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It Takes Two, Baby, It Takes Two


SeanDMan

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So, Top 100 lists seem to be the big shit right now.

I like music too, and I sort of want to do one, but, also, fuck making a list of my favourite 100 songs and trying to sort it anyway. Also, my PC at home is broken so I can't check my Windows Media Player most played, which would be a cheap way of doing one.

So! I will do something different.

I've always sort of felt that buying albums is a considerable investment. It's a little different now because I make a lot more bank than I used to (actually it's probably about the same, I just actually pay tax these days >_>), but still; if I have to choose between $15 for a record or $15 for an X-Box game I can get a solid month's worth of play out of, I need more than just a catchy single to hook me. So I started to change the way I bought music. I would only buy an album if there were two songs on it I really liked (the exception being if it was from a band who I had already gotten fair money value from, in which case I will sometimes buy them sight unseen, such as with Hospital Music). This would hopefully avoid me buying another Jagged Little Pill which had one great rock single and then a bunch of stuff that grew hair on my previously nonexistent vagina.

Now, I'm also tempted to do this in chronological order of albums I've actually bought, but that would require a whole lot of thinking that my concussion riddled brain probably can't handle. Also I'd probably do several albums twice.

So, instead, I will start with bands who I own a lot of albums for and do each album I own individually. I will pick my two favourite songs, either from that album or from that era (if they have a really great B-side that they play live or you can hear on college radio), that convinced me to shell out the big spending money to get that particular CD.

This may go on a while or it might die like most of my other projects. We shall see. >_>

The List So Far:

Radiohead:

The Bends

- Just

- Street Spirit

OK Computer

- No Surprises

- The Tourist

Kid A

- Everything In It's Right Place

- Idioteque

Amnesiac

- Life In A Glass House

- Pyramid Song

Hail To The Thief

- There There

- Sail To The Moon

In Rainbows

- Reckoner

- Last Flowers

King Of Limbs

- Codex

- The Butcher

Alanis Morrisette:

Jagged Little Pill

- You Oughta Know

- Ironic

No Doubt:

Tragic Kingdom

- Spiderwebs

- Don't Speak

Matthew Good Band:

Last Of The Ghetto Astronauts

- Alabama Motel Room

- Omissions Of The Omen

Underdogs

- Everything Is Automatic

- Apparitions

Beautiful Midnight

- The Future Is X-Rated

- Suburbia

The Audio Of Being

- Carmelina

- Sort Of A Protest Song

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The Bends - Radiohead

So, to get this right out there: Pablo Honey is really not that good, in my opinion. I like a lot of Radiohead stuff but Radiohead fans (much like MGB fans) seem to be split into two camps: People who liked the early stuff and think the new stuff is shit, or people who like the new stuff and think the early stuff is shit. I wouldn't go so far as to say their early stuff is shit, but a lot of it is pretty forgettable. Also, Creep is shit. Blow Out is okay, has some great guitar, but otherwise there isn't anything awesome about Pablo Honey.

The Bends, though? The Bends is the start of absolute awesomeness. I started collecting Radiohead albums when Hail To The Thief dropped; they were never really superbig over here, so I sort of needed to mingle with more douchey, arty folk in order to discover them. But once discovered, holy fuck. This is really the start of the transition from "we're like a British Nirvana" the record company wanted from Creep to "we sort of do what we want" astrological insanity later Radiohead, probably as best evidenced by Planet Telex, which is quite a departure from Pablo Honey style guitar licks and bleach blonded pop songs.

Just

If someone came to me and said "I've heard about this band Radiohead, but I dunno where to start", I'd probably point them to Just. For one, it's accessible; it's guitars, drums, understandable lyrics, all tied together in a rock song motif. It's not going to scare them or confuse them (unless they watch the video and want to know what he said >_>). Plus, it's GoGo's favourite Radiohead song and I can't think of a better recommendation than that.

While it's not my favourite Radiohead song, it's definitely up there (probably top five), and easily their most straightforward, understandable masterwork. It's a great video too. There is, though, one other seminal track on the album that must be a part of every Radiohead conversation...

Street Spirit(Fade Out)

If you're going to a Radiohead show, don't leave until you hear this one.

I think Thom and co write fantastic songs, lyrics wise, but sometimes they're a bit... well, out there? As a writer myself, I appreciate a bit of symbolism, pretentious wankery, and absurdity (Astral Cars? Really?), but sometimes it's nice to see a story painted from point a to point b and be able to follow along, and, perhaps outside of Exit Music For A Film, this is the best example of Radiohead in plainly understood, but still very heavy, lyricism.

Watching it live, and seeing the entire crowd sing along, is awesome too. It makes me very jealous of you stupid Brits that they play your festivals every year when they've been here, like, twice in the last decade. >_>

Anyway, yes, Just and Street Spirit. Planet Telex and Nice Dream are good too, but these two tracks are my personal favourites off the album. The entire package is pretty good, and I'd say if you want to get into Radiohead, this is a decent place to start. Though, most people...

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OK Computer - Radiohead

Most people start with OK Computer.

I can't really blame anyone for that; I mean, if you're going to watch just one Star Wars movie, I'd rather it be Empire Strikes Back than the Phantom Menace. There is something to be said for starting from the beginning though, and I think skipping The Bends is a shame, but OK Computer is their best selling and highest regarded album, so why the fuck not.

I'm also going to say this; picking the top two songs off this album is really, really hard. Any time you have this many great tracks, leaving some off of the reccomended list is tough, but I limited myself to two, so two it is. That said, paranoidandroidexitmusicforafilmletdownkarmapoliceandclimbingupthewallsaregreattoo.

No Surprises

Where to start? Well, remember that bit before about understandable music? This one leaves a bit more to the imagination, but "A Handshake With Carbon Monoxide" is about as plain and as dark as you can get in a song. This is another great video too, and watching the making of for the video just makes me appreciate it all the more. As a guy with a fear of water, that's pretty much the most terrifying making of music video I've seen.

I'm actually watching this video in the background and I can't get over how dark the lyrics are. But the instrumentation is hilariously pingy and positive. It's like watching a guy slit his wrists with marshmellows, it's such an ironic and delicious combination.

The Tourist

Okay, so, a lot of people are probably pretty confused, with me picking Radiohead's heavy singles album and discarding most of the singles. And don't get me wrong, they're good... but The Tourist is FUCKING AMAZING. There are some great highs on this album, but this track is just a step up. Sure, it's not exceptionally deep, sure, it's not complex and experimental like Electioneering, but this track is just so much more than that. It has a very clear, concise, but also emotional meaning.

And you can hear it, too. Thom sometimes just sort of is there on tracks; there are exceptions where he is the centerpiece obviously, and this is really one of them. The song builds and builds in terms of instrumentation, and then Thom just climbs right over it and hits the chorus again. It's one of my favourite outros of an album and listening to it again, I'd definitely put it ahead of Exit Music and Karma Police and say that it's definitely one of my favourite Radiohead songs. So that was OK Computer, and, depending on who you ask, it was all downhill from there.

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Kid A - Radiohead

But fuck other people, what do they know.

Kid A (and Amnesiac, which is even more weird) were the departure point for Radiohead where they had hopped onto the crazy train and, instead of being polite and smiling and holding the doors, they were definitely on the rails and pulling out of the station. Some people think this is where Radiohead became shit and self indulgent and twats and whatnot.

But whatever, those people are cunts. My absolute favourite band of all time is Pink Floyd (I only actually own two of their albums though, which is a goddamn tragedy now that I think of it), but the main thing I liked about Pink Floyd is that every album is an experience. You don't know what the fuck you're getting into when you start spinning that record/disc, you just kind of sit down and hope for the best. To me, the worst bands in the world are the Nickelbacks and the like who just record the same fucking album 11 times and sit there and count their money. Kid A is not OK Computer. If you wanted Radiohead to just continue remaking OK Computer, then FUCK YOU. You're the self indulgent twat in this situation, not them. >_>

Everything In It's Right Place

So hey, remember that cool video I showed you? Just? Yeah! This is the same band. I know, right? No, this is NOTHING like Just. Yeah, it's a little out there. Yeah! Yeah! Oh, shit, your brain exploded. Well cock.

This is definitely not what I'd consider accessible Radiohead. This is not the kind of thing you can sit down and strum for your friends at the campfire, like, well, most of OK Computer. For a band that has 4 guitarists, this album has sparcity in guitar licks, and personally, I kind of like it. I'm a fan of bad synthesizer and I wouldn't say this is bad, but it's synthesizer, so it's a bit of a departure if you want that rock band who did Karma Police to come back. Personally, I really like electronic music, and "There are two colors in my head" is just the right level of lyrical insanity to tickle my inner psycopath. Synth on, Radiohead, synth on!

Idioteque

Okay, I know that last song was a little scary and unlike what you're used to, so let's find a nice, mellow, soft rock song we can both sway softly too.

HA, SURPRISE SHITHEADS, it's Idioteque! After listening to The Bends and OK Computer, this is a definite shock to the system. In fact, if you listen to the albums in chronological order, it's quite jarring how rapidly they go from soft pop to soft rock to... protest disco? I mean, what do you even call this song? It's like if Rolling Stones suddenly dropped a dubstep album. It would be fucking bizarre, though possibly awesome. And, again, as odd and as out there and as strange as this track might be, "Here, I'm allowed, everything all of the time" just says it all, doesn't it?

So yes, Kid A. Notable mention is due to Motion Picture Soundtrack, but I think it's a bit overplayed given how many people use it for vidding and such. Their next album is Amnesiac, which... well, if Kid A was weird, Amnesiac is plum insane.

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Amnesiac - Radiohead

So, earlier, I said a great introduction to Radiohead would be Just. I'd like to take that back and say that the best introduction to Radiohead would be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp3k6rlGHi8. Anyone who is a fan of Radiohead would probably think that recommending this song, of all songs, would be tantamount to insanity, given how out there it is, but there's a madness to my methods. Namely, listening to the album version and then

version was a revelation; I refused, at first, to recognize them as the same song; I thought I was being trolled.

But that is what Radiohead can do. It's like if you hear a song by a band and you don't speak the language. Say, Sigur Ros, or Rammstein, or any of a thousand artists who sing a song and you cannot make out a single word. Even if you don't understand it, even if you don't get the meaning clearly, it's still there. It's under the surface, it's still relevant, and it's still beautiful. Radiohead can do that; give you a song that seems like nonsense, but in actuality, is quite deep and sinister. You just have to go deeper. It's why when people say they "don't get" Radiohead, I don't foam at the mouth, because they're not just a band that you can sit down and say "Hey, yeah, this is cool", there is a level of investment you have to make in order to fully appreciate them.

Anyway, enough of that shit, let's play more music.

Life In A Glass House

I'll preface this by saying more modern rock bands need to implement brass into their songs.

Rolling Stone described this track as a New Orleans Style Funeral March, and, well, yeah. So we had soft rock, harder rock, protest disco, and now jazz funerals. This band does everything except death metal (though they're supposedly hitting the studio after this tour, so my fingers are crossed). This is another track with really heavy, dark lyrics, which compliment perfectly with the sad horns in the background. Again, this isn't nesscessarily accessible, but it depends on how deep you want your music. This isn't a latte, it's a goddamn cake, so it's going to have layers you need to cut through to get to the delicious center. If you're up for it, there's a damn haunting track here.

Pyramid Song

There are some songs where you can talk about it, analyze it, try and figure out what it means... then there are songs that you just hit play and follow along. In terms of "songs that always give me shivers", Pyramid Song is right up there with Ohne Dich.

I'm not going to talk about it anymore except to say it's amazing, watch the video, bask in the awe.

Hail To The Thief was their next album, which again according to some people is when they turned to shit and, again, fuck those people. >_>

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Those are my two favourite Kid A songs too. It's a great album.

No comments on the rest of my blasphemy? >_>

I will be rather narked if 2 + 2 = 5 doesn't make an appearance.

Does this mean you'll undress? If so, is this meant to deter me or encourage me? I'm so confused.

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NaRked. With an R. Incidentally, in the video for Just a bunch of lip-readers tried to work out what the guy says. Their conclusion?

I think it deserves a second spoiler.

Maybe even a third.

Because it's quite something.

You don't want to die, do you?

Seriously, this shit is bananas.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

He says...

"I like banana yoghurt".

Told you it was bananas.

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Hail To The Thief - Radiohead

Ah, guitars, I missed you!

For all the talk about how Radiohead abandoned guitars and they needed to make another rock record, Hail To The Thief, a more guitar orientated, rock like record, sure seemed to get some mixed fucking reviews. Would you fucking plebians make up your fucking mind or what?

The band have mixed feelings on this album and feel a couple of the songs they could do without, and seem like filler, which I can sort of see. The http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lstDdzedgcE, harking back to 1984, definitely isn't one of them, but I think GoGo's hillarious "THE RAINDROPS THE RAINDROPS THE RAINDROPS THE RAINDROPS" that he posted in one of the BR OOC threads had a point; some of the songs on this record could definitely have used some fine tuning. When this album hits, it hits like a dick punch with brass knuckles on, but it does have a few misses. So I promise not to mention any of them. >_>

There There

OMG this bass line.

First, how awesome is it that they stuck their two primary guitarists to bang on big fucking drums just for lulz? I mean, the drums really add to the album track, although they don't have the same presence live (I loaded the live version because OMG that bass line, it's more abridged on the music video version), but yeah, I imagine when they showed up to the studio that day they were a little confused. Even so, in the end, this all gels together and I think makes for a really sick rock song, definitely one of my favourite Radiohead rock songs.

Incidentally, did I splooge enough about that OMG bass line yet? No? Well, here it is, except in different tempo in another Radiohead song. Just as amazing, just as awesome, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6GkPkwkgSE.

(I played that song like 15 times before I realized where I'd heard that chord pattern before).

Sail To The Moon

With all due apologies to a now naked Be.

This is another departure song in that it's probably not something you'd expect from HAIL TO THE THIEF OUR ANGRY POLITICAL PROTEST RECORD RARGH, but it's still fucking incredibly ominous and dark. The way the keys seem to sometimes linger and hover in the background behind the words, the way Thom hangs the words and keeps each note going, the lyrics, oh the lyrics... this song is pretty much the antithesis of bliss. It's like the eye of the hurricane; it's calm, but somethings wrong, and you feel restless and afraid. This song has an underlying tension and an unstated darkness about it, but I really enjoy it, as I do with most piano heavy Radiohead stuff.

After this comes In Rainbows. Which gives me an excuse to post http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_puc6kC16I.

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In Rainbows - Radiohead

Wonderful stuff. Ah, Radiohead. What a band. There's Phil Selway. The drummer. Talented drummer, Phil Selway.

This is probably the hardest Radiohead record to break down to just two tracks because the first disc is stellar, and really besides a brief Fraust Arp/All I Need lull, doesn't have anything that I would consider filler, dull, forgettable, or bad. Even House Of Cards, which is just okay, is still a cool track and reminds me a lot of a better version of Blow Out, the only track on Pablo Honey I like. >_> But, I have given myself a theme here, and damn if I will let too much good stop me from sharing the best of that good. Here goes.

Reckoner

I fucked to this song, so it's automatically on my list. Deal with it.

Last Flowers

In a totally different mood, here's Last Flowers.

The lyrics and the piano are... yeah, like toast and jam here, they just fit together perfectly. It's a song of being overwhelmed and afraid, alone and not wanting to be alone. It's a song that sits there and holds your hand and knows your pain as you watch the world end, and you know it's going to end, and you can't stop it from ending, but you know that it ended before, and it's ending again, and everything will be okay, and everyone will move on, and that it's okay to cry, and it's okay to be afraid, but that you will never be alone. Not while Last Flowers is there. It's like a hug for your soul.

I could mention any of the songs on this album as being recommended because it was truly lovely, but those are my top two. King Of Limbs is next, and then we move on to a new band! Yay new bands!

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The King Of Limbs - Radiohead

On the subject of mixed reactions to Radiohead records, here's The King Of Limbs!

So the Radiohead fansphere pretty much can't decide whether this is the worst record since Rob Van Winkle was making EPs or whether this album is the first step in the stairway to heaven it's so good. I will say it's a bit of a curiosity and not as much as a surefire, OMG I MUST HEAR THIS AGAIN kind of record like In Rainbows was or earlier, Kid A/OK Computer. But there are definitely some amazing songs on this record. Plus, Thom Yorke's Lotus Flower Dance. How can you not love that man's grinding?

Codex

This song is another one of the great "Thom and a piano" songs that Radiohead have done. Not that the backing strings are not amazing, but if you stuck Thom Yorke in a room with nothing but a piano and a sharpie marker and said "Make Magic", he would emerge with this. The song, with it's lyrics "the water's clear and innocent", has the distinction of including my second favourite set of lyrics from a Radiohead song ("There was nothing to fear, nothing to doubt" if you were curious). In fact, this song seems very much like a sequel to Pyramid Song, and given that Pyramid Song was pretty much my favouritest song ever, this was naturally going to be up there.

The Butcher

So then this happened.

This is one of my favourite songs at the moment; the percussion is very easy to tap your foot to, but on the other hand, the lyrics are fucking dark and heavy, so I can't figure out whether I should dance along or have myself committed for feeling like this songs speaks to me. >_> It's technically not on The King Of Limbs, but I wager a double disc is incoming including this and tracks like The Daily Mail in the future, so I feel safe putting it on my list. And if it doesn't ever end up with a major release, it will sit up there with

as one of my favourite unreleased Radiohead tracks.

So, that's the Radiohead discography, two tracks at a time. I will be back... sometime... with something else. Two tracks at a time.

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Awesome. Radiohead are one of those bands that I started getting into, loved right away and then got a bit overwhelmed with and haven't listened to them for ages. I actually did start with The Bends, but went back and got Pablo Honey, realised it's not that great and went on for OK Computer, Kid A and In Rainbows (cos it was free). Kid A was where I started to get a bit fucked off, it's not a bad album but I haven't given it time to grow on me, I never really sat down and just listened to it, which I should. I used to think DSOTM was underwhelming till I listened to it in full at 3am while walking to work through empty streets and it was perfectly atmospheric, so maybe I just need to be in the right mood for Radiohead these days.

I can't make myself listen to In Rainbows though, I'd probably prefer the more guitar orientated stuff like Hail To The Thief which I am now going to check out. So thanks.

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Don't get me wrong, I like All I Need in the right mood, but sometimes it can just be too soft, and it's placement on the album is a bit of a boner killer.

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It's kind of like In A World Called Catastrophe, which is sometimes awesome and sometimes just way too mushy.

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This is an awesome idea (Y) Sure as fuck more interesting than a Top 100.

I think my favorite song from "Hail to the Thief" is "Go To Sleep (Little Man Being Erased)". "Everything In It's Right Place" or "How To Disappear Completely" are my favorites from "Kid A". If I'm introducing someone to Radiohead, "Everything In It's Right Place" is definitely the #1 song I make them listen to, I think it's completely accessible. Most people I know that aren't really into them really dig this song more than any other, actually.

I still like "Creep" a lot, though. I know it's overplayed as FUCK, and it's bland to all of us, but god... those riffs. Still sound harsh and abrasive all these years later in 2011.

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