The lyrics are an incisive take on the modern condition, much like Mark Renton’s speech at the end of Trainspotting, but without the hope that carries that famous monologue. Across the record, as the band and Godrich deliver shifting dynamics, syncopated rhythms and many textural flourishes, Yorke sings of unfettered consumerism, alienation and political strife, seemingly preceding the dawn of the 21st century and all the problems it brought.Īrguably, there is no better example of this than the invariably unsettling ‘Fitter Happier’, which sounds like a dystopian nightmare, with the robotic voice, haunting piano, and piercing electronic sounds that fade in and out of the mix increasing your heart rate considerably. mirrored the power of the lyricism was unlike anything anybody had heard at the time. The way that the futurism of the music, which was inspired by everyone from Miles Davis to Ennio Morricone and R.E.M. Augmenting the grandiose sentiment of the themes, the strings were recorded at the historic Abbey Road Studios in London, the place where The Beatles, who also partially inspired the album, recorded their best works. The band utilised a host of unconventional production techniques when recording the album, including employing the natural reverberation of the house by recording on its staircase and by not choosing to use audio separation. Duly, this was the start of them truly becoming the Radiohead that we know and love today. Instead, they looked to the future with abstract lyricism, layered textures and the use of eclectic electronic sounds to create a vivid sonic palette that became an instant hit.

Whilst guitars are found across the record, and in the most brilliant and progressive of ways, the band dialled down their concentration on the instrument in the conventional sense and on the introspection that coloured The Bends. However, you cannot help thinking that the secluded location of the house somehow leant itself to the isolation of the modern world that Thom Yorke’s lyrics so perfectly depicted. There’s a deep sense of irony that comes to the fore when you note that the album, which is notably a futuristic and post-modern record, was recorded in an environment that is a totem of our past.

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