The band Bono said could do anything
As a constant renovator of sound, U2 could recognise a worthy match in experimental rock, but there’s one band that reinvented their music with each album, pumping out new concoctions enough times to stun even Bono, and that’s Radiohead.
In an interview leading up to the release of U2’s 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the frontman lamented his nostalgia for their fading comet to Hotpress, noting how, being busy pushing the boundaries that mainstream music permitted, Radiohead had fallen off pop radio’s radar: “I have to say I’m the one who’s always mourning the lack of Radiohead on pop radio because I long to hear Thom Yorke’s voice and I long to hear a band as able as that up against, you know, Blue.”
The Oxfordshire lot abandoned their rocking guitar-driven melodies following the huge commercial success of OK Computer in 1997, heading for more subtle instrumentation and abstract electronica. Although this period of roaring experimentation eventually led to the release of their critically acclaimed album Kid A, Radiohead had been experiencing collective burnout and heavy writer’s block, resulting in a decisive turn away from the public eye.
“It was the end of OK Computer. We finished touring, and I was sort of trapped in my own particular labyrinth, followed by this weird sort of [inner] monologue, a criticism of everything I did,” frontman Thom Yorke said in an interview with Christie’s auction house.
“It kind of shut me down, and so whenever I tried to write something, whenever I sat down in front of any instrument, I sort of froze,” he added, highlighting that the light at the end of the tunnel was a stunning flame setting their rock roots ablaze, wrecking expectations and relishing freedom from record labels.
“I can’t blame Radiohead from pulling back from the fray. You have to have a stomach for it. It’s a lot to swallow, but not your pride and not your dignity. Just the amount of work and annoyance and negotiating the machine called pop music,” Bono pondered admiringly, continuing, “Sometimes you want to just make a more private, personal document of your life. Whatever they want to do, I will work on their road crew. If they had a cellist, I’d carry the cello on my back. They can do whatever they want in my book, and it’s alright with me. They’re that good.”
Dublin’s finest wasn’t the only fan longing for a roadie role to carry Radiohead’s bulkiest instruments, with the latter having transported the minds of the likes of Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish to cover them and write in their style. However, U2 was hugely inspired by the band’s drastic shifts, following them down a more experimental path, such that both bands are remembered for their constant reinvention and for their exploration of synthesisers and layered soundscapes.
Their evolution into existential lyrics and ambitious themes was also aided by the bands’ mutual friend, Brian Eno, wherein U2’s loyal producer had been collaborating with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, aiding the expansion of Radiohead’s atmospheric textures and nudging them to embrace electronic elements.
The English quintet never stopped evolving from expansive soundscapes to organic rhythms, thus inspiring experimental rock bands long after Bono.
