Pitchfork

Following up the release of their amazing OK Computer, one of the best records ever made, is a mini- album comprised of UK single b-sides, Airbag/ How Am I Driving?. Really a companion piece to OK Computer, Airbag boasts seven incredible tracks, six of which haven't been available in the States until this record's release.

Just as with the 1997 full- length, the disc kicks off with the raging "Airbag," setting the stage for the release of singer/ songwriter Thom Yorke's pent- up anger. Which leads in to the all- nite spookathon "Pearly" ("She runs from her father/ Pearly/ Daddy hurts me"). It's followed by a spaced- out instrumental track, "Meeting in the Aisle," whose orchestral drones are organized only by the rhythmic pulsating of a drum machine and bass guitar.

The record's explosion occurs with the two- part "Polyethylene," one of the most epic non- album tracks ever released. The song opens with Yorke's fragile vocals ("If I get scared, I'll just call you/ And I miss your glow as I unsettle") over a nicely- strummed acoustic electric guitar, followed by an anti- climactic "1! 2! 3! 4." Eight bars of quiet guitar and organ. Liftoff.

The disc's other impossibly brilliant moment comes with the closer, "Palo Alto." It's surprising that this track didn't make it onto the album, as it would have made an excellent first single. Its balls- out rock and rollness, its hummable pop verses and thunderous chorus, and its instant accessibility seem almost out of place amidst the more adventurous artsy tracks on Airbag.

If OK Computer was at the top of your 'best of' list last year, and you had wished for just a few more tracks in that same anti- technology, self- loathing vein that Radiohead so perfectly executes, Airbag goes off on impact.