A great title track is par for the course when it comes to great albums. If the title track doesn’t cut it, what does that say about the album itself? This month, the Mental Jukebox will be playing some of my favorite title tracks – inspired by @NicolaB_73’s music Twitter challenge, #TopTitleTracks.

Radiohead has made its name mostly by innovating the way we think of rock music. Over several decades, their ingenuity has expressed itself in unorthodox chord progressions, unexpected song structures, electronic experimentations, and more. Even still, it’s the straight ahead rock of The Bends that I love best. It is my favorite Radiohead album. And mostly because of Jonny’s guitar-driven bangers, including the title track.

Interestingly, “The Bends” seems to nod to various influences. The melodic structure is undoubtedly Beatlesque. The loud-quiet-loud dynamics is a page right out of the Pixies manual. And Thom Yorke has described the song as a Bowie pastiche. There is a lot to like on “The Bends”, but the best element is Jonny’s guitar playing. It screeches, jangles and soars like a melange of human emotions, as if the guitar itself is screaming and kicking.

“We don't have any real friends.”