Album of the week – N° 6

In this weekly series, we’ll cover someone’s favorite Album of the Week. 

 

Exploring new music and discovering new bands is always fun. Without music we couldn’t even listen to all of our great gear. Music is what unites us and as such we are reviving a very old series, in which we each week talk about one specific album. In short: “The Album of the Week”!

Lieven started this album of the week series with a record he had been listening to for 32 years and this week’s edition of the AOTW is something completely different. The 6th album of the week is from Radiohead, and the album is “OK Computer

Radiohead, British rock group that was arguably the most accomplished art-rock band of the early 21st century. This revered quintet made some of the most majestic—if most angst-saturated—music of the postmodern era. Formed in the mid-1980s at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire, Radiohead comprised singer-guitarist Thom Yorke, bassist Colin Greenwood, guitarist Ed O’Brien, drummer Phil Selway, and guitarist-keyboardist Jonny Greenwood.

Strongly influenced by American bands such as R.E.M. and the Pixies, Radiohead paid early dues on the local pub circuit. With their university education completed, the group landed a deal with Parlophone in late 1991. Although its debut album, Pablo Honey (1993), barely hinted at the grandeur to come, the startling single “Creep”—a grungy snarl of self-loathing—made major waves in the United States. 

The OK Computer album we’re looking at today is a bit different than Radiohead’s early works. ”OK Computer” is the third studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in the UK on 16 June 1997 by EMI. With their producer, Nigel Godrich, Radiohead recorded most of OK Computer in their rehearsal space in Oxfordshire and the historic mansion of St Catherine’s Court in Bath in 1996 and early 1997. They distanced themselves from the guitar-centred, lyrically introspective style of their previous album, The Bends. OK Computer’s abstract lyrics, densely layered sound and eclectic influences laid the groundwork for Radiohead’s later, more experimental work.

The album’s lyrics depict a world fraught with rampant consumerism, social alienation, emotional isolation and political malaise; in this capacity, OK Computer has been said to have prescient insight into the mood of 21st-century life. The band used unconventional production techniques, including natural reverberation through recording on a staircase, and no audio separation. Strings were recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. Most of the album was recorded live. To me, listening to this album is a transcendant experience, especially with a good pair of headphones. Especially the Paranoid Android, my favorite track of the Album. We are all audiophiles for a reason, but above all, let’s not forget to listen to music, not just sounds. Read more about Radiohead, here.

And that’s it for the sixth entry. If you haven’t given the album or track a chance, try it, and you might enjoy it as much as I do. Let us know in the comments if you agree with our song selection or let us know what song from this album you prefer.

You can check out my favourite track of the album on YouTube here.

Full album on Qobuz here.

We feel and hope that this new series can be a way to recommend new music to our fellow headphone enthusiasts and so we’ll be posting a new recommendation each week on Saturday. If you want to see your favorite album being featured here, head over to our contact page, or hit us up on Twitter or Instagram. (hashtag #albumoftheweek or #AOTW). If we like it then you will be featured in this series.

See you next week!

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Long time Tech Enthusiast, an ambitious petrol-head, Yagiz likes his gadgets and always finds new ways into the tinkerer's world. He tries to improve anything and everything he gets his hands onto. Loves an occasional shine on the rocks.

2 Comments

  • Reply March 26, 2023

    Ryan L

    Ok computer was by far the best album of the nineties and Radiohead’s best album. This was the band peaking in every aspect of their music from Thom’s lyrics and vocal range to mad scientist Johnny Greenwood’s incendiary guitar solos and playing that knobby thing with all the buttons. Does anyone know what that is!? I feel like they kinda hid behind obscurity on every album after OK Computer. I love every song on this album, but if I had to choose one, it would be Karma Police. A very close 2nd to me would be Paranoid Android. Then Lucky..

  • Reply March 29, 2023

    Erick Victor Munoz

    Timeless.
    Dont overlook track 11, “No Surprises”. Its a wonderful headphone track. It begins with a glockenspiel being picked that can sound more like a bell on less resolving equipment. The bass line comes in soon after, testing the bass clarity and instrument separation as the track gets going.

    Also Dont underestimate their later albums, especially on cans, In Rainbows and the King of Limbs contain countless highlights for headphone listening.

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