10 Most Overrated Indie Rock Albums Of All Time

Among critical circles it’s nothing short of sacrilege to slate post-Pablo Honey Radiohead, and fans can rest assured that’s not the intention here. The Bends is by no stretch of the imagination a bad album, with quality tracks like “Planet Telex”, “Bones” and “Black Star” worthy of their place in the Oxford band’s canon.

At times, though, the record really is rudimentary rock in the least charming way. “My Iron Lung” relies entirely on the overused quiet/loud dynamic to make its dramatic point. “The Bends” is a bit dull, and “Sulk” is the band’s histrionic side minus the sense of irony they’d later develop.

Some of the ballads don’t fare too well, either. "Fake Plastic Trees" and “High And Dry” both feature splendid turns from Thom Yorke, but they’re both on the shrill side, and nowhere near as profound as Radiohead would like to imagine.

Again there’s plenty to enjoy on The Bends, but it’s certainly not the beginning of Radiohead’s still-ongoing purple patch - that would be OK Computer, on which the group truly became their own thing, and never looked back.