Pablo Honey
in no way was adequate preparation for its epic, sprawling follow-up,
The Bends
. Building from the sweeping, three-guitar attack that punctuated the best moments of
,
Radiohead
create a grand and forceful sound that nevertheless resonates with anguish and despair -- it's cerebral anthemic rock. Occasionally, the album displays its influences, whether it's
U2
Pink Floyd
R.E.M.
, or
the Pixies
, but
turn cliches inside out, making each song sound bracingly fresh.
Thom Yorke
's tortured lyrics give the album a melancholy undercurrent, as does the surging, textured music. But what makes
so remarkable is that it marries such ambitious, and often challenging, instrumental soundscapes to songs that are at their cores hauntingly melodic and accessible. It makes the record compelling upon first listen, but it reveals new details with each listen, and soon it becomes apparent that with
have reinvented anthemic rock. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine