Review Summary: EUPHAMISMEUPHAMISMEUPHAMISM
IMPROVEMENT
To improve is to build around something that already exists, and make it better. For Radiohead,
The Bends was their way of improving upon
Pablo Honey. That is not to say
The Bends completely throws away
Pablo Honey's Alt Rock feel. Not at all, but it sure as Hell does things much differently. With
The Bends, the Rock got more layered, the lyrics got more introspective, and the ideas began to flourish.
One of the biggest strengths in
The Bends is its deeper guitar playing by Jonny Greenwood and Ed O'Brian, which really take center stage in songs like
Sulk and
My Iron Lung.
Sulk is particularly interesting as Thom has completely abandoned his Grungey drone and opted to actually sing instead. This allows the lyrics to take on more weight, and the style of the instruments mimics such emotion. A perfect example being
Street Spirit (Fade Out) as it's simple composition begins to fuse with Thom's creepy vocals, creating a beautiful, yet scary, atmosphere.
Not everything pans out that well, however.
High and Dry is unnecessarily Whimsical despite it's lyrics, and it's guitar playing could have been more complex. Not to mention its lyrics ("Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry") have much to be desired. Most of the album still seems to cling on to it's origins from
Pablo Honey, with
The Bends' outrageously heavy guitar playing and Grungey drone being the biggest example.
Bones has a nice start, with its keyboard playing and wobbly guitar flow, but quickly loses its footing as the guitar gets heavier and the vocals get lazier. The song just jumps between two different, contrasting emotions that I simply cannot find myself enjoying.
The Bends was Radiohead's redemption. This was the album that turned Radiohead from a Grunge afterthought, into one of the most critically adored bands of the 1990's.
The Bends had some notable issues, but was largely a great album, with some nice singles and hooks. Not to mention an excellent eye for experimentation that would take this band to new heights in the music world. One could say the future was looking bright for Radiohead, but that would be an understatement.
