Returning to a more modern era of popular music, Radiohead is British rock band that encompasses a variety of sonic styles. Their songs are very textured, and through-composed, so there is not often a repetitive chorus or tag line. Because of this, their music takes on a more artistic value. Life in a Glass House is a great example of these musical qualities. Although, it is a little different from Radiohead’s typical sound, featuring big band brass and clarinet sounds, instead of electric guitars and keyboards. Unlike the previous tunes which have only clarinet solos and segments, this song uses clarinet the entire way through, whether it be in the foreground or as part of the counter melody. The clarinet in this song, too, has a very jazzy quality coming from the moderate use of glissandos and vibrato. It is also interesting to note the instrument’s tessitura progression throughout the piece. At first, the clarinet remains in the lower registers, but as the music progresses it reaches the higher octaves, becomes more rhythmically active, and adopts a brighter tone. Notice how the clarinet traces the evolution and growth of the song.
Sources:
Radiohead. (n.d.). LastFM. Retrieved from http://www.last.fm/music/Radiohead.
