Your Fantasies Are Unlucky. But Beautiful.

Radiohead
Airbag/ How am I Driving?
(Capitol)

Why review a single you ask? Well, two reasons actually. The first being that Radiohead is one of my favorite bands - right up there with Ben Folds Five and Pearl Jam. The second reason is that this CD is not really a single, it is an EP. There are seven tracks, of which six are previously unreleased. Each of these tracks is a fine example of Radiohead musical taste and style.

The album begins with "Airbag" which is found on the OK Computer album, so there is nothing to get overly excited about - yet... The next track, entitled "Pearly" is a classic Radiohead style. The music is more rock oriented than most of the tracks on OK Computer, it would have fit nicely on The Bends. After "Pearly" we go into a light instrumental entitled "Meeting in the Aisle." This instrumental is a perfect segue on the album, leaving way for the next track.

"A Reminder" is a very slow song, similar to "Bullet Proof... I Wish I Was" or "Black Star". The next song, "Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2)" is exactly what its name suggests - a two part song. In a style similar to tthe one used in "Paranoid Android", the song begins slow and quiet and builds to a harder, louder, rock force.The louder section of the song is very similar to "Lucky", only a bit faster. "Melatonin", the next track is a spacy dreamscape with a melancholic Thom Yorke offering up saddened vocals. This is all set over a tribal drum beat. This dreamscape continues with the final track - "Palo Alto", which switches to a rock song. The rock on this track is more pop than anything they have played in quite some time, taking us back to Pablo Honey days, but ending with a sound which could be straight off of OK Computer.

As you can see, this CD has a mix of everything Radiohead has to offer. Sadly it is only seven tracks. Because of this reason, I can only give it four turntables. Who ever heard of a single winning album of the year anyways, right?

Music Critic
08.08.98