Picture this hypothetical situation, if you will. Please, lady readers, don’t be offended or annoyed – I’m casting everyone in the role of a man here. It just works a little better that way. And don’t you dare skip this section either – I’m carving an interesting parallel here. So, you are having a bit of light conversation with a female member of staff at work one day, when you just happen to confess that you enjoy sending filthy, anonymous emails to all the women in the department – it gives you a real thrill and you like seeing their disgusted reactions. Your face drops as you see the look of total astonishment in your colleague’s eyes, and she rapidly turns away, eager to inform the rest of the department about your antics. Thinking quickly and acting on impulse, you run up behind her and dive rugby-tackle fashion, hooking your arms round both of her legs and flooring her on the hard marble. She is clearly concussed, so you take the responsibility of driving her to hospital where – after analysis – it is found she cannot remember your little conversation or the fact that you brutally manhandled her. Phew… your reputation is saved!

The point? Well, this is kind of the situation that Radiohead had found themselves in betwixt '93 and '94. As far as it goes, debut effort Pablo Honey was a misfire on all accounts, a decidedly weak representation of the band’s talents, and a confession to dirty deeds if you will. It was generic, distorted, moody alt rock that failed to hold the nation’s attention – aside from the brutally over-played “hit” Creep. Which sadly, is _still_ considered the band’s biggest hit. Oh, what a cruel and twisted world we live in. So, just as you would have rugby-tackled your female colleague to prevent the news from spreading, Radiohead also took drastic action to prevent the nation from writing them off as one-hit wonders. They whipped out the My Iron Lung EP in 1994, and it proved a nice pre-cursor to their first masterpiece, The Bends (1995) – indeed, My Iron Lung took pride of place on that very album.

Did I mention drummer Phil Selway in my last review? Well, I’m a-gonna have to drop the bald-headed wonder’s name into the mix again. I must say, he does drum like a _beast_ on this EP. Which confirms your assumptions that it is more of the same sort of stuff found on Pablo Honey. I won’t deny that the two discs are not totally removed from one another. But this EP showcases a little more of the rocking aspect of the band that would come out on their legendary sophomore adventure. It also shows just a touch of the more introspective, downright atmospheric bent present on some of The Bends. Heh… bent; bends. Funny stuff.

Indeed, it is a hell of a lot more interesting and engaging than the debut album; these songs actually require you to _listen_ to them. And while the distorted fuzz-ball guitars still appear to be prominent in a lot of songs, they are just used a lot more effectively, and don’t obscure other instruments and vocals. Well, aside from the louder sections on the title track – now _that’s_ just insane. But it is meant to be that way, and I love it all the more for that very fact. As for the majority of the rest of the material on here, I’ve already said that it is reminiscent of a glorious mixture of borrowed styles from the albums that sandwich it. Thom Yorke’s voice has certainly matured already, you can feel it. And Johnny Greenwood begins to show more reasons why he is now considered one of the finer guitarists in modern rock. A joyous mix of ballsy rock tunes that only Radiohead can pull off, and creepy, gentle numbers that only Radiohead can pull off. The only real con I can think of is the short length, but much more cannot be expected of an EP.

Track Listing
1.My Iron Lung - 2.Trickster - 3.Lewis (Mistreated) - 4.Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong - 5.Permanent Daylight - 6.Lozenge Of Love - 7.You Never Wash Up After Yourself - 8.Creep (acoustic)

Damn. I took one look at the track listing on this thing when I picked it up, and to my dismay, saw an acoustic version of Creep from Pablo Honey lurking at the end there. My first thoughts were along the lines of: ‘Damn you, Radiohead! Damn you! What the hell are you thinking? You were meant to be making people _forget_ about that infamous debut album, not reminding them of it by including a song from it!’ Well, I was pretty misguided there. On listening to the acoustic version here, it actually has a lot more impact than the original. Without the ridiculously fuzzed-out guitars blurring everything else into oblivion, we get a gentle, albeit urgent acoustic strum along with Yorke’s pained vocals. This time they can be clearly heard, though, and this makes all the difference. After all, this song is about the _pain_ of feeling like an outcast, and you can _feel_ Yorke’s pain in this rehash. When everything about this song has been stripped down – incase you haven’t got the idea yet, the furiously amped-up guitars in the original annoyed me slightly – it actually sounds quite beautiful and very, very charming indeed. I like very much!

Although, in saying what I just said, I may have led you into a false pretence about this EP. It _does_ have big, fuzzy guitars. A lot of them. But this time, they actually work in the songs, and they don’t take over completely. A prime example is the title track, incidentally one of the finer songs on The Bends itself. An absolutely manic number, moving from an innocently-played section to insanely distorted riffage, unintelligible vocals, and ripping solos. More will be said about this one in the next review, trust me. But for now, it’s one of the bands best songs, and a true rock monster. Further examples of this intensity – well, sort of – are shown in a couple of other tracks, mostly nearer the beginning. I’d split this EP up into two halves… almost. Aside from one track, the whole first half is chock-full of Pablo Honey-esque tracks, with a little more depth – and reminiscent of the more rocking tracks on the sophomore effort. And aside from one track, the second half is chock-full of The Bends-esque tracks – well, the quieter ones on that album anyway. Let’s just say the full EP is a more listenable extension of Pablo Honey with a hint of the genius from The Bends thrown in there for good measure.

Back to the point here, I got a little side-tracked for a minute there. More distortion comes in on one of the key tracks, Lewis (Mistreated). To say this was a “fun” track would be an understatement. A sprightly, summery guitar riff jumps out at you, combined with smashing drums. Yorke puts on his “I wish I was a gangster” vocal style, and we’re led off on a crazy journey, thanks to the angry cloud of guitars as they churn out some evil feedback and buzzing noises. All the while more positive lyricism is spouted forth, such as ”And then you choke on an anaesthetic”. Well, charming. However, this is certainly Radiohead at their most energetic – and on this EP, it works very well indeed. You could say that Permanent Daylight was another example of this, but this time it seems like more of a foamy tidal wave of guitars, rather than an evil cloud. This one ploughs forward with all the force of a hurricane. Gentle and melodic while it lasts, we are eventually hit with a white-wash of noise, which wraps everything else on the song up into a neat little package. It really is an enjoyable little romp, while at the same time being decidedly downcast in melody. Selway lightens things up a bit towards the end by throwing in some powerhouse drum work.

Probably the last “energetic” song that I have to mention would be The Trickster – a well-drilled, punched out, rhythmic piece of music that is at once intimidating, aggressive and downright mean. Particularly the cutting, screeching rips of guitar that slowly build into an extended solo section near the closing sections. It’s not often that Johnny Greenwood gets to show off – by looking at the guy, you get the feeling that introversion is the norm for him – but when he does, damn does he do it well. The only real breaks here are the eerie power-chord driven choruses that proclaim ”We’re talking out the world” and ”This is only halfway”. Still, that solo section at the end tickles me, apparently. The stuttering, stammering style of it does something to me I guess.

Now, onto the material that – to some – earns Radiohead the label of “depressing” or “boring”. Pah! Open your ears, people! The prime example of consciously introverted and intriguing rock would be the appropriately-titled Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong. Indeed it is a mouthful, and trying to say it when _actually_ drunk on punch may prove a bit of a challenge, but it nonetheless turns out to be a nice atmospheric, almost creepy song. The twiddling spirals of echoic guitar cast a ghostly veil over everything. Melodic washes of guitar churn out, lingering above things for a bit, and when oh-so-true chorus of ”A beautiful girl / Can turn your world into doubt” eases its way in, things get a little more playful. The drums kick up a little bit, rolling in with some fills, and the bass booms gently. Dirge? Monotone? Not a bit of it, I say. Maybe I’m just in denial, but I find very little of Radiohead’s work to be depressing in the slightest.

The remaining two tracks don’t really take up too much space on the CD, each clocking in at around two minutes. Lozenge Of Love is another acoustic affair, but this time more driving and rapid-fire. The guitars layer and wind over and under each other to create a delightful little concoction of joy as Yorke wails ”I won’t have the strength, when you’re running in me”. Short and sweet. Even shorter and not-quite-so sweet is the penultimate track, cheekily-titled You Never Wash Up After Yourself. Maybe Yorke is speaking from the perspective of his wife here? Heh. Anyway, the little picked melody could be vaguely reminiscent of R.E.M.’s Everybody Hurts if one were concentrating enough to notice – which I was, by the way. The song is pretty innocent and melancholy, and the subject of self-loathing is approached once again, aided by lines such as ”Spiders crawl over the bed / I must get out once in a while / I eat all day and now I’m fat”.

My Iron Lung EP could hardly be described as an essential purchase for anyone, even Radiohead fans. As far as it goes, it was probably a necessary release. Firstly, to shrug off the cobwebs of the disappointing Pablo Honey. Secondly, to build anticipation for The Bends. I think that this EP was successful in doing both these things, that’s how highly I rate it. It takes the distorted, rough-around-the-edges approach of the band’s debut, and fits it into the general formula of the album to come – with added glimpses of genius of course. If you’re a Radiohead fan – one of those ones that just _can’t_ get The Bends out of his CD changer – then sure, give this one a shot. It should certainly ease any withdrawal symptoms you have concerning the aforementioned album. For anyone else – this, with the exception of Pablo Honey, should be last on your Radiohead buy list.

Excellent: My Iron Lung, Lewis (Mistreated)
Good: The Trickster, Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong, Permanent Daylight, Lozenge Of Love, Creep (acoustic)
Average: You Never Wash Up After Yourself
Weak: NONE

Final Rating: 14/20


Next up: The Bends (it’ll be a while…)


More on the best band in the world
Pablo Honey
The Bends
OK Computer
Airbag EP
Kid A
Amnesiac
Hail To The Thief
Com Lag


Recommended: Yes