12th January, 1998
No surprises what's single of the week (and no, "Dr Jones" is out in a fortnight).
"No Surprises" by Radiohead
This is the number from "OK Computer" that made you stop dead in your tracks with its simplistic beauty, then made you shiver
as it slowly twisted and perverted itself into a lament for late 20th century life. Starting with a music box guitar, gentle bass and snowfall-soft drums, "No Surprises" takes you on a journey through the despair and futility of your own life, but with its heavenly tune and achingly beautiful vocals, it is a journey you're glad you took. Battling with the big, bad (and boring) Oasis boys for next week's number one spot, Radiohead deserve to win, if for nothing else than being so brave as to release the most melancholic song ever written in the middle of January. Pass the paracetemol.
"Palo Alto" begins through a haze of radio(head) interference, then sees the band let loose into a big rawk riff which punctuates a Pixies-style number, in which you can almost hear the relief of the band as they are freed from the stifling confines of "OK Computer"s introspective paranoia. "How I Made My Millions" is back in bleaksville, with a piano-backed requiem stippled with anachronistic and almost inaudible sharp samples that sound like your dreams breaking (it is however the sound of Thom's girlfriend doing the dishes, apparently). Equal to anything on "OK", this is another one to make your spine tingle.
The second CD contains two live tracks. "Airbag", live in Berlin, a slightly-tinny sounding version of the LP opener that even so manages to capture the song's naive bravado and optimism, with it still thinking it's back and capable of saving the universe. "Lucky" was recorded in Florence and is as near faultless as you can get.
Look up "talent" in the dictionary and you'll find a picture of Radiohead. Looking cool. The swine.
Rating: 10/10