Nestled between the popular, amateurish tones of Pablo Honey’s ‘Creep’ and the flawless infamy of 1997’s smash-hit OK Computer, it can certainly be argued that Radiohead’s modest sophomore effort is often overlooked. Yet, as the iconic album reaches its 20th anniversary this month, it feels all the more important to appreciate The Bends as an album that moulded not only one band’s prolific career, but the lives of many music lovers around the globe. With my strong personal favour of the record (partly) set aside, I made an honest attempt to listen to it again objectively, as one would following its initial release in the spring of 1995.
The aptly named ‘Planet Telex’ opens the album with a series of other-worldly whooshes, fuelling the build to an endlessly satisfying showcase of tight percussion and throngs of guitar, all wrapped in a smooth, subtle bassline; the vocals that follow are raw, adolescent, and drenched in emotive power. Following this audible starting pistol, a sense of musical mastery emerges as the album flows through the now well-known rock classics ‘High & Dry’ and ‘Fake Plastic Trees‘, to the lesser recognised – and equally as striking – tracks. One such hidden gem is ‘Bones’, a forceful yet melancholy critique of growing old, paired with a definitive backbone of highly polished bass tones. Said to be the favourite song of bassist Colin Greenwood, the song has since become a benchmark in powerful sound for aspiring rock bands.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDGRc_krpYg&w=740&h=422]
Something that is immediately apparent of The Bends’ musical elements is the deep shadowing of Joy Division’s debut record Unknown Pleasures; the most obvious comparative point being that both bands successfully utilised brilliantly crafted (yet somewhat premature) ideas to catapult themselves into universal recognition. That is to say, someone listening to both opening tracks, ‘Disorder’ and ‘Planet Telex’, back-to-back would undoubtedly note that the similarities in sound are subtle, minimal, yet striking. However, it is certainly not the case that this album is a carbon copy of the new wave records that arrived 15 years prior. Rather, through each and every song- such as the wonderfully turbulent title track- Radiohead prove at the very dawn of their musical career that they have a rare talent for harnessing their various influences (New Order, the Smiths, Pixies) to create something new, and deeply soulful.
While some argue that it is the calculated tumult of Jonny Greenwood’s guitar riffs that set this album apart, I disagree. For me, it is Thom Yorke’s poignant lyrics and vocals that help retain the sense of heartfelt soul. They interweave harmoniously with all other sounds, creating emotionally charged images that linger in the ears of the beholder, such as the wonderfully simple hook found in the melodic ‘Black Star’: “What are we coming to? / I just don’t know anymore”. Most of the lyrical content projects one simple and utterly relatable message, that ageing is unbearable and laughable, yet darkly inevitable. This idea is reflected constantly, through songs like ‘Bones’, ‘Bullet-Proof…I Wish I Was’ and ‘High and Dry’, suggesting that this truly was a ‘coming-of-age’ experience for the young band. But this isn’t the only lesson to be learnt, as many of the songs follow the notions of heartbreak, depression, and the folly of youth. Although the words found on this album may not be the most memorable uttered in rock music history, it’s clear that the wonderful versatility and pure, unadulterated emotion of Yorke’s voice renders the feelings provoked by them completely unforgettable.
So, perhaps I failed in being objective. But in short, The Bends takes some of the more favourable elements of its underdeveloped predecessor Pablo Honey – the youthful angst, emotive vocals and aggressive guitar riffs – and builds upon them, adding finely-tuned musical maturity and life lessons learnt to create one of the pivotal albums in 1990s rock. Plus, as it is named directly after diver’s decompression sickness, the entire feel of this record perfectly encapsulates the notion of giddy isolation and love-sickness that many of us experience, making it endlessly relatable. Contrary to popular belief, it was this album that cemented Radiohead’s fame and recognition, ridding them of the deadly ‘one hit wonder’ label two whole years before the release of their ‘magnum opus’.
Words by Emily Ingram