The Bends is the second album from British rock band Radiohead. It turned 30 years old on March 13th of this year, as it was released on that day in 1995. This album was a hard one for the band to make as they were trying to follow up the success of their debut, Pablo Honey, and its lead single, “Creep.” Basically the band really didn’t want to become one-hit wonders, and sure while this album wasn’t super successful at the time, it was critically acclaimed and established Radiohead as a mainstay in the British rock scene. The band put in lots of work on this thing, as they were initially given nine weeks by EMI (their record label) to record this album, however they took multiple months at it, and today this album is regarded as some of their finest work. However, is it as amazing as everyone says it is? Here are my thoughts.

    We open up the album with the first track, “Planet Telex,” originally released as a B-side to the single, “High and Dry.” It is definitely a track with a shoegaze sound to it, but it really isn’t one of my favorites. Fun fact, Thom Yorke recorded his vocals on this track while he was drunk. In addition, the song sonically is reliant on heavy uses of delay pedals with all three of the guitar parts. Following that, we have the sixth single of the album, and the title track of the record, “The Bends.” The grunge sound of it is quite similar to “Creep,” as it was actually written and recorded before that hit single. Lyrically, it’s an extremely captivating track as the messaging covers anxiety, insecurity, social rejection, and loneliness. In addition, many people interpret it as a sarcastic critique of the 90s Britpop groups such as Oasis trying to relive the 1960s. “High and Dry,” is one of Thom Yorke’s least favorite tracks the band has ever recorded, as him and the group were pressured by the label into including the song on the album. In his words, he said “It’s not bad….it’s very bad.” Lyrically though, I like its understated but clear themes about success and lost love. With success comes a lot of people trying to knock you off of the top, and it also comes with strained and destroyed relationships with those you care about. So for that and the acoustic/indie rock sound of it, it’s still a favorite of mine. “Fake Plastic Trees,” is another favorite of mine, as it has this really whimsical lyricism to it which Yorke said came from a vocal melody he had “no idea what to do with,” and when it came to writing the lyrics he just recorded whatever popped into his mind at the given moment. However, lyrically the messaging is very clear, as its criticizing people who have to fake a persona with other people, however at the end of the track the narrator confesseds that he would fake his persona to be with the girl he loves. I gotta say I absolutely love the climactic instrumental composition during the third verse. “Bones,” is a pretty straightforward song about how we as human beings all dread the reality of aging. “(Nice Dream),” is another gorgeous track on the record, as the framework of acoustic guitars paired with the use of cellos and violins creates this almost heavenly feeling. You genuinely feel as if you’re in a phenomenal dream that you don’t want to wake up from. The intent behind the song was to create a vibe similar to that on George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord.” The guitar solo is also fantastic as well. “Just,” has some of my favorite guitar work on the entire album, as for the lyrics, they’re what you come to expect from a lot of Radiohead tracks which are thematically consistent of the feelings of depression, self-hatred, and alienation of living in a modern world. The songwriting is really some of the best on the album from Yorke, and paired with that guitar solo, it just might be my favorite track on the entire record. “My Iron Lung,” is entirely about their first hit, “Creep,” as Yorke likens the track to an iron lung that’s keeping the band alive and successful, and how they all desperately want to escape that. Nobody wants to be a one-hit wonder, and while sure, it’s not a novel concept, I personally love that Radiohead wrote a song about wanting to overcome the shadow of that one song. In addition, I think its important to note that an iron lung is quite literally a giant cylinder that someone is trapped in, and they were used a lot during polio outbreaks. The success of “Creep,” has trapped the band like an iron lung does to a polio patient. It’s really genius if you think about it, and to drop it as the first single takes tons of guts.

    “Bullet Proof…I Wish I Was,” is a stripped back track that delves into the idea of emotional resilience, it’s beautiful and really shows off Yorke’s vocal range. “Black Star,” might be the most depressing and heartbreaking track on the entire record, as the narrator talks about how his life is as he’s in a romantic relationship with someone struggling with a mental illness. Our protagonist keeps wanting to blame the problems they’re dealing with on a “black star,” which is the metaphorically easy target for blame. It’s extremely hard to see someone you love struggle with mental health problems, and he desperately wants to figure out how he can help and what’s troubling her, but her depression is too severe, and he doesn’t want to accept the fact that the relationship may be unsalvageable. “Sulk,” is another extremely sad song, one that the band has only played live a few times in 1994 and 1995, as it hasn’t been played since. The guitar rhythm and drum rhythm is simple enough, but it masks the incredibly dark real-world context of the song. The track is a response to the 1987 mass shooting in Hungerford, continuing to cover the issues of the time in the UK, such as weak gun laws and lackluster mental health treatment. The line, “just shoot your gun,” was changed out of respect for Kurt Cobain, as his death was still weighing on people’s minds and the band didn’t want anyone to think the song was about him. The final track, “Street Spirit (Fade Out),” is about the idea that life is pointless, really cheerful stuff, I know. Basically the protagonist of this song is observing death all around him, realizing how quickly it could happen as it is always around the corner. However, Yorke ends the song with a positive message on how to deal with life’s hardships and that is by immersing your soul in love.

    It’s clear that Radiohead put in their blood, sweat, and tears into this album as they were so steadfast in their goal to escape from the shadow of “Creep.” In my opinion, with this album they did just that, and with their work from The Bends onwards, they continued to do just that. The album is not a happy one, in fact it is easily one of the most depressing and dark albums I’ve listened to in a while. It seriously put me in a mood, that’s how impactful of a record it is. It’s not perfect, I really feel like “Planet Telex,” is a pretty weak track in comparison to the rest of the album, but it doesn’t bring the rest of the project down too much in my eyes. The guitar arrangements and vocal melodies on this thing are gorgeous and will make you tear up at times due to their beauty. The songwriting is poetic, like I’d go as far as to say it’s on Bob Dylan level. The album’s sound has aged like wine, the record has inspired numerous bands from its release to the present day and it created a new legacy for the band to continue to live up to, while also eclipsing “Creep,” in the long term.

Overall Score: 9/10

Favorite Tracks: “High and Dry,” “Fake Plastic Trees,” “Just,” “Black Star,” “My Iron Lung,” “(Nice Dream),”

Least Favorite Tracks: “Planet Telex,”

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRU-6vaKaf4

Genres: Alternative Rock/Indie Rock/Art Rock/Post-Britpop