Kid A, the much anticipated new Radiohead record, is either going to be remembered as the album that changed rock music forever, or as a pretentious, overhyped goat of a record on which the band destroyed themselves. Either way, I think, the band will accomplish its goal. Radiohead has never been known for just accepting pop culture norms (look at the way "1984" collided with "Zooropa" on 1997's OK Computer), and early reports of Kid A told the world not to expect anything that would even remotely resemble a radio single.
The band's been true to their word: there is no "Paranoid Android" or "Karma Police" here, let alone a "Creep." Instead, what Kid A amounts to is one long song, with ten parts. Opening track "Everything In Its Right Place" is as ironic as a title as there ever was, as nothing is seemingly in its right place. Gone are the band's guitars, replaced with keyboards and programmed drums played backwards. Thom Yorke's patented falsetto weaves in and out of the mix like a violin, chirping all but unintelligible lyrics. Elsewhere, on "The National Anthem," Yorke is joined by horns, although these horns are played like you've never heard before.
Kid A is like a horrible reoccurring nightmare. Or, to borrow a metaphor from Pitchfork Media, it's a musical Finnegan's Wake. Keyboards, organs and even the occasional guitar waft around in a sort of strange, stream-of-consciousness tornado, whizzing past each other and sporadically colliding. And then, with no warning at all, the last track, "Motion Picture Soundtrack" (reportedly an outtake from OK Computer), ends, and the listener is left hollow, fragile and cold.
It's argued by some that Kid A is nothing that hasn't been done by DJs for years. Even if that's so, it's groundbreaking simply because it's a rock band doing it this time. Unfortunately, the result of all this experimentation is that Kid A is not nearly as listenable as OK Computer or The Bends, and although it does make for an entertaining (albeit slightly disturbing) listen, the lack of pop hooks will, I think, keep me from returning to the album very often.
Other coverage for this album
ReAL Magazine 2000Reviewed by David O.Modern music is suffering these days. Living in this hip, technological age is hindering the quality of music currently being made. Instead of writing letters, we write emails, and we don't try as hard as we should to articulate what we're trying to communicate. Modern rock has been greatly affected by the fast paced, convenient world in which it exists. Listen to the radio for ten minutes and…Bandoppler 2000Reviewed by Sarah Jones"[Kid A] is dedicated to the first human clone. I bet it has already happened." -Thom Yorke October 3rd marked the North American release of what is inarguably one of the most anticipated albums of the last three years, Radiohead's fourth album, Kid A. Kid A makes an almost antithetical departure from the clever guitar-driven rock that characterized the Radiohead of the early to mid 90's as seen…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Steve StockmanRadiohead have without doubt released the most talked about album in many a long year. Everyone has an opinion and it is mostly that everybody is confused. On first listen, most people say "crap" apart from those who have decided that they are going to say the emperor's clothes are lovely, to be trendy and cool. It is on the second and third listen that the confusion kicks in. A few listens in…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Jeffrey OverstreetRadiohead's Sonic Storm of Sound and Fury In the year 2000, one might expect to hear music that fuses all the strengths of the last decade into timeless, landmark music. You'll find such solid, traditional, yet bold songwriting on the new U2 album, or in the timeless echoes of Emmylou Harris's Red Dirt Girl, in the wise sentiments of Paul Simon as he gets older, or the surprising optimism and…Opus 2000Reviewed by Pearson GreerRadiohead certainly doesn't need people like me to suddenly start deciding that it's OK to like them. No, there's nary a shortage of people who will always use their lyrics as signature files on their email, and no shortage of people who will run to The Bends or OK Computer when they get dumped, none whatsoever. Read those people's reviews if you want either a longtime fan's impassioned joy at…Similar sounding releases
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