11. Karma Police
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRNk04yb6sw Artist: RadioheadAlbum: 'OK Computer'Year: 1997 Only a band like Radiohead could could sink to a chorus instead of rise to one, and yet still write one of the best songs of the decade. And ure enough, the verses' bluster in 'Karma Police' dissipates for a beautifully scowling, cantankerous cry, of "This is what you get, if you mess with us." The song is almost a day in the life of the same guy who tried that handshake with carbon monoxide; the song false starts with a piano intro that can't decide on the chords to wear. You just get the feeling that it doesn't want to get up this morning, as Thom talks about everyone who scares him, like he's spinning on his chair, glaring at the office, and then comes that lunch break of a chorus: quiet, isolated, on the edge of his tether with everyone. And then comes that outro: the synthetic sighs. The dreamy lyrics. The euphoric chord shifts. It's the tension evaporating, and though the Angry Thom is one that we know and love, the last minute of 'Karma Police' is wonderful.