Radiohead read on

Muse is another more recent group that has produced a lot of good more artsy type rock in recent years and met with success along the lines of Radiohead.  Many regard Steven Wilson as the modern champion of progressive rock.  Gotta admire Radiohead's penchant to experiment and push boundaries though, much like The  Beatles did, even if the results are perhaps a bit more uneven or esoteric.

The White Stripes is the more recent group that I find also seldom fails me of late for just plain and simple good rock.   Their sound is more like a modern take on stripped down Led Zeppelin at their best.

The Beatles pretty much did not release something if they weren't sure about the quality.  If you listen to the non-released tracks on the Anthology series there are good tracks (and one or two bad ones) that aren't quite up to their standard.  One that comes to mind is George's "Not Guilty."  Then there's one or two that just aren't very good, such as "That Means A Lot."  Finally, they re-did some tracks after they were finished the first time.  The first version was better than most other groups of the time were capable of, but the second versions were a step up from the first (Ob-la-di and Norwegian Wood, for example).
I've heard quite a bit of Radiohead but need to acquire some on CD to give a really serious listen.  I'm very impressed with what I've seen and heard.  I think I missed the boat on these guys long ago.

I like Radiohead quite a bit but the one thing I don't like is that their whole catelog is compressed dynamic range wise and I don't mean just a little.  What's up with that?  

The usual in regards to how modern recordings are made in an attempt to please as many listeners as possible. Recording industry would have real problems if they did not keep up with the times and do that. FBOFW. Most Radiohead is an interesting listen beyond just dynamics.

Another group that I like a lot in recent years with a penchant for experimentation and delivering good results on their recordings is The Flaming Lips. These guys have been around forever and do not get the credit or recognition they deserve IMHO most likely because they can get really far out there at times and never seem deterred which I admire. They can make Pink Floyd in their early days seem downright mainstream.  Their album "Embryonic"  is perhaps my favorite.   It is to music of its time kinda what the Beatles White Album was back in its day.

Sorry to disagree, Mapman, but music is ALL about dynamics. You can throw all the rest of the stuff away. You know, frequency response, bass response, resolution, all of it. If you can tolerate elevator music more power to you.