Radiohead - The Bends (1995)

Radiohead – The Bends

Radiohead had a lot to prove going into 1995, they had skyrocketed into the zeitgeist with their slacker 1993 hit “Creep” (peaking at #34 on the Hot 100, a feat for a British band in the early 90’s), and they had struggled to keep up with the enormous pressure of their first major tour that followed. More than anything else though, the cultural landscape had shifted, after the death of Kurt Cobain and the "death" of grunge respectively, the dingy “trend” was not hip anymore. This ended up working in Radiohead’s favor, as without that previous paradigm to squeeze into, they were in a unique position; a successful band releasing an eagerly anticipated follow-up to an album that was encouraged to be left behind. Radiohead seized on their opportunity and developed The Bends to exemplify all the strengths of Pablo Honey, along with a new and exciting sound that proved to be clear, concise and modern. The album proved to be a success and even though no single became as popular as “Creep”, five of the singles did chart and more importantly, the album garnered the high critical acclaim missing from Pablo. This surprise reception is due in part to The Bends distinct sonic delivery, it drifts through its 12 tracks in extended deep space and while the songs are accessible and catchy they are elevated by their density, featuring a distinct Wall of Sound production. Songs like "Planet Telex," "High and Dry" and "Black Star" stand high above their precursors on Pablo, both for their scope and their high altitude themes. The only apparent drawback is a few of the tracks do suffer some residual grunge influence, in very minor details throughout the album. Although this can somewhat date tracks like "The Bends" and "Black Star," they help to bind the album to its predecessor and to a movement that may not be contemporary but certainly isn’t bad. The Bends is a triumphant release, an album that began one of the best track records in Rock music.

~9.5

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