Why they are still the only 90's band still standing (Pearl Jam doesn't count as people stopped caring about Pearl Jam around the same time they stopped writing decent songs) and one of the bestest bands in the land could all be seen at Friday night's show at the Greek Theater. Melancholy songs of paranoia, alienation, and angst were sung by a smiling, dance machine of a lead singer. Weird arty noise for weird arty noise-sake brushed up against good old-fashioned rock n' roll grooviness. Atonal offbeat rhythms brought the toe-tap and the head nod. And songs set mainly to electric beats and weird electric elements were mashed up with wispy fragments of melody and riffs that stuck in the subconscious and wafted around your head long after the song was done.
It was Radiohead-- confounding, enigmatic, powerful, spirited, heartfelt, intelligent, arty and, well, what is about the band that brings out the Pitchfork writer in everyone?