Easy Star All Stars

Perhaps you thought Dub Side of the Moon was too kitschy, or even an offence against Waters, Gilmore and co. At times I’d probably have agreed. But with Radiodread the Easy dubbers have set their sights on a different animal and I think the project is better for it. Trying to translate a subtly complex album like OK Computer — with fewer obvious melodic touchstones, additional chord changes and more challenging time signatures than Dark Side — to reggae is a feat in itself. It’s a surprise that the project worked but it is close to earth shattering that it actually sounds phenomenal — and I’m betting that means much better than the original for those of you who like their Radiohead with a little rhythm and melody. Stretching the boundaries of traditional reggae (sometimes a lot), Radiodread takes many liberties that pay off and in the end just prove how good the source material actually is. "Airbag” becomes an interstellar dread journey with Horace Andy literally floating on top of a wash of electronica and heavy roots. On "Paranoid Android,” Kirsty Rock eases you into the coolest 7/4 reggae riff ever recorded, and with "Karma Police” Citizen Cope comes damn close to sounding like Thom Yorke, only this time the chorus becomes a deconstructed dubber’s delight. Other guests include Israel Vibration, Frankie Paul, Sugar Minott, Toos Hibbert and the Meditations. Now let’s see Easy Star take aim at Frank Zappa for the next instalment.