Coming on the heels of their groundbreaking Kid A, Amnesiac (aka "Kid B") is the latest offering from Radiohead. It's also the latest evidence that, deliberately or otherwise, Radiohead is only too eager to shrug off the mantle of rock uber-group heir apparent that critics were quick to place on them after the anthemic The Bends and OK Computer. Though the tracks on this album are more listenable than those of its more aloof predecessor, rumors of Radiohead's return to rock have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, Radiohead's sonic wanderings may still leave many longtime fans scratching their heads.
Trying to explain the sound of this album is like trying to decipher the world through a kaleidoscope. Colors circulate around colors that overlay patterns multiplying patterns. And just when it all seems to come into focus . . . poof! And around it goes again. For a band with more than one guitar player, the traditional guitar sound on this record is noticeably lean, to say the least. The idea of a bunch of guys jamming on their instruments has been replaced by a plethora of distortions, electronic effects, and artificially created sounds.
The weird thing about this album is that it almost makes sense. Stretching as far back as The Bends, the seeds for what Radiohead is doing had been planted. Take the opening to "Planet Telex," for example. Push that minor effect to its most extreme conclusion and you might have something that would slide quite nicely into Amnesiac. This album is fragments of musical ideas pushed to their most extreme and convoluted conclusions, but they are the logical conclusions of these ideas just the same. The computerized voice that interrupted OK Computer is revisited in the distorted vocal of "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors." And as Radiohead proved themselves masters of the musical mood on songs like "Nice Dream," "Street Spirit (Fade Out)," and "Karma Police," Amnesiac is nothing if not a collection of sonic mood makers.
The problem for most people will be that the mood is so disquieting. Thom Yorke continues his stream-of-consciousness ways of singing and writing. It's impossible to tell what exactly he's talking about half the time, but whether he's droning on about being a reasonable man ("Packt Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box"), challenging the Holy Roman Empire ("You and Whose Army?"), or warbling heartsick about cutting the kids in half ("Morning Bell Amnesiac"), you get the feeling it's not too good. The latter is a good example. The original "Morning Bell" on Kid A wasn't exactly a pick-me-upper, but the haunting discordance and the anguished vocal almost overwhelm the Amnesiac version. The alienation of people living in a mechanized society, first explored in OK Computer, is wallowed in here. Alien it may be, but it's never inhuman. The emotions are as real as ever.
This album probably should have come before Kid A. OK Computer-Amnesiac-Kid A is a bit more of a logical progression than OK Computer-Kid A-Amnesiac. In fact, Amnesiac manages to make experimentation downright accessible at points. While some may continue to wonder just what Radiohead is up to, those who were lost by Kid A should give Amnesiac a chance.
Experimentation is a good thing. Innovation is a good thing. But all good things carried out without a purpose quickly become self-indulgent. Radiohead's persistent dwelling on any and every musical impulse or teeters just this side of self-indulgent. Where are they going with this? That remains to be seen, but the fact that they are darn good at what they're doing should significantly increase the listener's patience in allowing them to do it.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2002Reviewed by Paul NewboldRecorded at the same time as the Kid A sessions, Amnesiac was anticipated to be a more accessible and guitar-based album than its counterpart. This assumption could not have been further from the truth. Amnesiac is perhaps Radiohead's most intense, experimental, and unconventional album to date. Amnesiac seems to trade songs for mood. The track listing consists of pieces of music, rather than…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Jeffrey OverstreetArtists? or Pretentious Snobs? If somebody listens to a Radiohead album once--or any album for that matter--and tells you their reaction, then that's exactly what you're getting...a reaction. A reaction is not to be taken as a thoughtful examination, but rather what it is...a first impression. It's not much better than judging a book by its cover. Great art makes you excavate for treasure. It…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Alex KlagesThis album is the sister to last year's Kid A, but far more accessible and listenable in a lot of ways. It is almost as though the sessions were divided up, and the more abstract material found its way onto Kid A and the more mainstream onto Amnesiac. At any rate, Amnesiac has gotten more play in my player. The lyrics are typical Radiohead, and the music is, from a rock standpoint, avant garde…Similar sounding releases
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