Radiohead
Airbag/How Am I Driving?
(Capitol)

Radiohead's 1997 Grammy-winning opus, OK Computer, proved two things: one, that there's more to Radiohead than 1993's hit single "Creep," and two, The Bends was not a fluke. With its theme of fear and loathing in the information age, OK Computer quickly became The Dark Side of the Moon of the '90s, and many fans are eagerly anticipating its follow-up.

In the meantime, obsessive fans (Radiohead-heads?) can dine on the Airbag/How Am I Driving? EP. This mini-album combines the b-sides (minus remixes) of OK Computer's three singles, "Paranoid Android," "Karma Police" and "No Surprises," which were previously available only on expensive import discs. Now packaged on one domestically released disc, the EP fills the void between albums for the price of a movie ticket.

And it's worth the money. While most bands can't even put together a decent album, let alone a collection of leftovers, Airbag/How Am I Driving? maintains a balance throughout its seven songs that rarely occurs on a b-sides compilation. The six non-album tracks give insight into the OK Computer recording sessions and help put the album in perspective.

After "Airbag" (from OK Computer), "Pearly" opens the rest of the disc with three minutes of suspenseful guitar work that evokes the feel of an old, black-and-white French film. This segues nicely into "Meeting in the Aisle," an instrumental experiment with electronic rhythms that would have fit perfectly on the Trainspotting soundtrack.

The EP maintains the cinematic, conceptual feel that resonated throughout OK Computer. This continues on "A Reminder," a clever nod to Pink Floyd's "Empty Spaces," and "Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2)," which starts with gentle, acoustic strumming that's quickly engulfed by an eruption of killer guitar riffs.

Nothing though, exemplifies OK Computer's disdain for modern life and its excesses better than "Palo Alto." After stating "I'm too busy to see you/You're too busy to wait", lead singer Thom Yorke delivers the lines "I'm okay/How are you?/Thanks for asking" with more than just a hint of sarcasm. Pit this with the mock-questionnaire included with the disc and you have an even better grasp of what the band was trying to (and succeeded in) getting across with OK Computer.

Chad Dryden

U
08.98