I could have written this word-for-word. I was pretty ambivalent at best about them, and then I got that free version of In Rainbows and decided to give them a shot...and I fucking LOVE that album so much now.
And the two songs that really sealed the deal were Weird Fishes and Reckoner. Reckoner is still my all-time favorite Radiohead track.
You might like this side project I am working on. One of the more tenured members of “Musicstack” only knows Radiohead by “Creep.” So I have given him 5 songs to listen to and he is going to write about his impressions of them. I’m very curious to see what he thinks.
I'm so happy you took the free download opportunity and gave In Rainbows (and Radiohead) a chance. I think that musically speaking, my preferences are somewhat opposite of yours— I’m drawn in by melancholia. The sadder and more depressing lyrics are, the more I love it. Music doesn't need to be weird for me to love it, but some of my favorite performers are those who have that “weird” and more experimental sound. It makes them stand out from the status quo. Daniel Johnston(RIP), Neutral Milk Hotel, They Might be Giants, Alex G(to name a few)They say art doesn't need to be beautiful, but it needs to be interesting—and music is art, after all. Radiohead, in my opinion, is the perfect balance of both.
I love the fact that you broadened your advice of giving music a chance before dismissing it, to giving everything (or everyone) a chance. That single piece of advice is the most important structural base of being a good human and yet it seems to be a rarity in our society today. Not that I need to tell you that, but especially since its ultimately a letter to your little boy, bravo for framing it that way! ☺️🙌
I’m glad that you opened your mind and that's beautiful that your wife has challenged you to be more open-minded. The world is colorful and dynamic. There is so much rich diversity to experience, adding beauty and complexity to our lives. It pushes us to grow as people and keeps life interesting. I feel sad for those who are closed off because they're missing out on experiencing life to its fullest.
It was really a turning point on how I would view music as "weird." There really isn't "weird" it's just every one has their own connection with music and I've come to respect that over time. What's hypocritical of my feelings against "weird" at that time in my life is the fact a lot of my favorite music by the Beatles was off of The White Album, Sgt. Peppers and Magical Mystery Tour. You would think based on that alone, I would have been more open minded to Radiohead. I've come to find that melancholia fills a need for me since In Rainbows. It helps define my feelings and accept them. I have to credit my wife so much for how I changed my thinking from this point forward. She always challenged me to be more open minded.
"Give things a chance before you blacklist them from your life." I'm not sure there's ever been a more grounded and profound piece of advice. Great article!
Wooo I was getting giddier and giddier as I was reading on! It’s fascinating how our minds can change and especially beautiful when they change towards a more open approach :)
It's a fountain of beauty with them! Their studio albums are phenomenal, but then there's more. They have a ton of B sides that are great. I'm not sure how much you know about them, but I used to listen to Alan Cross and he did a three-part podcast series on them.
I could have written this word-for-word. I was pretty ambivalent at best about them, and then I got that free version of In Rainbows and decided to give them a shot...and I fucking LOVE that album so much now.
And the two songs that really sealed the deal were Weird Fishes and Reckoner. Reckoner is still my all-time favorite Radiohead track.
You might like this side project I am working on. One of the more tenured members of “Musicstack” only knows Radiohead by “Creep.” So I have given him 5 songs to listen to and he is going to write about his impressions of them. I’m very curious to see what he thinks.
Oh, that sounds interesting!
I'm so happy you took the free download opportunity and gave In Rainbows (and Radiohead) a chance. I think that musically speaking, my preferences are somewhat opposite of yours— I’m drawn in by melancholia. The sadder and more depressing lyrics are, the more I love it. Music doesn't need to be weird for me to love it, but some of my favorite performers are those who have that “weird” and more experimental sound. It makes them stand out from the status quo. Daniel Johnston(RIP), Neutral Milk Hotel, They Might be Giants, Alex G(to name a few)They say art doesn't need to be beautiful, but it needs to be interesting—and music is art, after all. Radiohead, in my opinion, is the perfect balance of both.
I love the fact that you broadened your advice of giving music a chance before dismissing it, to giving everything (or everyone) a chance. That single piece of advice is the most important structural base of being a good human and yet it seems to be a rarity in our society today. Not that I need to tell you that, but especially since its ultimately a letter to your little boy, bravo for framing it that way! ☺️🙌
I’m glad that you opened your mind and that's beautiful that your wife has challenged you to be more open-minded. The world is colorful and dynamic. There is so much rich diversity to experience, adding beauty and complexity to our lives. It pushes us to grow as people and keeps life interesting. I feel sad for those who are closed off because they're missing out on experiencing life to its fullest.
It was really a turning point on how I would view music as "weird." There really isn't "weird" it's just every one has their own connection with music and I've come to respect that over time. What's hypocritical of my feelings against "weird" at that time in my life is the fact a lot of my favorite music by the Beatles was off of The White Album, Sgt. Peppers and Magical Mystery Tour. You would think based on that alone, I would have been more open minded to Radiohead. I've come to find that melancholia fills a need for me since In Rainbows. It helps define my feelings and accept them. I have to credit my wife so much for how I changed my thinking from this point forward. She always challenged me to be more open minded.
Love the mention of Magical Mystery Tour. A fantastic and often overlooked Beatles gem!
"Give things a chance before you blacklist them from your life." I'm not sure there's ever been a more grounded and profound piece of advice. Great article!
If I could go back to my teenage self, this is exactly what I would tell him. Thank you for kind words Rich!
Wooo I was getting giddier and giddier as I was reading on! It’s fascinating how our minds can change and especially beautiful when they change towards a more open approach :)
Happy you found your way to Radiohead!
It's a fountain of beauty with them! Their studio albums are phenomenal, but then there's more. They have a ton of B sides that are great. I'm not sure how much you know about them, but I used to listen to Alan Cross and he did a three-part podcast series on them.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ongoing-history-of-new-music/id1201968027?i=1000424711838