She looks back, you look back

Not just once

Not just twice

"Jigsaw Falling Into Place" sneakily has become one of my favorite Radiohead songs over time, and goes down as one of the most memorable songs I discovered in college. So, there is nothing to explain (it's worth mentioning that In Rainbows Live From the Basement improves upon these songs at times - so go check it out)!

2. Kid A (2000)

Kid A is undoubtedly Radiohead's least accessible work - so a first time listener will most likely be scared away (as was I at one point). Its complex and electronic sound palette is a vast departure from the guitar driven anthem rock that brought Radiohead to new heights in the late nineties. The themes are built upon OK Computer's premise but go even further; the bleak snow-capped mountaintops set the tone for what Kid A has in store. Likewise, there's really nothing catchy so don't come for a quick fix of instant gratification. Come for an existential reflection on what we're doing here as human beings (yikes). Songs like "The National Anthem" display a rudimentary bassline that is holding on to sanity before being ripped apart by the forces around it. Other tracks like "How to Disappear Completely" and "Everything in its Right Place" strip away at the emotions that make us human and fill you up with a desolate sense of dread.

To me, Kid A speaks of a sub-human test subject that is willing to enter society but has no knowledge on the consequences of fear, anxiety, and hopelessness. This test subject is being evaluated by the trials and tribulations that society puts in front of it. Essentially, "Kid A" becomes the beacon of hope in a world that is progressively becoming more rigid; yet any wistful emotions felt by the test subject are quickly shut down. This is noted in the song "Optimistic" in which the lyrics tell us "You can try the best you can - The best you can is good enough". This test subject will eventfully succumb to the ills of society and become impure no matter what it attempts to do. The last track "Motion Picture Soundtrack" shows how whether "Kid A" survived the test of humanity - whether it could endure the fears and aspirations of the future or succumb to something below of that.

1. OK Computer (1997)

Radiohead's most polished work narrowly edges out Kid A, but not by much. It has a central theme and repeating motif built upon the fear of the post Y2K world. Eventually, the world will demand a place where jobs, lifestyles, and ultimately humans are replaced by automation. One of my favorite tracks, "Let Down" speaks on such themes that are still relevant to this day:

Transport, motorways and tramlines

Starting and then stopping

Taking off and landing

The emptiest of feelings

Disappointed people, clinging on to bottles

When it comes it's so, so, disappointing

Individualism will eventually become an afterthought in this fast moving high society - whatever is unique and personal to your own life will simply not matter in the mix. Ultimately your emotions will become invaluable to the assets of the progressing civilization. These thoughts are bluntly echoed through "Fitter Happier", where a sterile computerized voice lists the makings of an idealized society. While this might not sound very musical, it hammers home the central idea of OK Computer. All of these themes are conveyed with iconic musical textures and feelings that display Radiohead's brilliant human aspect (which to me has a fight/spirit resisting this theme). Likewise, these themes will continue to be present in society as long as we live in a world that's based around a pecuniary survival of the fittest.