The bends is a diving term for when you get sick by surfacing too fast once you've submerged -- decompression sickness. And "The Bends" (Capitol Records) is Radiohead's follow-up to its 1993 smash, "Pablo Honey."

That album yielded the runaway hit "Creep", which has become a mixed blessing for the band. For some, it has come to define the band.

"We're becoming known for much more than that; this tour is proving that," said Colin Greenwood, the band's bassist. "There was this kid in Cleveland, I think, who had a T-shirt and on the back it said: 'If You're Here Because Of 'Creep,' You Might As Well Leave Now.' "

Greenwood and his bandmates -- his brother Jonny on guitar and keyboards; Thom E. Yorke on vocals and guitar; Ed O'Brien on guitar; and Phil Selway on drums -- were in Los Angeles before departing for Japan, a place Greenwood calls "the land of extreme Western consumerism."

He said the band members met in college and have been playing together for 10 years, "but as a band, I'd say about three years."

"We had an argument over the name," he said, explaining the group's moniker. "Radiohead is the name of a song off The Talking Heads' 'True Stories' album; it's the least-offensive track. And 'Pablo Honey' is from a skit by the Jerky Boys."

And as for "The Bends", the band's second full-length release: "I'd say it's a cohesive guitar-based album that works really well together. The songs just flow and work well with one another."

This is Radiohead's fourth foray to the United States. Some critics say that this band has the best shot at translating its U.K. success to the States. Greenwood has a theory as to why more British bands don't succeed here.

"I think it's because some bands aren't willing to put in the effort, you know, they're not in it for the long haul," he explained. "This is our fourth time here, and we're slowly building our fan base. We're playing more and more sold-out shows. I mean, it's from 500- to 1,500-seaters, but we're doing quite well."

And during those four tours, Greenwood has formed some opinions about America.

"Well, in America, we're known for our music, first and foremost," he said, after a pregnant pause. "And there's more violence in America. It's way bigger than the U.K.

"The food's better; it's more homogenized. There's some great T-shirts here, and baseball caps seem to be a way of life here, whereas in England it's more of an eccentricity."

And, Greenwood said, the success of "Creep" hasn't overshadowed the band one iota.

"That's quite interesting, because we heard that on some Internet chat groups people were saying that we don't do that song anymore," he said. "We still do it; it's a part of us as a band. We do the old songs as well as the new ones."