 |
Planet Telex
The Bends
High and Dry
Fake Plastic Trees
Bones
Nice Dream
Just
My Iron Lung
Bulletproof... I Wish I Was
Black Star
Sulk
Street Spirit (fade out) |
The Bends
Released: 04/04/95
Produced by John Leckie, Radiohead, Jim Warren, Nigel Godrich.
Recorded at Rak, The Manor and Abbey Road, London, England. |
Notes:
Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's." Rolling Stone 5/13/99,
pp.58-59
Included in Q's 50 Best Albums of 1995 - "...THE BENDS' lasting mightiness is confirmed--as
is the scary impression that they'll only get better..." Q Magazine 2/96, p.63
Ranked #6 on Melody Maker's list of 1995's `Albums Of The Year' - "Rock as self-evisceration....consistently,
savagely brilliant..." Melody Maker 12/23-30/95, pp.66-67
Ranked #4 in NME's `Top 50 Albums Of The Year' for 1995. New Musical Express 12/23-30/95,
pp.22-23
3.5 Stars - Very Good - "...THE BENDS [is] a sonically ambitious album that offers
no easy hits. It's a guitar field day, blending acoustic strumming with twitches of
fuzzy tremolo and eruptions of amplified paranoia..." Rolling Stone 5/18/95, p.88
"...Sometimes folky, sometimes rocky, the sophomore album from this
English band offers a smorgasbord of guitar flavors, most of them tasty, The stylistic
leaps make for schizoid listening....but give these boys credit for not standing still..."
- Rating: B+ Entertainment Weekly 4/7/95, p.92
"...THE BENDS' greatest
asset is its approximation of London Suede, all the parody and none of the pomp....THE
BENDS proves that Radiohead didn't shoot their bolt with `Creep.' That there's a lot
more stirring down there than their recent past might admit..." Alternative Press
4/95, p.71 |
CMJ review
Three guitars, a driving rhythm section and keyboards, all fronted by a whiny English
bloke on vocals. That's the Radiohead setup, and believe it or not, it works spectacularly
well. Following up on its hit "Creep" from a few years ago, Radiohead's sophomore
effort ups the ante, delivering renewed vigor in the form of a happiersounding guitar
assault. Shimmering piano notes and echoing drums immediately pull you into the lead-off
track "Planet Telex," as the guitars unleash a wall of fuzzenhanced bliss. Vocalist
Thom Yorke's delivery is less deadpan and more passionate than before, giving the
tracks a sense of smoldering urgency. The title track is a brilliant piece of raging
guitar-driven pop, while "Fake Plastic Trees" opts for a subdued acoustic entrance,
beginning with subtle nods to John Denver before cascading into an intense swirl of
guitar, keyboards and drums. The band specializes in sonic juxtaposition, creating
safe, lilting melodies awash in warmness, before drowining them in a wall of blistercrunch
guitar and chaotic rhythmic interplay right before your ears. "You Do It To Me" is
the group's guitar-infested magnum opus, releasing a barrage of wail, grind and blitz.
The Bends, with its intoxicating metallic edginess, bits of slashing psychedelia and
calming interludes of acoustic ambience, unveils the perfect power-pop aesthetic. |
