Radiohead - The Bends

Parlophone

13/3/95

In 1995, two years after the bands debut Pablo Honey, Radiohead pulled on through with a case of sophomore ascension and came up for air with The Bends. "Creep" solidified Radiohead with mainstream appeal. The Bends solidified Radiohead with critical acclaim from the mainstream and music fans alike. Filling the shoes which were left to them by previous greats, The Bends is the sound of a band finding their feet and fulfilling their potential.

The Bends is much more in-depth compared to Pablo Honey; the instrumentation more broad and all-encompassing. A deeper sense of maturity is conveyed. An emphasis on atmosphere and textures is apparent from the get-go. Album opener "Planet Telex" is home to swells of ripple-like piano and guitar effects. It's evident that the game has changed. Song structure becomes an effective mode of being as material is traversed as opposed to performed. Instruments ebb-and-flow as if aware of their place in the bigger picture. Each piece as sentient of themselves as they are of each other. Working in a mesh-like manner, each part links to another like a reliance exists between them - one does not exist without the other, no part is an island. 

Subtleties and nuances are generally signifiers of a step taken forwards. Things expand and simultaneously become more refined. Songs can be shorter, yet more full. Colours less bright but more vivid. The short-term game becomes nonsensical. Life long bouts become a must. Battles to evoke a sense of purpose. A reason to put your feet on the floor to get the day started, no matter how heavy the morning cloud hits. 

Two jumps in a week, I bet you think that's pretty clever, don't you, boy? Gravity always wins. 

'You do it to yourself, you do....'