Finally, a Radiohead backlash

If all the things I could be rallying my efforts toward in the world of popular music, Radiohead would seem to be the least likely of targets. That's absolutely wrong though, Radiohead is the perfect mark for animosity and chagrin not only for its devoted breed of know-nothing know-it-alls, but for its own pretensions of the musical variety. \nNot surprisingly, with the release of its sixth studio album, Hail to the Thief, earlier this month, the band garnered a great deal of press coverage. The towering majority of the press ranged from glowing to impressed. \nThe noted rock snobs of pitchforkmedia.com wrote in their review, "Experimentation fueled the creativity that gave us Kid A and Amnesiac, but that's old hat to Radiohead, who are trying and largely succeeding in their efforts to shape pop music into as boundless and possible a medium as it should be."\nEven the Weekend's resident romantic, Isaac Edwards, joined the adverts, claiming, "Taking the raw energy and angst of The Bends and OK Computer, the nervous electronic blips of Kid A and the enigma of Amnesiac, Radiohead's newest release performs a masterful balancing act between using the past as a foundation and using the past as a formula."\nI think Isaac got a little closer when he used the word "formula" in his review. For Radiohead's new album is nothing more than a collection of slightly- tweaked, indie guitar rock. The tweak comes with the pop sheen that glosses over Hail to the Thief, making sure that Thom Yorke sounds as close to a deity as possible every time out. His posing is distasteful, and Radiohead's new political (and less direct than expected) stance makes the "formulaic" rock even harder to stomach. Yorke now joins pop star politiocos Bono and Madonna in a group of people who don't just believe, but know they are better than normal people.\nThose open to Yorke's discourse may be happy with HTTT's lyrics, they project images nicely. My problem begins when the supposed king of modern-age paranoia makes claims for isolationism. I find the most poignant lyric on the new album to be from "Go to Sleep," in which Yorke sings, "I'm gonna go to sleep/and let this wash all over me/we don't really want a monster taking over/tip toeing, tying down."\nThe maniacal paranoia, which is presumed to be what all the excitement is about, is premature. Yorke admits to escaping in a way pop stars can only foresee, because, in the end, how does George W. Bush really effect Radiohead? He's just trying to spread pop culture to the Middle East and give tax breaks so the smart, suburban kids can buy the band's records. \nAlso, I never pictured the musical personification of paranoia to be so laborious. Taking a cue from the post-Syd Barrett Pink Floyd, Radiohead builds to its crescendos slowly. Yorke's vocal repetitions and the group's ambient constructions allow a change of pace to feel like a Jimmy Swaggert miracle. \nThe chord changes may be different, even inventive, but since when do odd chords make for good rock? Radiohead is not different enough to hold up its established reputation, and Hail to the Thief, like Amnesiac and The Bends, pulls off guitar rock that is simply less obvious. In a way, the group is similar to big-time acts like Bruce Springsteen or U2, insofar as it is the best of a diluted bunch and not the epochal talent of a generation. \nYorke and his arty brothers must not fear for being called asinine; they seem to have a brain for PR and promotion. Recently, they showed the video for the new single from HTTT on repeat over Times Square for an afternoon, and Yorke even manages to seem witty and a bit dangerous in interviews. The fact that the group doesn't care about fans ripping its music off the internet is also a huge reason to like Radiohead. \nBut try as I might (and I really tried hard), the brilliance never hit me as I meandered along with the albums my peers claimed to define themselves by. Kid A was better than I expected, a fine introduction into the sophisticated world of underground electronica, and I, along with every other basement band my senior year in high school, played and sang "Karma Police." I'm pulling my punches though; Radiohead sucks, I hate its music and playing its records makes my girlfriend upset and flighty.