Come on, let us give your mind a ride.

I'm disappointed by the latest Radiohead album.

There, I said it.

This follows a string of, to my mind, disappointing albums. Speaking honestly, and not through rose-colored glasses, it seems to me that Hail to the Thief was a total disaster, a complete mess of an album. Amnesiac and Kid A were both, well, what they were, but to be quite honest, I didn't really like them as much as many other people did. They were ok, I suppose, but they felt like small albums. They did less with less, rather than more with less. That might be a good thing, but I myself didn't really get into it.

I think the conclusion that I have to come to is that, for me at least, Radiohead has entered the phase of being a band I once really liked, but who are continuing to produce albums far past their prime. They're a band whose new recoreds I feel obligated to purchase, mostly out of inertia, but whose output I recognize full well will sadden me.

This happens every once in awhile. I like to think that The Cure entered this phase with "Wild Mood Swings," although I liked their most recent album, and I actually think that if they keep the lean "Trilogy" lineup, their new record will be a significant step in the right direction. In other words, The Cure appear to no longer just be treading water. It's too early to make a judgment about The Flaming Lips, but their latest record is flirting dangerously.

Midnight Oil's turning point was after "Earth and Sun and Moon," (which is a freaking great record and, by the way, one of the most rotary-speakered albums I've ever heard). Prince's last great effort was "Diamonds and Pearls." Bowie entered this phase after "Scary Monsters," but as of late has appeared to turn it around (although I'm not authoritative on this point).

How about you people? Which great bands are going through the motions?