"In the next world war, in a jack knifed juggernaut, I am born again" begins Airbag, the first track of Radiohead's 1997 album, O.K. Computer. The line is fitting, for it seems with every new Radiohead release, the band's core sound is born again. Gone are the guitar drenched dreamscapes of 1995's The Bends and the punkish anthems of 1993's Pablo Honey (no Creep here, folks). Here to stay is the security of Radiohead's position in rock and roll's grand legacy.

But what does it sound like? Dark, distorted, soft, clean, intense, dirty, happy (alright, the album never really sounds happy), and this is all within one track! That one track being the first single released, Paranoid Android. This is the band's tour-de-force; the song completely turns itself around an unprecedented 3 times.

This album marks the first in a string of enormously successful (critically and commercially) albums produced by the famed Nigel Godrich (Beck, Travis, Pavement). He has been often been considered (even by those in the band) to be the sixth member of Radiohead, and his creativity is on par with them.

A central theme of computers replacing all human necessity runs throughout this album. This topic is addressed head-on in "Fitter Happier", a short rant that was actually programmed using a voice emulator from an Apple computer.

The band dons many musical suits throughout this album. From full-on political attack mode (Electioneering), to clean high pitched squeals (No Surprises), to the dark and slightly terrifying (Climbing up the Walls), this is a band that refuses to be labeled.

Without hesitation, I can tell you that this is a landmark album of our generation. When all else fades, you will see O.K. Computer standing next to the likes of Rubber Soul, Dark Side of the Moon, and Exile on Main St. Rest assured.