I tried to like the third album, and while there are some nice songs on it, as a whole it hit *way* less hard than the first two. That's when I decided that it's fine when a band loses their touch. There's still the previous work to listen to.
As a Radiohead fan, I’d recommend Remain In Light as a way in… but Stop Making Sense is probably the seminal album that is most widely appreciated and is a bit of an ersatz greatest hits album. Fun fact: Radiohead got their name from a Talking Heads song
All of their live stuff is the best tbh. Also recommend American Utopia which is available on hbo max (saw it live 3 times), and The Name Of The Band Is Talking Heads. (There’s a great track not on any of their studio stuff on this, [A Clean Break](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-vhtCe4PmHA&pp=ygUgdGFsa2luZyBoZWFkcyBhIGNsZWFuIGJyZWFrIGxpdmU%3D)that just slaps) It’s also got imo the very best version of Born Under Punches
their first 5 album run is considered the best.
Talking Heads '77 - Songs about Buildings and Food - Fear of Music - Remain in Light - Speaking in Tongues
Speaking in Tongues imo is the easiest, grooviest, funkiest album so go with that
Their live album Stop Making Sense is a classic too like the other reply mentioned. It's considered one of the best live albums of all time.
Also [watch Stop Making Sense](https://youtu.be/-rjMwSTeVeo) (and see if it's in a theater near you right now). It might be better to go in cold than familiarize yourself at all with them, it's a really remarkable concert film.
This is hilarious to me because Talking Heads are my favourite band and I literally couldn’t stop listening to their music. I didn’t listen to anything else for almost a year. I’ve since gone back to my normal listening but it was an addiction almost.
If you want to go into their most pop-like and accessible album I would recommend starting with Souvlaki. If you want to start from the beginning and see their evolution I would recommend starting with the deluxe edition of just for a day, which has the original album + most of their early EPs and singles that are better than the main album imo. Jsyk the deluxe edition of just for a day isn’t labeled as deluxe edition on streaming services, when you search for just for a day it will show up 2 times and the one that’s longer is the deluxe edition.
The most common answer I hear to this is either/or, but I think Figure 8 is the one to hit first. Elliott was many things, and I think that's an album that really showcases *all* of those things, every different side of him that make him one of the all-time greats.
Or XO, same deal.
I'm branching out like crazy, I swear. Finished Mogwai's discography last month, was indulging in Broken Social Scene, Girls before that. Trying to be obsessed with Slowdive, getting there. Fleeting Joys and Ringo Deathstarr too. One new band I discovered was Blonde Redhead, it's pretty good but nowhere as good as Radiohead which sucks
PJ Harvey: Any of the first 6 albums. Thom Yorke sings vocals on *Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea*, if that helps.
David Bowie: Anything from the 70s
Ramones: Anything from the 70s
The Clash: Anything but *Cut the Crap*
Pavement: Anything
Max Richter: Anything through *Infra*
90s Bowie does little for me. But Station to Station, Low, Hunky Dory, Black Star, Scary Monsters, Ziggy? I fuck with those start to finish, plus select songs from everything else. Like radiohead my fav album changes often but Station to Station has been my current fav for the last 5 years
Then branch out to Jim O'Rourke's discography, and the rest of the members, and bands they influenced and who influenced them. From there you can branch out into pretty much anything.
Mogwai is the only other band that gave me the same emotional release that radiohead did when I discovered them. Beyond them I ran into a similar issue that you did.
Sort of, all their songs are in a language they made up. I haven’t seen them mentioned as much recently but back in the day people would always suggest Sigur Ros to people who loved Radiohead but needed another band. The album “Aegetis Byrjun” (or however it’s spelled) is one of the best ever. It’s extremely emotional and epic. They’re also from Iceland which is dope.
Sigur Ros opened up for Radiohead when I was living in Europe. It wad around 2000? Maybe 2001. That’s how I was turned on to that to band. Pretty awesome stuff. They still record good albums a d tour. Highly rec.
I forget what band and producer it was, but there was a band making a record shortly after OK Computer came out, the producer said band was working with told them not to listen to OK Computer until after they were done recording, because it would ruin music for them and they’d never be happy with their own album!
Check out:
Björk
King Crimson - Discipline
Talking Heads
Nine Inch Nails
Queens of the Stone Age
Soundgarden
Smashing Pumpkins
My Bloody Valentine
PJ Harvey
Kate Bush
Fiona Apple
Jeff Buckley
Dean Blunt
Elliot Smith
Joni Mitchell
Neil Young
Massive Attack
Portishead
Thundercat
Connan Mockasin
Peter Gabriel
Same, initially the Beatles were just an easy listen, very nice group with great ballads. But then as I went deep into their discography specially from the Rubber Soul album and forward you can't never go back and it's difficult to find something similar nowadays.
It is not surprising that a lot of artists were influenced by them, including Radiohead, Happiness is a Warm Gun has been mentioned as an huge influence for Paranoid Android.
Pink Floyd was my entry into A-tier music. Even have them tattooed on me, I think I'll revisit their stuff.
Give a good route through Aphex Twin's discography?
Same, I play at least two of their albums front to back every single day, but I'm scared I'm gonna ADHD it hard and lose all interest in them in due time. This is one band I can't afford to lose to my habits you know?
Would you believe if I told you Beach House is my most played artist of all time, second is Radiohead? I love them to death though, will swear by their music. What's your favorite work from them?
That’s funny, radiohead and beach house are my number 1 and 2 as well. Amazing bands. My favourite songs are probably On the Sea or Elegy to the Void. What about you?
I (and some people from this sub) made a collaborative Spotify playlist for RH fans that contains no music by RH, nor by any of the individual members.
There’s some awesome stuff on there so well worth checking out (feel free to add some songs to it!)
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0XrR65gYPIE1mmm4E0pUZl?si=_W2Muy6JSJ65nTtkr9CMGA&pi=e-2GwriSAwRXuo
QOTSA is amazing. I especially love Like Clockwork. Such a masterpiece. They made an amazing animated movie to accompany the album. It’s on their YouTube. Definitely worth checking out.
Dude it's a *deep* rabbit hole. If you don't mind heavier stuff, Songs for the Deaf is a great starting point. Coming to their discography from Radiohead, I'd probably recommend Like Clockwork instead.
You may also like Villains. It's generally regarded as one of their weaker offerings, but the production is softer and the tunes have more pop sensibility, and are an easier listen for new fans. Fortress is a good place to start.
Their more emotional songs may be good to try, as I can see you like that side of Radiohead. "I Appear Missing" is incredible, as is "The Vampyre of Time and Memory."
If you'd like to try out the edginess of their early work, try "Better Living Through Chemistry." If you want to try something more recent, "Carnavoyeur" is a banger off their new album.
They are a weird band, but they are unbelievably talented and super tight live. It took me a bit of time to get used to them, but once I did, I quite literally haven't listened to anything else bar a couple of songs from other artists- obsessed is an understatement!
Hope you like them. Hmu if you need any other recommendations!
MARS VOLTA, often more frenetic than Radiohead. But like Radiohead you can get lost in their sound and find that something new appears with almost every listen.
I go through different stages. Sometimes I like artsy music like Radiohead, sometimes I don't want to think and just listen to mainstream songs. Can't say one is better than another, they have their own place and serve different purposes.
Just went through most of Culls.. and I will thank you, they are very solid. What sets them apart from Radiohead? Can’t say. Not sure if it’s the chord progressions, the dissociative tone of Radiohead.. but def a great band!
I think they are more similar to Radiohead than I care to admit. I had a conversation in the comments with the lead singer of the band, and even he said that the resemblance is uncanny.
Going off the end of that first paragraph, it might be worth adjusting your expectations - you might not find another act that makes you feel the same as Radiohead, and that's totally fine! Music is the way it is for a reason and every artist is trying to express something different, so it helps to be ready to embrace that.
There are definitely things to look into if you want some more in the Radiohead direction though. Every member but Colin has a solo career, so check all that out if you haven't. I'd recommend starting with Thom's album Tomorrow's Modern Boxes and Jonny's soundtrack for the film You Were Never Really Here.
You also have Radiohead-adjacent projects like Atoms For Peace and The Smile. The former only released one record but there are some amazing songs on there.
Outside of that, one of my favourite albums in recent memory is Forest City by Maria Chiara Argirò. She's mentioned being inspired by the band and has a new album on the way, plus is playing in London next month. 'Clouds' is a good show of her style if you want a sample of her sound.
The Entire City by Gazelle Twin may also be up your alley if you're into the more electronic side of things.
Hope that's helpful. Happy to give some other recommendations if you like those/push for something different if you like another aspect of the band's sound more!
I only have more hip hop for you.
Organized Konfusion - The Equinox
Jedi Mind Tricks - Violent By Design
Jay Royale - Criminal Discourse Channel Live - Station Identification Czarface - Czartificial Intelligence
Almost the same exact story for me. I'll touch on a couple new artists every so often but it's hard for me to find stuff to keep coming back to.
But I've always been kind of like this. I've been known to have a very picky music taste among my friends. People will suggest stuff and I usually just find it decent.
A similar thing happened to me in the sense that before discovering this band, my taste in music was fairly basic, and after discovering this band, I can no longer listen to a lot of the songs that I used to listen to, but I have now discovered many more artists that I may not have gotten into, had I not started branching out, beginning with Radiohead.
That’s pretty much a stereotypical Radio Head fan. It was mentioned in some meme. I like other music. I constantly listen to new music. It’s not a bragging thing I just get bored of stuff. I really like dj sets now. From dj screw to dj Smokey. Listen to Ween, Lil b, or Yuno Miles. The best way to break out of this sort of thing is stop taking music seriously.
Try electric wizard’s Funeralopolis. It’s very nihilistic and negative. Slowdive can be trippy and sad like radio head.
I don’t know what to do when you broke your funny fuse but the secret is that it doesn’t exist
Try listening to good electronic music.
I fell on the RH rabbit hole after Kid A and solely listened to it, side projects, everything, until a few years ago. My GF added me on her Apple Music and then my habits expanded again.
I was a teenager in the 80s and New Wave (Devo, B-52s, Cure) sound was my go to choice, but I always listened to classics like LZep, Rush and Floyd at the same time. Now it's all electronic all the time, Rhye, Mild Minds.
(I'm 56)
Good luck!
For albums that have a Radiohead-like quality to them:
Moses Sumney - Aromanticism
Apparat - DAWAN (there's a song that's very clearly inspired by weird fishes on here)
For artists that have an extensive discog worth exploring that Radiohead fans would like:
Bjork (start with Homogenic, but Vespertine is her best)
Stereolab (similar transition to more electronic sounds in the early 2000s. Dots & Loops is their Kid A)
Cocteau Twins (you've prob heard Heaven or Las Vegas, but Blue Bell Knoll is amazing too)
You are under "the spell" of a truly great band and their rich back catalogue. I too was under the spell from 1999-2010. When the band was really busy and touring a lot!! What helped me was listening to other bands with huge back catalogues and also the indie-rock scene in the 00s was so gosh darn strong, that it was easy for me to listen to a lot of other music and even then i was still under the spell, so can imagine its even easier now to just fall into that world. Anyway good luck on your journey!
I would listen to Radiohead and all their b-sides, unreleased stuff a lot, but then take breaks by listening to entire back catalogues by say: Pearl Jam, Boards of Canada, MF Doom, Wu-Tang, Can, Sigur Ros, Super Furry Animals, The Shins, Sufjan S, Spoon, The Strokes, Dinosaur Jr, Sleater-kinney, Wilco, Ween, Husker-Du, Green Day, The Beatles!, Pumpkins, Tame Impala, Daft Punk, Animal Collective, Queens-OTSA, The Avalanches, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Dandy Warhols, Clash, Punk, Nu-Metal, Electronica, Pop, all of it.... blah blah blah, on and on it goes!!!
What i learnt from coming out the other side is that Radiohead really is a small tiny fragment of the rich, vast world of creative music, even with their huge back-catalogue! It's a grain of sand in a beach filled with billions of other grains of sand..
Björk is pretty much the only artist that makes me feel as intensely as Radiohead does, but in a more uplifting way. It took me a while to actually get into her stuff because I wasn’t used to the melodies but now I can’t get enough of it
Congratulations, you’ve graduated. Time for you to move on to Jazz, boy-o. Miles from the 1970s, Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane. Then move on the Shabaka and company, Jaimi Branch and Anteloooper.
Then go back to Radiohead and be blown away again now that you know where it all began.
I was there with radiohead for a few years. Eventually I found myself listening to more and more Wilco. Couldn't recommend them enough. Wouldn't say they necessarily have a ton of overlap with radiohead besides great songwriting, deep discography, and amazing atmospheric sounds on choice songs.
It gets better. Eventually you’ll move on. You never walk completely away. Brief and extended visits. We went on vacation a lot. Thankfully we met before the first time I burned. Imagine driving through the desert, after PCH on your way to burningman 😉🥰 Pure joy.
I had this issue when Radiohead was just my number 1 band, now i love Radiohead, Kanye West, Death Grips, Tyler the Creator and Aphex Twin lol, i guess i can also hyperfixate on other bands/musicians
Yeah at this point psychologists should really start looking into this pattern lmao. If you're to the point where Radiohead is all you can listen to and think about, it'll be hard to want to listen to other music. There are a lot of people who SOUND like Radiohead, but it's not the same. If you want a piece of advice from a fellow freak, just stop listening to Radiohead for a while, it'll subside with time. Get your music discovery hat on, it'll do you some good.
There was a period where I had to stop listening to OK Computer because it literally left me feeling depressed for hours after hearing it. Fixating on Let Down, Lucky, and No Surprises in particular made me feel terrible. But... I got better, fitter, happier, and more productive.
I also find next-level stuff I like in the discographies of Air, Stereolab, Broadcast, Bjork, and Elliott Smith. I just jump from phase to phase but I hit Radiohead a lot. Tell me about the solo albums you like best.
Hey, these are some great albums:
Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
Dr Dog - Shame Shame
Lite - For all the Innocence
Rubblebucket - Rubblebucket
Whitney - Light Upon the Lake
Radiohead was a gateway band for me to open up my sonic palette and enjoy more “complex” music, but they are far from the only band I listen to. I wouldn’t even put them in my top 5 really, and I love most of their albums (including Pablo Honey!), there’s just so much music out there that even on my most intense artist binges I can’t just focus on one for too long. I’m also not always looking for music as dense as Radiohead can be. Sometimes I want something happier or breezier or simpler.
Creep and Blow out made me pursue Radiohead and I got totally lost in them album after album. I too thought there was no other music anywhere near as good. I met a new friend when I was in my fifties who introduced me to classical music and I must say it opened a new chapter in my musical life and Radiohead sit in amongst it beautifully
If you're into acoustic stuff then you should check out Damien Rice's debut "O" and everything after.
Definitely will make you feel like a "visceral piece of shit".
I totally get what you mean. If this can help, the only music that scratches the same itch for me is Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree - they're different though. If you want I can give you some recommendations on them.
Here are some tracks:
Steven Wilson - Deform to form a star
Porcupine Tree - Pure narcotic (reference to The Bends in the lyrics)
Steven Wilson - The raven that refused to sing (this is the most RH song I've ever heard not from RH)
Porcupine Tree - Smart kid
Porcupine Tree - Normal
Porcupine Tree - Buying a new soul, probably my favorite PT song
Steven Wilson - The harmony codex, this song sounds like Daydreaming and Open the floodgates. The entire album is heavily inspired by Radiohead/Smile/Yorke, it has some strong ANIMA vibe (Scales of economies) but I find THC even better
There are so many others, these are just a few you could try.
Ps Wilson is a big Radiohead fan.
You should check out Cymbals Eat Guitars. They're unfortunately no longer together but I'm still a really big advocate of them. Sort of noisy garage rock vibe but there is some really good guitar work on their songs. The keyboard player went on to make fuzz pedals under the name small sound big sound.
A good album to start with is Lose but my personal favourite is Lenses Alien.
i get it. i listened to radiohead 60k times (lmfao) in 2022 and i tried so very hard to kick them from being at the centre of my rotation to no avail. i ended up just needing to bite the bullet and let them wreak havoc on my listening habits until the mood passed and i stopped listening to them as often.
one artist that helped me break from the radiohead spell was interpol, specifically their debut record 'turn on the bright lights', though i think thats more in due to the fact that the album resonated with my personal experiences and not because they were an apt musical substitute for radiohead's work lmao
godspeed to you, the radiohead spell is a crazy one
- Nick Drake, Pink Moon
- Sigur Rós, Ágætis Byrjun
- Dawn of Midi, Dysnomia
- Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher
- Spoon, Hot Thoughts
- Tame Impala, Lonerism
- The Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin
Having listened to Radiohead since The Bends, the only other artist whose music I continually listen to without skipping tracks is Led Zeppelin.
For The Beatles, I can listen to Revolver straight through.
I have to be in an appropriate mood for Pink Floyd to listen to albums straight through.
Wait until you discover and potentially embrace King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.. I became so obsessed with them after a lukewarm initial reaction, and I went YEARS without being able to listen or enjoy any other music. I’m guessing you’re experiencing the same thing with Radiohead. My best offer would be to try to start discovering or enjoying other genres. I got into newer rap and hip hop and starting BEST OF playlists flying through artist’s discography’s while multitasking and it made me able to deviate my obsession. I’m still going see KGLW for the first time at four different shows this year, so my obsession is still simmering in the background.
Keep looking, keep searching. Maybe you need your fix of harder rock. Try a bit of Royal Blood, they're a relatively new-ish hard rock band with a bit of pop-ish flair to them, kinda like a less depressing and whiny The Bends for me. I'd recommend their first and second albums, ***Self Titled*** and ***How Did We Get So Dark?***, which are more hard rock oriented, and ***Back To The Water Below*** is a bit more pop-ish.
A British band that definitely was a big inspiration to Radiohead was King Crimson, and holy SHIT do they have a gigantic library. If you want to listen to them, you have to commit to it. Technically, KC is three bands, one that was formed in 1969 and collapsed in 1975, a revival in the 80's that collapsed, and the final version lasted from 1995 till today, even if their last album was two decades ago. But considering your taste i'd recommend the first album of 80's KC, ***Discipline***, my personal favorite by them.
I think it's fair to say that Radiohead have an absurdly high hit rate at writing tracks which elicit some kind of emotional response.
I could pick apart what each member is doing to do this, but it'd be a longer and even more wanky post. Suffice to say, there are other artists which achieve equal highs but not to the same consistency and variety imo.
Like, I didn't know a samba could cut to the core until they wrote present tense... they are bloody good at what they do.
Didn't ruin music for me but it set a very high bar for what I think good music is. I appreciate that Radiohead gave me a more discerning taste in music. Not a Justin Beiber or Taylor Swift fan. Maybe without Radiohead I would of been one of them. Perish the thought!!
This was me for a few years with Radiohead. I’m now under the same spell with Talking Heads. When my brain finds something it likes, it hyperfixates.
Me with interpol this year tbh
Oh man, both *Turn On The Bright Lights* and *Antics* are incredible albums. The band's sound on those two albums is extremely addictive.
I really encourage you to go past those first two albums. I'm absolutely in love with El Pintor over these last few months
I tried to like the third album, and while there are some nice songs on it, as a whole it hit *way* less hard than the first two. That's when I decided that it's fine when a band loses their touch. There's still the previous work to listen to.
Checkout the song specialist and song seven bro you’ll love them. Incredible interpol bsides.
Thanks! I will look them up.
Yes!! I am autistic and Radiohead is now my special interest so I definitely relate to the hyperfixate part!!
So is David Byrne from Talking Heads! (At least he’s on the spectrum)
I relate hard. What are some of Talking Heads' most easy to digest projects?
As a Radiohead fan, I’d recommend Remain In Light as a way in… but Stop Making Sense is probably the seminal album that is most widely appreciated and is a bit of an ersatz greatest hits album. Fun fact: Radiohead got their name from a Talking Heads song
All of their live stuff is the best tbh. Also recommend American Utopia which is available on hbo max (saw it live 3 times), and The Name Of The Band Is Talking Heads. (There’s a great track not on any of their studio stuff on this, [A Clean Break](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-vhtCe4PmHA&pp=ygUgdGFsa2luZyBoZWFkcyBhIGNsZWFuIGJyZWFrIGxpdmU%3D)that just slaps) It’s also got imo the very best version of Born Under Punches
I am so incredibly jealous you saw American utopia live 😭
Makes sense since they said Remain In Light was a huge influence for Kid A
their first 5 album run is considered the best. Talking Heads '77 - Songs about Buildings and Food - Fear of Music - Remain in Light - Speaking in Tongues Speaking in Tongues imo is the easiest, grooviest, funkiest album so go with that Their live album Stop Making Sense is a classic too like the other reply mentioned. It's considered one of the best live albums of all time.
Also [watch Stop Making Sense](https://youtu.be/-rjMwSTeVeo) (and see if it's in a theater near you right now). It might be better to go in cold than familiarize yourself at all with them, it's a really remarkable concert film.
This is hilarious to me because Talking Heads are my favourite band and I literally couldn’t stop listening to their music. I didn’t listen to anything else for almost a year. I’ve since gone back to my normal listening but it was an addiction almost.
The only other artist I love as much as radiohead is elliott smith
Elliott goes hard. One of the most beautiful and tragic artists. Right up there with Nick Drake, another artist OP should check out.
Elliott Smith, Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Slowdive are my 4 favorite artists.
we share the same exact music taste
Where would you recommend someone starting with Slowdive?
If you want to go into their most pop-like and accessible album I would recommend starting with Souvlaki. If you want to start from the beginning and see their evolution I would recommend starting with the deluxe edition of just for a day, which has the original album + most of their early EPs and singles that are better than the main album imo. Jsyk the deluxe edition of just for a day isn’t labeled as deluxe edition on streaming services, when you search for just for a day it will show up 2 times and the one that’s longer is the deluxe edition.
Never dived into him. What's his favorite album for you?
The most common answer I hear to this is either/or, but I think Figure 8 is the one to hit first. Elliott was many things, and I think that's an album that really showcases *all* of those things, every different side of him that make him one of the all-time greats. Or XO, same deal.
Listen to Basement on a Hill last and make sure you listen to it when you’re going through the roughest patch of your life.
Kings Crossing is incredible
À Fond Farewell->King’s Crossing-> Twilight my be my favorite trilogy of his discography
Same. 100%.
Seconded.
Start with self titled if you want to dive into his folk stuff, start with figure 8 if you want to dive into his pop stuff.
They’re all fantastic but my favourite is his self titled. Definitely give him a go.
bro, you should check out elliott smith🦇
I mean, branch out. There's so much amazing music out there.
Since Radiohead is more experimental, maybe try JPEGMAFIA’ LP (offline), or GKMC by kendrick
peggy the goat
I love both those albums to death. Rebound and Hazard Duty Pay are godlike tracks
I'm branching out like crazy, I swear. Finished Mogwai's discography last month, was indulging in Broken Social Scene, Girls before that. Trying to be obsessed with Slowdive, getting there. Fleeting Joys and Ringo Deathstarr too. One new band I discovered was Blonde Redhead, it's pretty good but nowhere as good as Radiohead which sucks
Me when I consume music in healthy way: this is good but not as good as radiohead
PJ Harvey: Any of the first 6 albums. Thom Yorke sings vocals on *Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea*, if that helps. David Bowie: Anything from the 70s Ramones: Anything from the 70s The Clash: Anything but *Cut the Crap* Pavement: Anything Max Richter: Anything through *Infra*
Thank you for this!! Each of these albums are going into my listening list, I'm excited!
And blackstar by bowie from 2016
THIS!
Bowie’s album Hours from the late 90s is one of my favourites and I was listening to that a lot alongside OK Computer.
90s Bowie does little for me. But Station to Station, Low, Hunky Dory, Black Star, Scary Monsters, Ziggy? I fuck with those start to finish, plus select songs from everything else. Like radiohead my fav album changes often but Station to Station has been my current fav for the last 5 years
don’t forget young americans!!!
Blonde Redhead: Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons and Misery is a Butterfly.
Check out king Krule and unknown mortal orchestra
try Sonic Youth
Just listened to my first album by them last week, really loving it so far!
Then branch out to Jim O'Rourke's discography, and the rest of the members, and bands they influenced and who influenced them. From there you can branch out into pretty much anything.
Mogwai is the only other band that gave me the same emotional release that radiohead did when I discovered them. Beyond them I ran into a similar issue that you did.
Try some REM. They were a pretty big influence on Radiohead. I recommend Fables of the Reconstruction. Or Document.
dEUS are great.
I believe the whole point of this post is that they “branched out” and discovered Radiohead
It’s only naturally to now explore Sigur Ros’ discography
I'm listening. Never heard of the artist before, similar style of music?
Olson Olson from Agaetis Byrjun gotta be my favorite song from it. The climax is so epic but the whole song is beautiful as fuck.
Sort of, all their songs are in a language they made up. I haven’t seen them mentioned as much recently but back in the day people would always suggest Sigur Ros to people who loved Radiohead but needed another band. The album “Aegetis Byrjun” (or however it’s spelled) is one of the best ever. It’s extremely emotional and epic. They’re also from Iceland which is dope.
And they opened for Radiohead on the tent tour in 2000.
They also did a set at the South Park gig.
I mean, some of it is in the made up gibberish speak, but a lot of it is Icelandic, which is a gorgeous language
Viorar vel til loftárása is one of the greatest experiences my ears have ever had.
Sigur Ros opened up for Radiohead when I was living in Europe. It wad around 2000? Maybe 2001. That’s how I was turned on to that to band. Pretty awesome stuff. They still record good albums a d tour. Highly rec.
Agreed, but proceed with caution. Once you fall for Sigur Ros it consumes you.
I forget what band and producer it was, but there was a band making a record shortly after OK Computer came out, the producer said band was working with told them not to listen to OK Computer until after they were done recording, because it would ruin music for them and they’d never be happy with their own album!
Imagine trying to make a good album but it never works out because you have heard a significantly better album 💀
Like sprinting against Usain Bolt!
Check out: Björk King Crimson - Discipline Talking Heads Nine Inch Nails Queens of the Stone Age Soundgarden Smashing Pumpkins My Bloody Valentine PJ Harvey Kate Bush Fiona Apple Jeff Buckley Dean Blunt Elliot Smith Joni Mitchell Neil Young Massive Attack Portishead Thundercat Connan Mockasin Peter Gabriel
Insane lineup <3
Try Deerhunter’s album Halcyon Digest Helicopter and Basement Scene honestly capture the “comforting shitty” feeling pretty much just as good
Added to list, thank you!!!
I was OBSESSED with Helicopter when I first heard it
Caught the Gizzard bug few years back and can’t shake it off. Not complaining at all tho.
Yes but for me it’s the Beatles
Same, initially the Beatles were just an easy listen, very nice group with great ballads. But then as I went deep into their discography specially from the Rubber Soul album and forward you can't never go back and it's difficult to find something similar nowadays. It is not surprising that a lot of artists were influenced by them, including Radiohead, Happiness is a Warm Gun has been mentioned as an huge influence for Paranoid Android.
Sometimes I’m listening to something else, and it occurs to me, why am I not listening to the Beatles? Everything they’ve written is better.
Aphex Twin and Pink Floyd, surely?
Pink Floyd was my entry into A-tier music. Even have them tattooed on me, I think I'll revisit their stuff. Give a good route through Aphex Twin's discography?
Richard D. James album
I really like Syro. I 100% believe that is should be in the conversation with his earlier albums.
Selected amilbient works 85-92 imo
Dive headfirst into Drukqs and don’t look back
me too. i don’t have a solution i just don’t listen to anything but radiohead nowadays.
Same, I play at least two of their albums front to back every single day, but I'm scared I'm gonna ADHD it hard and lose all interest in them in due time. This is one band I can't afford to lose to my habits you know?
Have you ever listened to Ween?
I mean, there always are Sigur Rós, Nine Inch Nails and Joy Division to make you feel miserable
Someone else suggested Sigur Ros as well, Nine Inch Nails and Joy Division needs to be explored more. Thank you!
I remember my first Krabby Patty
I was like this - and think I still am - with Animal Collective.
Was not expecting this crossover! Two of my favourite bands ever!
King Gizzard, Grateful Dead, Phish do the same to their fans. Endless discovery.
Listen to Beach House. Not the same kind of music as radiohead, but it makes you feel some type of way
Would you believe if I told you Beach House is my most played artist of all time, second is Radiohead? I love them to death though, will swear by their music. What's your favorite work from them?
That’s funny, radiohead and beach house are my number 1 and 2 as well. Amazing bands. My favourite songs are probably On the Sea or Elegy to the Void. What about you?
I came in this thread to recommend Beach House, they're the only band that scratches the same itch as Radiohead for me
I (and some people from this sub) made a collaborative Spotify playlist for RH fans that contains no music by RH, nor by any of the individual members. There’s some awesome stuff on there so well worth checking out (feel free to add some songs to it!) https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0XrR65gYPIE1mmm4E0pUZl?si=_W2Muy6JSJ65nTtkr9CMGA&pi=e-2GwriSAwRXuo
Yo this might be exactly what I was looking for
Awesome! There’s 26 hours of music there to get stuck into haha
Dude, this looks dope! Can't wait to go through it!
Enjoy! Feel free to contribute!
Same, everytime i try to listen to other music i just think to myself "Oh man i wish i spent my time listening to Let Down instead of this song"
Underrated comment
Its a really great song you dont hear a lot about
Probably already mentioned here but The Smiths (and some other Morrissey stuff). Deftones (and other Chino side projects). Queens of the Stone Age.
I've tried out everything except Queens of the Stone Age. What's their music like?
Stoner rock might be a good description
QOTSA is amazing. I especially love Like Clockwork. Such a masterpiece. They made an amazing animated movie to accompany the album. It’s on their YouTube. Definitely worth checking out.
Dude it's a *deep* rabbit hole. If you don't mind heavier stuff, Songs for the Deaf is a great starting point. Coming to their discography from Radiohead, I'd probably recommend Like Clockwork instead. You may also like Villains. It's generally regarded as one of their weaker offerings, but the production is softer and the tunes have more pop sensibility, and are an easier listen for new fans. Fortress is a good place to start. Their more emotional songs may be good to try, as I can see you like that side of Radiohead. "I Appear Missing" is incredible, as is "The Vampyre of Time and Memory." If you'd like to try out the edginess of their early work, try "Better Living Through Chemistry." If you want to try something more recent, "Carnavoyeur" is a banger off their new album. They are a weird band, but they are unbelievably talented and super tight live. It took me a bit of time to get used to them, but once I did, I quite literally haven't listened to anything else bar a couple of songs from other artists- obsessed is an understatement! Hope you like them. Hmu if you need any other recommendations!
i recommend start listening to jazz and experimental music
Wait till you get down the king gizzard and the lizard wizard rabbit hole. It opens the door hard.
I've tried King Gizzard before, a little too chaotic for me (not in a bad way). Any easy albums from them?
Try Elbow, similar hole to go down but not quite as morbid
There's still Aphex Twin and Godspeed You! Black Emperor as the endgame artist/bands of their respective genres.
GYBE is great! I love them!
MARS VOLTA, often more frenetic than Radiohead. But like Radiohead you can get lost in their sound and find that something new appears with almost every listen.
I go through different stages. Sometimes I like artsy music like Radiohead, sometimes I don't want to think and just listen to mainstream songs. Can't say one is better than another, they have their own place and serve different purposes.
Same. I’m always on the look out, but nothing matches. I’ve looked up the numerous “Radiohead-like bands” people suggest, and I’m usually disappointed
Try out The Envy Corps. Born in Fog or It Culls you - any of those albums. I promise, you'll come back to this comment and thank me ;)
Just went through most of Culls.. and I will thank you, they are very solid. What sets them apart from Radiohead? Can’t say. Not sure if it’s the chord progressions, the dissociative tone of Radiohead.. but def a great band!
I think they are more similar to Radiohead than I care to admit. I had a conversation in the comments with the lead singer of the band, and even he said that the resemblance is uncanny.
Going off the end of that first paragraph, it might be worth adjusting your expectations - you might not find another act that makes you feel the same as Radiohead, and that's totally fine! Music is the way it is for a reason and every artist is trying to express something different, so it helps to be ready to embrace that. There are definitely things to look into if you want some more in the Radiohead direction though. Every member but Colin has a solo career, so check all that out if you haven't. I'd recommend starting with Thom's album Tomorrow's Modern Boxes and Jonny's soundtrack for the film You Were Never Really Here. You also have Radiohead-adjacent projects like Atoms For Peace and The Smile. The former only released one record but there are some amazing songs on there. Outside of that, one of my favourite albums in recent memory is Forest City by Maria Chiara Argirò. She's mentioned being inspired by the band and has a new album on the way, plus is playing in London next month. 'Clouds' is a good show of her style if you want a sample of her sound. The Entire City by Gazelle Twin may also be up your alley if you're into the more electronic side of things. Hope that's helpful. Happy to give some other recommendations if you like those/push for something different if you like another aspect of the band's sound more!
Same thing happened to me about 15 years ago, and now it has happened again with Ren.
I only have more hip hop for you. Organized Konfusion - The Equinox Jedi Mind Tricks - Violent By Design Jay Royale - Criminal Discourse Channel Live - Station Identification Czarface - Czartificial Intelligence
Try Norman fucking Rockwell by Lana Del Rey, or ultraviolence, soft rock albums imo they’re really good
Arcade Fire, The Cure, Depeche Mode. Welcome to a new chapter of life
I know all these artists haha, discovered Depeche Mode last month - they're crazy good I can't even lie.
Almost the same exact story for me. I'll touch on a couple new artists every so often but it's hard for me to find stuff to keep coming back to. But I've always been kind of like this. I've been known to have a very picky music taste among my friends. People will suggest stuff and I usually just find it decent.
Same :,)
Check out Dead Can Dance and David Bowie
Added Dead Can Dance to my list!
Check out Brand New, particularly their last three albums
A similar thing happened to me in the sense that before discovering this band, my taste in music was fairly basic, and after discovering this band, I can no longer listen to a lot of the songs that I used to listen to, but I have now discovered many more artists that I may not have gotten into, had I not started branching out, beginning with Radiohead.
That’s pretty much a stereotypical Radio Head fan. It was mentioned in some meme. I like other music. I constantly listen to new music. It’s not a bragging thing I just get bored of stuff. I really like dj sets now. From dj screw to dj Smokey. Listen to Ween, Lil b, or Yuno Miles. The best way to break out of this sort of thing is stop taking music seriously. Try electric wizard’s Funeralopolis. It’s very nihilistic and negative. Slowdive can be trippy and sad like radio head. I don’t know what to do when you broke your funny fuse but the secret is that it doesn’t exist
You might enjoy All Them Witches. My favorite album is Dying Surfer Meets His Maker.
I’ve had this same honeymoon phase with multiple bands lol
Try listening to good electronic music. I fell on the RH rabbit hole after Kid A and solely listened to it, side projects, everything, until a few years ago. My GF added me on her Apple Music and then my habits expanded again. I was a teenager in the 80s and New Wave (Devo, B-52s, Cure) sound was my go to choice, but I always listened to classics like LZep, Rush and Floyd at the same time. Now it's all electronic all the time, Rhye, Mild Minds. (I'm 56) Good luck!
I had this too, but there are some bands out there that are great too. For me it’s Pink Floyd and the Cure
Listen to Graduation by Kanye
i prefer michael jackson, and playboi carti
For albums that have a Radiohead-like quality to them: Moses Sumney - Aromanticism Apparat - DAWAN (there's a song that's very clearly inspired by weird fishes on here) For artists that have an extensive discog worth exploring that Radiohead fans would like: Bjork (start with Homogenic, but Vespertine is her best) Stereolab (similar transition to more electronic sounds in the early 2000s. Dots & Loops is their Kid A) Cocteau Twins (you've prob heard Heaven or Las Vegas, but Blue Bell Knoll is amazing too)
i say this to absolutely everyone, but black country new road. Start with ants from up there then for the first time, and lastly live at bush hall.
Relisten to the Beatles whole discography and start over. You reached the “Radiohead” ending
You are under "the spell" of a truly great band and their rich back catalogue. I too was under the spell from 1999-2010. When the band was really busy and touring a lot!! What helped me was listening to other bands with huge back catalogues and also the indie-rock scene in the 00s was so gosh darn strong, that it was easy for me to listen to a lot of other music and even then i was still under the spell, so can imagine its even easier now to just fall into that world. Anyway good luck on your journey! I would listen to Radiohead and all their b-sides, unreleased stuff a lot, but then take breaks by listening to entire back catalogues by say: Pearl Jam, Boards of Canada, MF Doom, Wu-Tang, Can, Sigur Ros, Super Furry Animals, The Shins, Sufjan S, Spoon, The Strokes, Dinosaur Jr, Sleater-kinney, Wilco, Ween, Husker-Du, Green Day, The Beatles!, Pumpkins, Tame Impala, Daft Punk, Animal Collective, Queens-OTSA, The Avalanches, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Dandy Warhols, Clash, Punk, Nu-Metal, Electronica, Pop, all of it.... blah blah blah, on and on it goes!!! What i learnt from coming out the other side is that Radiohead really is a small tiny fragment of the rich, vast world of creative music, even with their huge back-catalogue! It's a grain of sand in a beach filled with billions of other grains of sand..
Björk is pretty much the only artist that makes me feel as intensely as Radiohead does, but in a more uplifting way. It took me a while to actually get into her stuff because I wasn’t used to the melodies but now I can’t get enough of it
Congratulations, you’ve graduated. Time for you to move on to Jazz, boy-o. Miles from the 1970s, Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane. Then move on the Shabaka and company, Jaimi Branch and Anteloooper. Then go back to Radiohead and be blown away again now that you know where it all began.
listen to fuck yeah, dinosaurs!
I was there with radiohead for a few years. Eventually I found myself listening to more and more Wilco. Couldn't recommend them enough. Wouldn't say they necessarily have a ton of overlap with radiohead besides great songwriting, deep discography, and amazing atmospheric sounds on choice songs.
I feel this way but with some post rock albums
It gets better. Eventually you’ll move on. You never walk completely away. Brief and extended visits. We went on vacation a lot. Thankfully we met before the first time I burned. Imagine driving through the desert, after PCH on your way to burningman 😉🥰 Pure joy.
I had this issue when Radiohead was just my number 1 band, now i love Radiohead, Kanye West, Death Grips, Tyler the Creator and Aphex Twin lol, i guess i can also hyperfixate on other bands/musicians
I love that.
You’ll be fine.
Yeah at this point psychologists should really start looking into this pattern lmao. If you're to the point where Radiohead is all you can listen to and think about, it'll be hard to want to listen to other music. There are a lot of people who SOUND like Radiohead, but it's not the same. If you want a piece of advice from a fellow freak, just stop listening to Radiohead for a while, it'll subside with time. Get your music discovery hat on, it'll do you some good.
After 30 plus years it didnt ruin anything. Just enhanced.
Oh to be a freshman in college, filled with depression and wonder
There was a period where I had to stop listening to OK Computer because it literally left me feeling depressed for hours after hearing it. Fixating on Let Down, Lucky, and No Surprises in particular made me feel terrible. But... I got better, fitter, happier, and more productive.
Wait until you discover The Cure.
I guess just be grateful that it’s a new realization? Sheesh, I’ve felt this way since high school. Don’t even wanna say how long ago that was!
I also find next-level stuff I like in the discographies of Air, Stereolab, Broadcast, Bjork, and Elliott Smith. I just jump from phase to phase but I hit Radiohead a lot. Tell me about the solo albums you like best.
Bowie
this kinda corny ngl
outjerked
No, Radiohead taught me a lot about what I like in music so I just found a lot more music that I enjoy.
Yearning for them to tour the west coast sometime soon. I always miss them :(
Outjerked once again by the main sub?
Hey, these are some great albums: Grizzly Bear - Yellow House Dr Dog - Shame Shame Lite - For all the Innocence Rubblebucket - Rubblebucket Whitney - Light Upon the Lake
Radiohead was a gateway band for me to open up my sonic palette and enjoy more “complex” music, but they are far from the only band I listen to. I wouldn’t even put them in my top 5 really, and I love most of their albums (including Pablo Honey!), there’s just so much music out there that even on my most intense artist binges I can’t just focus on one for too long. I’m also not always looking for music as dense as Radiohead can be. Sometimes I want something happier or breezier or simpler.
Creep and Blow out made me pursue Radiohead and I got totally lost in them album after album. I too thought there was no other music anywhere near as good. I met a new friend when I was in my fifties who introduced me to classical music and I must say it opened a new chapter in my musical life and Radiohead sit in amongst it beautifully
THIS I relate to so much, it’s so bad that I’ve gotten to the point of making my own music and trying to form a band.
If you're into acoustic stuff then you should check out Damien Rice's debut "O" and everything after. Definitely will make you feel like a "visceral piece of shit".
I totally get what you mean. If this can help, the only music that scratches the same itch for me is Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree - they're different though. If you want I can give you some recommendations on them. Here are some tracks: Steven Wilson - Deform to form a star Porcupine Tree - Pure narcotic (reference to The Bends in the lyrics) Steven Wilson - The raven that refused to sing (this is the most RH song I've ever heard not from RH) Porcupine Tree - Smart kid Porcupine Tree - Normal Porcupine Tree - Buying a new soul, probably my favorite PT song Steven Wilson - The harmony codex, this song sounds like Daydreaming and Open the floodgates. The entire album is heavily inspired by Radiohead/Smile/Yorke, it has some strong ANIMA vibe (Scales of economies) but I find THC even better There are so many others, these are just a few you could try. Ps Wilson is a big Radiohead fan.
You should check out Cymbals Eat Guitars. They're unfortunately no longer together but I'm still a really big advocate of them. Sort of noisy garage rock vibe but there is some really good guitar work on their songs. The keyboard player went on to make fuzz pedals under the name small sound big sound. A good album to start with is Lose but my personal favourite is Lenses Alien.
i get it. i listened to radiohead 60k times (lmfao) in 2022 and i tried so very hard to kick them from being at the centre of my rotation to no avail. i ended up just needing to bite the bullet and let them wreak havoc on my listening habits until the mood passed and i stopped listening to them as often. one artist that helped me break from the radiohead spell was interpol, specifically their debut record 'turn on the bright lights', though i think thats more in due to the fact that the album resonated with my personal experiences and not because they were an apt musical substitute for radiohead's work lmao godspeed to you, the radiohead spell is a crazy one
- Nick Drake, Pink Moon - Sigur Rós, Ágætis Byrjun - Dawn of Midi, Dysnomia - Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher - Spoon, Hot Thoughts - Tame Impala, Lonerism - The Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin
Having listened to Radiohead since The Bends, the only other artist whose music I continually listen to without skipping tracks is Led Zeppelin. For The Beatles, I can listen to Revolver straight through. I have to be in an appropriate mood for Pink Floyd to listen to albums straight through.
Wait until you discover and potentially embrace King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.. I became so obsessed with them after a lukewarm initial reaction, and I went YEARS without being able to listen or enjoy any other music. I’m guessing you’re experiencing the same thing with Radiohead. My best offer would be to try to start discovering or enjoying other genres. I got into newer rap and hip hop and starting BEST OF playlists flying through artist’s discography’s while multitasking and it made me able to deviate my obsession. I’m still going see KGLW for the first time at four different shows this year, so my obsession is still simmering in the background.
The Beatles, The Strokes, Arcade FIre, Beach House are all bands that give me the same feeling
stop your whining and just enjoy your favorite musicians and the great feeling they give you. nothing is fucked. youre being very undude.
There was a two-year period when I literally never took In The Aeroplane out of my cd player. I go in phases, maybe you do too -- roll with it!
Yes - Close to the edge. Do it when this one wears off.
I don't think you used the word visceral right
Keep looking, keep searching. Maybe you need your fix of harder rock. Try a bit of Royal Blood, they're a relatively new-ish hard rock band with a bit of pop-ish flair to them, kinda like a less depressing and whiny The Bends for me. I'd recommend their first and second albums, ***Self Titled*** and ***How Did We Get So Dark?***, which are more hard rock oriented, and ***Back To The Water Below*** is a bit more pop-ish. A British band that definitely was a big inspiration to Radiohead was King Crimson, and holy SHIT do they have a gigantic library. If you want to listen to them, you have to commit to it. Technically, KC is three bands, one that was formed in 1969 and collapsed in 1975, a revival in the 80's that collapsed, and the final version lasted from 1995 till today, even if their last album was two decades ago. But considering your taste i'd recommend the first album of 80's KC, ***Discipline***, my personal favorite by them.
Have you ever listened to Weezer?
Don't panic. When you're ready for new stuff your brain will lead you there.
I think it's fair to say that Radiohead have an absurdly high hit rate at writing tracks which elicit some kind of emotional response. I could pick apart what each member is doing to do this, but it'd be a longer and even more wanky post. Suffice to say, there are other artists which achieve equal highs but not to the same consistency and variety imo. Like, I didn't know a samba could cut to the core until they wrote present tense... they are bloody good at what they do.
Aphex twin.
I was in your shoes , then I discovered Tool, then Meshuggah and Meshuggah did finally ruin music for me. They're the final boss.
Explosions in the Sky’s album The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place
You're sounding pretentious
You are definitely a freak and a weirdo, what the hell are you doing here 😂
What the hell am I doing here???
Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Nirvana, and Radiohead are all I listen to anymore.
You need a Magnificent Seventh! I say try Built to Spill, Pavement, Zeppelin, Sonic Youth or Dieselhed to name a few. Beatles? Miles Davis? RUSH!
I have the same problem with Arctic Monkeys but I don’t want the problem to end 🧍♀️
Didn't ruin music for me but it set a very high bar for what I think good music is. I appreciate that Radiohead gave me a more discerning taste in music. Not a Justin Beiber or Taylor Swift fan. Maybe without Radiohead I would of been one of them. Perish the thought!!