This albums shows the promise of one of the best bands of the world. Certainly not perfect, but including at least one perfect song (Street Spirit).

Wasn't crazy about it at first, but with a few listens I grew to love it!

A great conventional rock album, but it doesnt touch on the innovation of the rest of radiohead's body of work. Still a joy to listen to though

Also, it's not depressing enough :)

Pretty insane that an album of this caliber is only their fourth or fifth best (still deciding where to put AMSP). I don't think it touches OK Computer, Kid A, or In Rainbows, but it's still really great and consistent. I think the only thing that holds it back from being an all-time great album (for me) is it's not that adventurous musically. It's a really, really good generic rock album.

Best tracks: Street Spirit, Fake Plastic Trees, Just, High and Dry

Great album! It's very rocky, if that's your thing, you'll probably love this.
Favorite tracks: Planet Telex, Fake Plastic Trees, (Nice Dream), Just, My Iron Lung, Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Least favorite track: Bullet Proof... I Wish I Was

Tunes

Radiohead's best conventional rock sound. Best conventional alt rock of the 90's. I'm glad they have consistently expanded their sound like no other rock band. But I wish they had more albums in their past like this to listen to. The world would be a better place if they had just put twice as many albums, since even their worst albums are very good.

With tracks like Fake Plastic Trees, High and Dry, My Iron Lung, Nice Dream, Just, Black Star, and Street Spirit, it's crazy that I now find myself saying, "well, The Bends definitely isn't in the top 4 Radiohead albums any more after A Moon Shaped Pool."

Often, I prefer Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief to this one as well. The Bends is now, somehow, somewhere in the 5th-7th best of Radiohead's. Who would have ever guessed this back in 1995?

This is where it gets interesting. Although Pablo Honey isn't all that bad, The Bends is the first great album by Radiohead. Improving on sound, lyrics and overall quality, their second studio album doesn't sound like a generic 90's grunge album.

The songs in The Bends range from britpop to pure alt rock tracks. It's a varied album with calm songs such as "(Nice Dream)" and "Bullet Proof... I Wish I Was", but it also has more agitated songs that sound like an improvement on Pablo Honey's attempts, "Just" being an example.

One thing that has always bothered me is the hate (?) towards "High and Dry" which to me is one of the best songs in the album. Thom Yorke has said in the past that he isn't all that fond of this song but I don't know, I think it's a great track. Other underrated songs in my opinion include "Black Star" and "Bones".

The stars of the album are obviously "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" which make this album a true 90's gem. This album definitely deserves its praise although I consider the band would make even better records. But everytime I start listening to "Planet Telex" I just want to finish all the way to the end.

10/10

Favorite tracks: My Iron Lung, The Bends, Planet Telex, Fake Plastic Trees