Review Summary: The Bends is a far more impressive release than Pablo Honey, but short on highlights and, frankly, too monotonous for its run time.
The Bends is the epitome of the 90's teenage mindset; an examination of the adolescent human condition and all the problems, depression, love, experiences, cynicism and general chaos that are closely associated with that time period. It is also a terrific example of mature and introspective songwriting as Thom Yorke is coming of age in his composing talents, releasing cryptic lyrics one after another, as well as embellishing said lyrics with passionate and intricate melodies. That's what them critics say.
Of course, all of these attributes are true, to an extent, but I have major objections about the actual material. Hear me out: I'm sure a lot of kids back in the day were
stunted by the group's powerful, confessional repertoire about teen angst, depression and the likes, but for a 'teenage mindset encyclopedia' this record is seriously one-note. The main emotional states expressed here are anger, depression and “romantic moodiness”, while the teenage brain is actually chaotic. Even when taken out of “teenage” point of view, though, the monotonous nature of the album cannot be forgiven or overseen, as it’s a fifty minute experience limited to feeling unhappy.
Another
obvious defect of the record is the production and utilization of the guitar. Despite all the finesse and sophistication the band would showcase on later releases, here they sound very, um, generic. The electric guitars here are, for the most part, a prime example of 90's distortion blandness, unless Greenwood's unimaginative guitar tones on the majority of the tunes can be called special. Of course, I'm not condemning his purpose with this kind of tone choice; clearly, he wants to create a 'direct' and 'straightforward' sound to fit with the song's drive, but he fails completely. Radiohead were simply
not adequate enough yet to insert back-to-the-wall rock aesthetics in their songs. The
major exception, though, has to be
Just; Greenwood and O'Brien come up with a
breathtaking guitar battle, one of the best since the days of Television and
Marquee Moon.
When examining the production beyond the generic distortion, though, one cannot be left unimpressed.
Planet Telex is embellished with a wonderful mixture of tremolo-drenched guitars and “icy” piano chords to make up for the lackluster distortion, while
Street Spirit employs an elementary, but utterly captivating mix of clean electric/acoustic fingerpicking that manages to convey the loneliness and isolation Thom’s enigmatic lyrics point at. Finally,
My Iron Lung is the precursor to all things Paranoid Android, what with the stark antithesis between the “stingy”, clean guitars and the as-loud-as-possible instrumental attacks after the two minute mark.
What engages the listener most of all, though, has to be the actual songwriting, as
The Bends has its fair share of Radiohead classics: the anthemic U2 homage
Planet Telex, the tenderly melancholic
High And Dry, the thunderous
Just, the multi-part
My Iron Lung and the depressing
Street Spirit all deserve a place in the pantheon of Radiohead tunes. But, when looking at the greater picture, only
Fake Plastic Trees stands tall among the sea of “very good, but not special” songs found here; they sound
conventional, in a way. After 40 years of rock music, it’s safe to say that we are not short on brilliant rockers or ballads to be drooling about the interesting, but ordinary pleasures of numbers like
Black Star or
Bones, right?
In conclusion, I find the record to be seriously flawed. Very formulaic for the most part, both emotionally and musically, as not many of the tracks offer a fresh arrangement or a new mental state for the listener. On the other hand, the album is sincere, entertaining, the songs are memorable and solidly written, while the cryptic lyrics offer a sea of interpretations for future generations to come. Thus, not everything is broken, dear Thom. This album has pleasures. Many of them. Actually, it leaves me very high and that’s enough.
