I suggest thinking about the phrase. Perhaps while listening to, say, "Kama Police."
...
Maybe YOU'RE the one who should relisten to this song since the only reasonable interpretation of that sentence (an instrument plays the melody before Thom sings it) doesn't happen in it? Also, even if an instrument DID play the melody before the singer came in, that is a perfectly acceptable way to introduce the listener to the song and not actually a "problem", unless you also have problems with all kinds of classical and baroque music too.
― OH NOES, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 15:51 (twelve years ago) link
One last complaint about the prevalence of Thonny slash over the far superior and more canonical Thozzie slash and kids today they don't know they're born before I drop over the last granite Carn and lose reception forever!
― Polemicist Who Slashed All, Freely (Fotherington Thomas), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 15:53 (twelve years ago) link
To say nothin' of the prevalence of Fozzie Slash...
http://cdn3.hark.com/images/000/005/055/5055/original.0
― Y.O. Mini (MarkG oo la showaddywaddy), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 15:58 (twelve years ago) link
Maybe YOU'RE the one who should relisten to this song since the only reasonable interpretation of that sentence (an instrument plays the melody before Thom sings it) doesn't happen in it?
Ok, I'll spell it out - I mean the way he has to really draw out the words/melody, in time. If the song were a little faster, it's fairly limited melody would be more apparent. And I did just listen to the song. It isn't quite as big a factor as I remembered, but it's still there.
― C.K. Dexter Holland, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 16:02 (twelve years ago) link
Oh no, I'm becoming Geir, aren't I?
But doesn't he love Radiohead?
haha yes and yes
― OH NOES, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 16:02 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, we'll they're the sort of pretentious faux-classical music he seeks. And, to be clear, what I want from them is more James Brown.
― C.K. Dexter Holland, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 16:06 (twelve years ago) link
They must be melodic then
― Derek Pringles (Deep in the Tony Hart land), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 16:06 (twelve years ago) link
I shit you not, I just went in the pub and they were playing sodding Mogwai. Melody was really not that much of a priority in 1997.
― Polemicist Who Slashed All, Freely (Fotherington Thomas), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 16:11 (twelve years ago) link
My point is, Radiohead wasn't offering much else, back then at least
― C.K. Dexter Holland, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 16:18 (twelve years ago) link
It was just the style then!
That has just reminded me of the other reason to dislike this album + Karma Police especially because it made it officially Not OK to like fridge buzz any more. And for like 94-96 fridge buzz was a big thing in the Drone Community. Like after a big night of listening to Sonic Boom playing LaMonte Young Dream Music at Sound Lab we'd come back to my mate Anton's house with a bunch of Illbient dudes and skin up - the first time it happened it was by accident, Anton had gone out to get more wine and we were all "Aw man he's just left the most amazing music on for us" like some out take of SAW2. And about an hour later Anton came back and he was all "guise the record ended after 15 minutes you Fucken hippies have been listening to my fridge for 45 minutes!"
And Fucken Karma Police, man, that just ruined it for us ever after. I wanna reclaim fridge buzz for the droners and ambient heads (iPhone just corrected "droner" to "stoner" ha ha)
― Polemicist Who Slashed All, Freely (Fotherington Thomas), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 17:38 (twelve years ago) link
I mean, was OKC really tuneless compared to God! Speed! You! Fucken! Canadians or whatever? Not rlly no
― Polemicist Who Slashed All, Freely (Fotherington Thomas), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 17:41 (twelve years ago) link
I'd rather listen to Anton's fridge buzzing than Fucken Penderecki any day I tell ya.
Fuck it just started pelting with rain I gotta get off the pier.
― Polemicist Who Slashed All, Freely (Fotherington Thomas), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 17:46 (twelve years ago) link
I like this album a lot.
― William (C), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 17:52 (twelve years ago) link
well sure but it's left us with a world in which bad things still happen
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 18:03 (twelve years ago) link
this album is pretty good. haven't listened to it in years. i remember my freshman year of college someone telling me it was great, and i wasn't interested, but he played "let down" and we danced around the room. memories.
― tylerw_sandbox, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 18:05 (twelve years ago) link
If we get to Fonzie Slash we'll have jumped the shark.
― Dermot O'Leary is playing some beats/at night he's a TV presenter (snoball), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 18:17 (twelve years ago) link
I do this too! "OK computer, I'm tired of these error messages now".
G0H0H090(where's the cabbage?what's a cucumber?)
(file under "posts which amuse only the poster")
― brony island baby (case spudette), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 18:25 (twelve years ago) link
i haven't listened to it much since high school but the last 2 songs are still really pretty
― smh, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 18:28 (twelve years ago) link
it's real good
― gayfish, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 18:44 (twelve years ago) link
Is it just trendy to say you hate Radiohead?
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 19:28 (twelve years ago) link
yes
― OH NOES, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 19:30 (twelve years ago) link
also some people do actually hate them
like dark chocolate and red wine, it's good for the heart.
― Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 19:36 (twelve years ago) link
i like it
― Anyone need a (Jimmy Riddle), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 19:49 (twelve years ago) link
geir much prefers the bends iirc
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 19:52 (twelve years ago) link
I don't about "everyone", but "more people", yeah.
would probably stop a lot of the real nitpicky complaints and such. like that thing about how it's not "melodic enough" or whatever, like, how can you even claim that? after everything I'd heard about the group I thought I'd hate 'em, only to actually hear the album and realize that it's just kind of normal high-quality alt-pop
― ...or fold laundry? (J0n Arbuckle), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 19:54 (twelve years ago) link
i never liked this band why is the guy always whining abt things, i dont understand what hes talking abt
― Cooper Chucklebutt, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 19:55 (twelve years ago) link
I've never listened to this album. I had the Bends on cassette, tho.
― Mr. Farmer, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:01 (twelve years ago) link
that thing about how it's not "melodic enough" or whatever, like, how can you even claim that?
By listening to it and being honest? I suppose some familiarity with very basic musical theory might help, but it's hardly necessary.
― C.K. Dexter Holland, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:15 (twelve years ago) link
good point. i'm an idiot!
― ...or fold laundry? (J0n Arbuckle), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:16 (twelve years ago) link
I don't think being more like Tears For Fears would make OK Computer appear any less pretentious.
― OH NOES, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:17 (twelve years ago) link
but for everyone else's amusement, please elaborate on how "very basic musical theory" makes this album sound bad to you
― ...or fold laundry? (J0n Arbuckle), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:19 (twelve years ago) link
"very basic musical theory" doesn't "make[]" the album "sound bad" to me, it just helps describes why it doesn't sound good.
― C.K. Dexter Holland, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:20 (twelve years ago) link
care to elaborate even a little
― ...or fold laundry? (J0n Arbuckle), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:21 (twelve years ago) link
I mean no offense but that is just the laziest argument. it's like the 20-somethings who try to convince me why Dragonforce is the greatest band in the history of music, because "I took music classes and I understand what these guys are doing, if you don't I guess you'll never get it"
― ...or fold laundry? (J0n Arbuckle), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:23 (twelve years ago) link
he's just saying the melodic range isn't wide enough to be interesting, which is kind of a silly thing to say about a 90s rock song
― OH NOES, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:28 (twelve years ago) link
I'm saying, essentially, graph the notes (in your head). The melody isn't very interesting, which is obscured by Yorke's singing it in a whiny, drawn-out, pretentious Anglo drawl.
xp - Right, but it isn't silly because melody is basically all it has going for it.
― C.K. Dexter Holland, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:29 (twelve years ago) link
so what constitutes an "interesting" melody in your opinion? it's not like you can play this stuff on a piano with one finger, like it's Nickelback or something
― ...or fold laundry? (J0n Arbuckle), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 20:32 (twelve years ago) link
actually you can play "Karma Police" with one finger, not that that is actually an indication of whether something is a "good melody" or not
Right, but it isn't silly because melody is basically all it has going for it.
The idea that the melody is the only thing "Karma Police" has going for it is ridiculous. There are a bunch of things going on, between the piano/acoustic guitar interplay, the smooth bass groove, the background vocal interjections, and the distinct verse/chorus/coda sections, particularly the augmented orchestration in the coda.
It's obviously not going to be to everyone's taste because nothing is universally liked but come on; listen to what's actually there (and interestingly, you yourself admitted that you were grossly overstating your argument based on your relisten).
― OH NOES, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 21:56 (twelve years ago) link
No I didn't. I admitted that the temp was slightly better than I remembered, which may add a hint of rhythm, but changes nothing in re: the weakness of the melody. If I have overstated anything, which I'm not sure I have, it's been only mildly. The things you listed are there, yes, but none of them are "going on" imo. This is in part why they amped up the effects on Kid A.
― C.K. Dexter Holland, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 22:07 (twelve years ago) link
tempO
damn Yorke putting on that pretentious Anglo drawl
― Nemanja Vmić (Julie Lagger), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 22:09 (twelve years ago) link
he shd get back to his original Barry White voice
― Nemanja Vmić (Julie Lagger), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 22:10 (twelve years ago) link
what would be a much better tempo? would 170 bpm be ideal?
what would be a stronger melody? one that avoided the middle half of a piano?
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 22:16 (twelve years ago) link
OK Computer changed my life and all you fuckers saying it is bad should suck my dick! You guys are supposedly "I love music"?
― billy goat, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 22:19 (twelve years ago) link
OK Computer changed my life and all you fuckers saying it is bad should suck my dick!
I decline. Many people, myself included, have strong personal attachments to bad music, especially that which they enjoyed in their youth/adolescence.
― C.K. Dexter Holland, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 22:20 (twelve years ago) link
Fitter, happier, more productiveGetting on better with your fellow postersNot reading too many Radiohead threads on ILXRegular looking for the SB button (3 times a day)
― los krampusinos! (pomplamau5), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 22:21 (twelve years ago) link
You can't just be like OH the tempo is wrong and the melody is wrong, you have to live inside the song and let it be part of you! It's a song not a textbook! Try listening to Exit Music on a discman under a bridge in the middle of January and then tell me it doesn' t have a melody and the tempo is wrong!
― billy goat, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 22:21 (twelve years ago) link