5 Most Subtle Concept Albums

2. "OK Computer" €“Radiohead

Themes: Alienation/The unquenchable march of technology/The breakdown of person-to-person communication Ok Computer I know lead singer and guitarist Thom Yorke has said this is not a concept album, but I don't care. Listen to it again. The writing is on the wall. From the frantic panic of "Paranoid Android" to Yorke telling himself to "Slow down" on "The Tourist," Radiohead eerily predicted the quickening pace of improved technology, coupled with the increasing breakdown of human communications. Even "Fitter, Happier" practically shouts the concept at you . It's hard to overemphasize how groundbreaking this album was. When it was released in 1997, the Internet and e-mail were around, but there was virtually no social media (no Twitter, Facebook, or even MySpace or Friendster). Prophesy, thy name is Radiohead.
Contributor

Michael Perone has written for The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore City Paper, The Island Ear (now titled Long Island Press), and The Long Island Voice, a short-lived spinoff of The Village Voice. He currently works as an Editor in Manhattan. And he still thinks Michael Keaton was the best Batman.