Radiohead is an experimental rock band from England that's been making successful and diverse music since the early 1990s. Their style is hard to accurately describe with words, especially since they've progressed a lot over the years and have been influenced by a wide variety of genres.
There are not many beatmaps of their songs so far, probably due to a combination of their songs being difficult to time (most songs aren't quantized) and difficult to map (frequent use of unusual rhythms, or high amount of repetition in many songs). However, I believe a lot of there songs would be great for creative mapping when approached by an experienced enough mapper, since they offer plenty of rhythmic interest and are generally fairly intense, so let's try this.
I can provide album quality mp3s and timing for (almost) all of their songs on request. I will be updating the following list with .osz's for the songs I've already done. I won't be doing them in a particular order though, so if you want to map one of the songs, just PM me or post here and I will do that one next.
Hopefully someone will join this project. I would love to see more maps of my favourite band's songs and will do everything I can to support you with ranking those if you join! Have fun mapping :3
Pablo Honey (1993)
Pablo Honey is Radiohead's debut album from 1993. While most fans (including myself) consider it their worst album by far, it's still a pretty solid 90s alternative rock record. The style can be compared to other British rock bands of that time, like Blur. The album includes their most popular song, Creep, which is a pretty alright song, but if that's the only song you know from the band, i beg you to check out more, because they only got better from here onwards!
1 - You (3:29)
2 - Creep (3:56)
3 - How Do You? (2:12)
4 - Stop Whispering (5:26)
5 - Thinking About You (2:41)
6 - Anyone Can Play Guitar (3:38)
7 - Ripcord (3:10)
8 - Vegetable (3:13)
9 - Prove Yourself (2:25)
10 - I Can't (4:13)
11 - Lurgee (3:08)
12 - Blow Out (4:40)
The Bends (1995)
The Bends has a similar musical style, but is overall a much more consistent work than its predecessor. The album's lyrics are themed around personal relationships and problems and set a much darker tone than Pablo Honey, a trend that's only going to continue with later albums.
The Bends provides plenty of engaging alternative rock tracks that would make fun maps, like the title track, Bones or Just, but also some really emotional ballads that could be made into beautiful chilled maps, like Fake Plastic Trees or Street Spirit.
1 - Planet Telex (4:19) - http://puu.sh/B0ZQf/3d2e8d57ed.osz (70-80 BPM)
2 - The Bends (4:06) - http://puu.sh/B0ZEl/f02479f354.osz (85-95 BPM)
3 - High And Dry (4:17)
4 - Fake Plastic Trees (4:50)
5 - Bones (3:09)
6 - (Nice Dream) (3:53)
7 - Just (3:54)
8 - My Iron Lung (4:36) - http://puu.sh/B2asy/2a9def673c.osz (95-110 BPM)
9 - Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was (3:28)
10 - Black Star (4:07)
11 - Sulk (3:42)
12 - Street Spirit (Fade Out) (4:12)
OK Computer (1997)
OK Computer is considered to be Radiohead's magnum opus by many, and music critics frequently call it one of the best rock albums of the 90s. There's a lot of things I could say about this album, but I recommend you to just listen to it for yourself if you never have before. The album contains more experimental song structures and sound textures than their previous works, along with great lyricism throughout, with the general theme being the rise of technology and how it impacts the world and its inhabitants.
OK Computer includes plenty of rhythmically interesting songs for mapping, like Airbag, Let Down or Electioneering, just to name a few. There's also the progressive rock piece Paranoid Android, which has nearly no repetition spanning over 6 minutes and could make for a really interesting marathon map.
1 - Airbag (4:44)
2 - Paranoid Android (6:23) - http://puu.sh/B1OLx/2eb3be9dd8.osz (60-85 BPM)
3 - Subterranean Homesick Alien (4:27)
4 - Exit Music (For a Film) (4:24)
5 - Let Down (4:59)
6 - Karma Police (4:21)
7 - Fitter Happier (1:57)
8 - Electioneering (3:50)
9 - Climbing Up The Walls (4:45)
10 - No Surprises (3:48) - http://puu.sh/B2PLd/5188fe0959.osz (75-80 BPM)
12 - The Tourist (5:24)
Kid A (2000)
Fearing that they would end up copying themselves after OK Computer, Radiohead took a completely new direction with this album, while still keeping the quality of the songwriting at the same high level. Kid A is (mostly) still a rock album, but it is very experimental with its soundscape and contains a lot of elements from electronic music, overall creating a cold and mechanical atmosphere. The lyrics across the whole album tell a story about the singer being in a difficult mental state, having problems with communication and not understanding his surroundings.
Some of the songs on Kid A don't have a beat and mostly rely on ambient soundscapes, so most likely they are not suitable for mapping. However, there is still plenty of mappable material on here, and a majority of the songs provide interesting rhythms and sounds to experiment with. For example, the repetetive grooves of Everything In Its Right Place or Idioteque could make interesting concept maps.
1 - Everything In Its Right Place (4:11) - http://puu.sh/B0Zns/07d66da888.osz (124 BPM)
2 - Kid A (4:44)
3 - The National Anthem (5:51)
4 - How To Disappear Completely (5:56)
5 - Treefingers (3:42)
6 - Optimistic (5:15)
7 - In Limbo (3:31)
8 - Idioteque (5:09) - http://puu.sh/B0Zz9/d7a655e765.osz (138 BPM)
9 - Morning Bell (4:35)
10 - Motion Picture Soundtrack (3:17)
Amnesiac (2001)
I like to view Amnesiac as the equally great counterpart to Kid A. The songs were composed in the same time as Kid A's songs, and while the lyrical themes are similar, the music on Amnesiac feels much more warm and less mechanical.
Amnesiac provides plenty of interesting material for mapping. Some songs have a really high rhythmic density, like Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors or Like Spinning Plates, that'd call for more stream heavy mapping. There's also the jazzy Life in a Glasshouse - I'd be super interested to see an experienced mapper try to capture the chaotic nature of this song with a map (if I can even provide mappable timing for this song, wish me luck)!
1 - Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box (4:00)
2 - Pyramid Song (4:49)
3 - Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors (4:07)
4 - You And Whose Army? (3:11)
5 - I Might Be Wrong (4:54)
6 - Knives Out (4:15)
7 - Morning Bell/Amnesiac (3:14)
8 - Dollars and Cents (4:52)
9 - Hunting Bears (2:01)
10 - Like Spinning Plates (3:57)
11 - Life in a Glasshouse (4:34)
Hail to the Thief (2003)
Hail to the Thief is a longer, more stylistically diverse album in Radiohead's discography. The lyrics are mostly political, but musically it combines elements from their previous albums together to create something new.
There's songs on here that build up on intensity over the course of the whole song, like 2 + 2 = 5, calling for a map that does the same. And again, you can find a lot of songs with interesting rhythms on this record, like The Gloaming or Myxomatosis (what a weird name).
1 - 2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.) (3:19) - http://puu.sh/B1cdM/bfb3696299.osz (145-155 BPM)
2 - Sit down. Stand up. (Snakes & Ladders.) (4:19) - http://puu.sh/B1ffB/e6417d4e96.osz (161 BPM)
4 - Backdrifts. (Honeymoon is Over.) (5:22)
5 - Go to Sleep. (Little Man being Erased.) (3:21)
6 - Where I End and You Begin. (The Sky is Falling in.) (4:29)
7 - We suck Young Blood. (Your Time Is up.) (4:56)
8 - The Gloaming. (Softly Open our Mouths in the Cold.) (3:32)
9 - There There (The Boney King of Nowhere.) (5:25)
10 - I will. (No man's Land.) (1:59)
11 - A Punchup at a Wedding. (No no no no no no no no.) (4:57)
12 - Myxomatosis. (Judge, Jury & Executioner.) (3:52) - http://puu.sh/B2bGU/f061c898fe.osz (100 BPM)
13 - Scatterbrain. (As Dead as Leaves.) (3:21)
14 - A Wolf at the Door. (It Girl. Rag Doll.) (3:21)
In Rainbows (2007)
In Rainbows is my personal favourite album and another huge milestone in Radiohead's career. Lyrically, it covers the theme of death, but it is not so much a depressing record as it is a hopeful and thoughtful one. The music on this one is less electronic and more rock than they've ever been since OK Computer.
Songs like Bodysnatchers or 15 Step (even though it has an unusual time signature) are some of their least rhythmically complex, so they could serve for more conventional mapping or as great songs to map for less experienced mappers. Some of Radiohead's greatest ballads are on this album, like Nude or Videotape, which would be well suited by chill maps with huge potential for emotional expression.
1 - 15 Step (3:58) - http://puu.sh/B0Z7j/63731e89ed.osz (189 BPM)
2 - Bodysnatchers (4:02)
3 - Nude (4:15)
4 - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (5:18)
5 - All I Need (3:49)
6 - Faust Arp (2:10)
7 - Reckoner (4:50)
8 - House of Cards (5:28)
9 - Jigsaw Falling into Place (4:09)
10 - Videotape (4:40)
The King of Limbs (2011)
The King of Limbs is probably their most controversial album, getting mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. It's the furthest they've gone from rock music, considering the album is based around drum loops and mostly electronic instrumentation.
The songwriting is still great here though, and due to being more of an electronic album, the songs call for different kinds of mapping. Songs like Bloom or Lotus Flower provide a constant beat and opportunity for triples and streams, though the repetetiveness will require some mapping experience to keep the map exciting over the course of the song's length.
1 - Bloom (5:15)
2 - Morning Mr Magpie (4:41)
3 - Little by Little (4:27)
4 - Feral (3:13)
5 - Lotus Flower (5:01)
6 - Codex (4:47)
7 - Give Up the Ghost (4:50)
8 - Separator (5:20)
A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)
A Moon Shaped Pool is Radiohead's most accoustic album. Besides guitars, piano plays a huge role in defining the sound of this record and overall it sounds more classical than anything they've made before. It's a calm album with very personal lyrics, reflecting on the life of the singer.
A majority of the album is low tempo and rather laid back in atmosphere, perfect for high expression low difficulty mapping. However, there's also some faster songs here, like the very intense opener Burn the Witch.
1 - Burn the Witch (3:40) - http://puu.sh/B0ZdV/e31a991d59.osz (149 BPM)
2 - Daydreaming (6:24)
3 - Decks Dark (4.41)
4 - Desert Island Disk (3:44)
5 - Ful Stop (6:07)
6 - Glass Eyes (2:52)
7 - Identikit (4:26)
8 - The Numbers (5:45)
9 - Present Tense (5:06)
10 - Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief (5:03)
11 - True Love Waits (4:43)
There are not many beatmaps of their songs so far, probably due to a combination of their songs being difficult to time (most songs aren't quantized) and difficult to map (frequent use of unusual rhythms, or high amount of repetition in many songs). However, I believe a lot of there songs would be great for creative mapping when approached by an experienced enough mapper, since they offer plenty of rhythmic interest and are generally fairly intense, so let's try this.
I can provide album quality mp3s and timing for (almost) all of their songs on request. I will be updating the following list with .osz's for the songs I've already done. I won't be doing them in a particular order though, so if you want to map one of the songs, just PM me or post here and I will do that one next.
Hopefully someone will join this project. I would love to see more maps of my favourite band's songs and will do everything I can to support you with ranking those if you join! Have fun mapping :3
Pablo Honey (1993)
Pablo Honey is Radiohead's debut album from 1993. While most fans (including myself) consider it their worst album by far, it's still a pretty solid 90s alternative rock record. The style can be compared to other British rock bands of that time, like Blur. The album includes their most popular song, Creep, which is a pretty alright song, but if that's the only song you know from the band, i beg you to check out more, because they only got better from here onwards!
1 - You (3:29)
2 - Creep (3:56)
3 - How Do You? (2:12)
4 - Stop Whispering (5:26)
5 - Thinking About You (2:41)
6 - Anyone Can Play Guitar (3:38)
7 - Ripcord (3:10)
8 - Vegetable (3:13)
9 - Prove Yourself (2:25)
10 - I Can't (4:13)
11 - Lurgee (3:08)
12 - Blow Out (4:40)
The Bends (1995)
The Bends has a similar musical style, but is overall a much more consistent work than its predecessor. The album's lyrics are themed around personal relationships and problems and set a much darker tone than Pablo Honey, a trend that's only going to continue with later albums.
The Bends provides plenty of engaging alternative rock tracks that would make fun maps, like the title track, Bones or Just, but also some really emotional ballads that could be made into beautiful chilled maps, like Fake Plastic Trees or Street Spirit.
1 - Planet Telex (4:19) - http://puu.sh/B0ZQf/3d2e8d57ed.osz (70-80 BPM)
2 - The Bends (4:06) - http://puu.sh/B0ZEl/f02479f354.osz (85-95 BPM)
3 - High And Dry (4:17)
4 - Fake Plastic Trees (4:50)
5 - Bones (3:09)
6 - (Nice Dream) (3:53)
7 - Just (3:54)
8 - My Iron Lung (4:36) - http://puu.sh/B2asy/2a9def673c.osz (95-110 BPM)
9 - Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was (3:28)
10 - Black Star (4:07)
11 - Sulk (3:42)
12 - Street Spirit (Fade Out) (4:12)
OK Computer (1997)
OK Computer is considered to be Radiohead's magnum opus by many, and music critics frequently call it one of the best rock albums of the 90s. There's a lot of things I could say about this album, but I recommend you to just listen to it for yourself if you never have before. The album contains more experimental song structures and sound textures than their previous works, along with great lyricism throughout, with the general theme being the rise of technology and how it impacts the world and its inhabitants.
OK Computer includes plenty of rhythmically interesting songs for mapping, like Airbag, Let Down or Electioneering, just to name a few. There's also the progressive rock piece Paranoid Android, which has nearly no repetition spanning over 6 minutes and could make for a really interesting marathon map.
1 - Airbag (4:44)
2 - Paranoid Android (6:23) - http://puu.sh/B1OLx/2eb3be9dd8.osz (60-85 BPM)
3 - Subterranean Homesick Alien (4:27)
4 - Exit Music (For a Film) (4:24)
5 - Let Down (4:59)
6 - Karma Police (4:21)
7 - Fitter Happier (1:57)
8 - Electioneering (3:50)
9 - Climbing Up The Walls (4:45)
10 - No Surprises (3:48) - http://puu.sh/B2PLd/5188fe0959.osz (75-80 BPM)
- Map by riffy: https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/821712#osu/1722221
12 - The Tourist (5:24)
Kid A (2000)
Fearing that they would end up copying themselves after OK Computer, Radiohead took a completely new direction with this album, while still keeping the quality of the songwriting at the same high level. Kid A is (mostly) still a rock album, but it is very experimental with its soundscape and contains a lot of elements from electronic music, overall creating a cold and mechanical atmosphere. The lyrics across the whole album tell a story about the singer being in a difficult mental state, having problems with communication and not understanding his surroundings.
Some of the songs on Kid A don't have a beat and mostly rely on ambient soundscapes, so most likely they are not suitable for mapping. However, there is still plenty of mappable material on here, and a majority of the songs provide interesting rhythms and sounds to experiment with. For example, the repetetive grooves of Everything In Its Right Place or Idioteque could make interesting concept maps.
1 - Everything In Its Right Place (4:11) - http://puu.sh/B0Zns/07d66da888.osz (124 BPM)
2 - Kid A (4:44)
3 - The National Anthem (5:51)
4 - How To Disappear Completely (5:56)
5 - Treefingers (3:42)
6 - Optimistic (5:15)
7 - In Limbo (3:31)
8 - Idioteque (5:09) - http://puu.sh/B0Zz9/d7a655e765.osz (138 BPM)
9 - Morning Bell (4:35)
10 - Motion Picture Soundtrack (3:17)
Amnesiac (2001)
I like to view Amnesiac as the equally great counterpart to Kid A. The songs were composed in the same time as Kid A's songs, and while the lyrical themes are similar, the music on Amnesiac feels much more warm and less mechanical.
Amnesiac provides plenty of interesting material for mapping. Some songs have a really high rhythmic density, like Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors or Like Spinning Plates, that'd call for more stream heavy mapping. There's also the jazzy Life in a Glasshouse - I'd be super interested to see an experienced mapper try to capture the chaotic nature of this song with a map (if I can even provide mappable timing for this song, wish me luck)!
1 - Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box (4:00)
2 - Pyramid Song (4:49)
3 - Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors (4:07)
4 - You And Whose Army? (3:11)
5 - I Might Be Wrong (4:54)
6 - Knives Out (4:15)
7 - Morning Bell/Amnesiac (3:14)
8 - Dollars and Cents (4:52)
9 - Hunting Bears (2:01)
10 - Like Spinning Plates (3:57)
11 - Life in a Glasshouse (4:34)
Hail to the Thief (2003)
Hail to the Thief is a longer, more stylistically diverse album in Radiohead's discography. The lyrics are mostly political, but musically it combines elements from their previous albums together to create something new.
There's songs on here that build up on intensity over the course of the whole song, like 2 + 2 = 5, calling for a map that does the same. And again, you can find a lot of songs with interesting rhythms on this record, like The Gloaming or Myxomatosis (what a weird name).
1 - 2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.) (3:19) - http://puu.sh/B1cdM/bfb3696299.osz (145-155 BPM)
2 - Sit down. Stand up. (Snakes & Ladders.) (4:19) - http://puu.sh/B1ffB/e6417d4e96.osz (161 BPM)
- Map by Mirash: https://osu.ppy.sh/beatmapsets/819752#osu/1718679
4 - Backdrifts. (Honeymoon is Over.) (5:22)
5 - Go to Sleep. (Little Man being Erased.) (3:21)
6 - Where I End and You Begin. (The Sky is Falling in.) (4:29)
7 - We suck Young Blood. (Your Time Is up.) (4:56)
8 - The Gloaming. (Softly Open our Mouths in the Cold.) (3:32)
9 - There There (The Boney King of Nowhere.) (5:25)
10 - I will. (No man's Land.) (1:59)
11 - A Punchup at a Wedding. (No no no no no no no no.) (4:57)
12 - Myxomatosis. (Judge, Jury & Executioner.) (3:52) - http://puu.sh/B2bGU/f061c898fe.osz (100 BPM)
13 - Scatterbrain. (As Dead as Leaves.) (3:21)
14 - A Wolf at the Door. (It Girl. Rag Doll.) (3:21)
In Rainbows (2007)
In Rainbows is my personal favourite album and another huge milestone in Radiohead's career. Lyrically, it covers the theme of death, but it is not so much a depressing record as it is a hopeful and thoughtful one. The music on this one is less electronic and more rock than they've ever been since OK Computer.
Songs like Bodysnatchers or 15 Step (even though it has an unusual time signature) are some of their least rhythmically complex, so they could serve for more conventional mapping or as great songs to map for less experienced mappers. Some of Radiohead's greatest ballads are on this album, like Nude or Videotape, which would be well suited by chill maps with huge potential for emotional expression.
1 - 15 Step (3:58) - http://puu.sh/B0Z7j/63731e89ed.osz (189 BPM)
2 - Bodysnatchers (4:02)
3 - Nude (4:15)
4 - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (5:18)
5 - All I Need (3:49)
6 - Faust Arp (2:10)
7 - Reckoner (4:50)
8 - House of Cards (5:28)
9 - Jigsaw Falling into Place (4:09)
10 - Videotape (4:40)
The King of Limbs (2011)
The King of Limbs is probably their most controversial album, getting mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. It's the furthest they've gone from rock music, considering the album is based around drum loops and mostly electronic instrumentation.
The songwriting is still great here though, and due to being more of an electronic album, the songs call for different kinds of mapping. Songs like Bloom or Lotus Flower provide a constant beat and opportunity for triples and streams, though the repetetiveness will require some mapping experience to keep the map exciting over the course of the song's length.
1 - Bloom (5:15)
2 - Morning Mr Magpie (4:41)
3 - Little by Little (4:27)
4 - Feral (3:13)
5 - Lotus Flower (5:01)
6 - Codex (4:47)
7 - Give Up the Ghost (4:50)
8 - Separator (5:20)
A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)
A Moon Shaped Pool is Radiohead's most accoustic album. Besides guitars, piano plays a huge role in defining the sound of this record and overall it sounds more classical than anything they've made before. It's a calm album with very personal lyrics, reflecting on the life of the singer.
A majority of the album is low tempo and rather laid back in atmosphere, perfect for high expression low difficulty mapping. However, there's also some faster songs here, like the very intense opener Burn the Witch.
1 - Burn the Witch (3:40) - http://puu.sh/B0ZdV/e31a991d59.osz (149 BPM)
2 - Daydreaming (6:24)
3 - Decks Dark (4.41)
4 - Desert Island Disk (3:44)
5 - Ful Stop (6:07)
6 - Glass Eyes (2:52)
7 - Identikit (4:26)
8 - The Numbers (5:45)
9 - Present Tense (5:06)
10 - Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief (5:03)
11 - True Love Waits (4:43)