Street Spirit Pt.2 [Single]

This Australian release of Radiohead's Street Spirit (Fade Out) single collects three of the four B-sides that appeared on the two U.K. singles. Only "Banana Co.," from the U.K. CD 2 isn't featured. The title song, taken from The Bends, features Radiohead at perhaps their moody peak when it comes to their more traditional releases. Like the other singles from The Bends, chief among them "Just," "High and Dry," and "Fake Plasic Trees," "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" displays textures and emotions that proved the band to be more than a one-hit wonder. The B-sides are the real story here, and they're all quite good. "Bishop's Robes" is a more subtle song, with Yorke and the band reigning in their bombast and performing a slide guitar shuffle fitted to a decent melody and a quality arrangement. "Talk Show Host," here in different form than on the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack, starts and stops as it marries a noirish jazz mood with sci-fi keyboards and sound washes. With Nick Cave appearing in Wings of Desire, one imagines Radiohead playing this song in a deleted scene from Blade Runner. "Molasses" sees the band affecting a swagger and spouting disconnected phrases to a decent musical ditty, but the song ends before it really gets started. Street Spirit (Fade Out) is a mature, worthy single release. ~ Tim DiGravina