#okcomputer

Radiohead - OK COMPUTER stimboard

OK Computer by Radiohead is an album that’s got everything—intensity, complexity, and a sound that feels both futuristic and totally timeless. It’s an album that pulls you in and takes you on a ride through confusion, anxiety, and the search for meaning in a world that’s anything but simple. If you're looking for something deep, layered, and totally unique, this is the album that’ll make you rethink everything.

Here’s how each track sounds:

1. Airbag This track is insane. It starts with this kind of spacey sound that makes you feel like you're flying, and it’s all a trip. The song talks about a kind of rebirth, like everything went wrong and then this second chance arrives. The drums and that guitar riff… it’s like they combined the future with the past. Airbag is a strong opener. Rating: 10/10

2. Paranoid Android This is like a mini-album in one song. There are so many changes that you don’t even know what song you’re listening to, but in a good way, like a rollercoaster. At first, it’s unsettling, then there’s that epic part, and it ends with this psychedelic vibe that makes you think. The lyrics are dark, but it feels like it’s about feeling out of place in the world, which is something that makes me think about my own life. It's a bit long, but it’s a bomb. Rating: 9.5/10

3. Subterranean Homesick Alien This is one of the calmer tracks on the album, but that doesn’t make it any less powerful. The lyrics talk about wanting to be taken away, far from everything, and the sounds are spacey and psychedelic. I really like it, but sometimes I feel like they could have given more intensity to certain parts. But still, it makes you feel like you’re floating in space, which isn’t bad. Rating: 8.5/10

4. Exit Music (For a Film) This song is incredible. The tension slowly builds up and then explodes in an epic climax. It gives me chills every time I listen to it. It’s sad and dramatic, and Thom Yorke’s voice is so emotional that it really gets to you. It feels like a kind of escape, from a situation with no way out, and the lyrics hit hard. Rating: 10/10

5. Let Down This is one of those songs that makes you feel like you're walking in an empty city, with no direction. It’s sad, but in a way that’s beautiful. The sounds are super atmospheric, and Thom’s lyrics are perfect for that feeling of frustration. Rating: 9/10

6. Karma Police "Who’s the guilty one?" – This song is a classic. It’s catchy but also deep. It talks about justice, about trying to fix things, but with some hidden anger. And then that “karma police” that keeps coming back... it just shakes you. It’s like it’s telling you, “Yeah, everything’s messed up, but in the end, it’ll all be okay.” And the final part is epic. Rating: 10/10

7. Fitter Happier This track is... weird. It’s not really a song, more like an electronic experiment. It’s a robotic voice telling you how we’re all “better” in this society. It’s a little unsettling, but kind of genius. It’s not a song I’d listen to over and over, but it has a message that makes you think about how society controls us. It’s a bit too glitchy for my taste, but it’s fine. Rating: 7/10

8. Electioneering Energetic, fast, and angry. It feels like a song to get mad at the world. It talks about politics and manipulation, and there’s this guitar riff that crushes your head. It’s intense, but sometimes it feels a little too agitated, like there’s too much anger. But still, I like how it just breaks everything down, with that energy that’s not easy to find in other songs. Rating: 8/10

9. Climbing Up the Walls This one is unsettling, but in a way that pulls you in. It makes you feel a little out of your mind, like you’re entering the mind of someone going through a tough time. The music is super psychedelic, and it makes you feel like you're in another world. The vocals in the end are strange but fascinating. It’s not for everyone, but if you like songs that make you feel like you're inside a mental storm, this one’s perfect. Rating: 9/10

10. No Surprises This is the song that makes you feel... kind of relieved. It talks about wanting a peaceful life, no stress, no surprises. The sound is sweet, but the message is super powerful. When I listen to this, I almost want to close my eyes and imagine escaping from everything. It’s that song that makes you feel understood. Rating: 10/10

11. Lucky This is the song you listen to when you feel overwhelmed and hope you’re "lucky" even when everything goes wrong. It’s sad, but there’s something beautiful in that pain. The final part, with Thom singing “I’m lucky,” hits straight to the heart. It’s not one of my favorites, but there’s a sense of hope in it that I really like. Rating: 8.5/10

12. The Tourist The album ends with a calm, reflective track, but it’s a bit slower compared to the others. The lyrics make you think, almost like it’s asking you to slow down and think more about life. It’s not a song that instantly cheers you up, but it has that touch that leaves something inside. It’s a bit too long for my taste, but it’s a nice conclusion. Rating: 7/10

i avoided listening to radiohead based on the bad vibes I received from radiohead fans in middle+high school. my friend's partner and i were recently discussing our very opposite music tastes, and how her mother raised her on radiohead. my immigrant mother does not know radiohead even exists. this is an experiment in putting myself in to my friend catie's shoes. here's my review of ok computer:

airbag: 3/5 stars

feels like the way the ending of the breakfast club felt

"in an interstellar burst / i am back to save the universe"

pro car safety song, love it

wear your seatbelts and check your airbags

love the ending of the guitar strum tapering out

paranoid android: 3.8/5

ok rangee!! he has a beautiful voice

"ambition makes you look pretty ugly / kicking squealing, gucci little piggy" obsessed

feels like this song is multiple genres and somehow punk and funky

the guitar solo crescendo then slowing it back down then back into guitar solo again... his mind

subterranean homesick alien: 3.6/5

love how mysterious and discomfiting the guitar riffs are

encapsulates what i imagine the feeling of floating alone in space is like

a little underwhelming

exit music (for a film): 4.1/5

kind of boring intro

i like the harmonizing chorus in the background

2:49 beat drop hittttt the intro didn't have to be so long and quiet but the build up was almost worth it

3:20 oh... my god.. i am ascending

he sings "we hope that you choke" so angelically

i wish i could capture how the second half of the song made me feel into a bottle

let down: 3.2/5

i also feel crushed like a bug in the ground

him hitting the high note in "you know where you are" brought tears to my eyes

karma police: 3.3/5

this sounds like it was in skins (uk)

"her hitler hairdo is making me feel ill" crazy statement

i love the harmonizing "ahhs" in the background during the outtro

fitter happier: 4/5

very scary voice wow

terrifying background sounds

this is a masterpiece

"fitter, healthier and more productive / a pig / in a cage / on antibiotics" this is the american dream

electioneering: 4.5/5

very timely yikes

"when i go forwards you go backwards" so real! speak on it kurt!

from minute three on i felt like tearing apart my room and going on a rampage this is a call to riot

climbing up the walls: 4.2/5

very creepily romantic

if haunting adeline by h.d carlton was made into a movie this song would play in the trailer

im sensing a theme of long guitar intro and outros and honestly its growing on me

him screaming at the end was impeccable, 10/10, zero notes

no surprises: 5/5

i cant lie and say ive never heard this song, it has had a grip on me for years

heart is aching at the intro and eyes welled up uncontrollably

"a heart that's full up like a landfill / a job that slowly kills you / bruises that won't heal" stabbed me in the heart.

"you look so tired, unhappy / bring down the government / they don't, they don't speak for us" if i was a teenager when this song came out i think i would have had a very unhealthy obsession with mr cobain

had to lay on the floor for this one

a quiet life and a quiet death...no surprises. im weeping

SUCH A PRETTY HOUSE. AND SUCH A PRETTY GARDEN!

lucky: 2.4/5

who is sarah. this would have crushed me to hear as the obsessed teen i likely would have been

didn't wow me, not sure if it's because it followed a perfect song and therefore was held to a higher standard, or if it was just boring

the tourist 3/5

he is so right. i should slow down. sometimes i do get overcharged

i love love love when he belts. the control he had over his voice is so impressive

Today is the first day

Of the rest of your days

Radiohead - Karma Police

OK Computer  |  1997