In Defense of The Bends

You'd think that, after more than a decade, an argument like this would be over and done with. You'd be wrong. Most people, to my knowledge, still say OK Computer is the best Radiohead album. The usual counterproposal is that it's actually Kid A. Me, I've always preferred The Bends.

Don't get me wrong, I recognize the importance of OK Computer and Kid A, I really do. But I think, for my money, The Bends is stronger from start to finish.

Sonically, The Bends is more interesting than either of the other two. While OK Computer and Kid A may each manage to develop a very specific sonic palette, with the former full of murky foreboding and the latter full of all manner of electronic squiggles and blips, The Bends goes for a clean, crisp production style that puts the guitars and Thom Yorke's vocals up front. While OK Computer and Kid A may create a strong sense of mood with their productions, a strong sense of mood does not great music make.

A lot is made of the thematic content of OK Computer, and I will admit that you've got me there. There's no overarching thematic concept to The Bends, unless "let's make a great record full of great songs" counts as a theme. And really, what makes a record great: the theme, or the songs? Let me answer that question for you: the songs. If the songs aren't great, the album won't be great, no matter how compelling the concept (just ask Pink Floyd). Taken on a song-by-song basis, The Bends is stronger, more varied, and more interesting. There are great rockers ("Iron Lung," opener "Planet Telex"), cerebral ballads (the glorious "Fake Plastic Trees," the lilting "Nice Dream"), and songs that fall somewhere in between (the breathtaking closer, "Street Spirit (Fade Out)"). While there are arguably some great songs on OK Computer ("Paranoid Android" and "Karma Police," of course, and the off=putting "Climbing up the Walls"), they get lost in the murk and virtually all slower, downtempo songs. Too much gets lost in the swell of shimmer and ephemera.

Honestly, whenever I reach for a Radiohead album, it's usually The Bends or Hail to the Thief (which isn't as consistent as The Bends but is still fantastic). OK Computer may be the one that folks crow about, and Kid A may be the one that changed all the rules about what rock and roll is supposed to be, but for my money, The Bends is the best record.