OK Computer

Radiohead 1997 pioneering
alternative rock art rock experimental rock
Guitar rock's last great monument: technological paranoia given a symphonic soundtrack, the album that anticipated the 21st century's anxieties.

Acoustic Profile

Density 6 Spatiality 7 Distortion 5 Tempo 5 Rhythm 5 Harmony 6

Production

Method: live-dominant
Fidelity: polished
Nigel Godrich production debutambient interludesorchestral flourishesDJ Shadow-influenced editing

Vocal

Approach: sung
Lyrical Abstraction:
5/10

Mood & Theme

anxiety paranoia alienation
Territory: technological-dehumanization, transport-as-metaphor, modern-life-is-rubbish
Emotional Arc: escalating-dread-with-moments-of-beauty

Era & Context

1997: pre-millennium tension. Britpop fading, the internet rising. Radiohead captured technological anxiety before anyone named it.

Spiritual Links (4)

Influences

Similar Albums (Cross-Artist)