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Less than a year after they hit the top of the Billboard album charts with Kid A, Radiohead returns with a new album--Amnesiac--of songs recorded during the Kid A sessions.
Considering that the songs on this disc were recorded during same sessions as the songs on the last one, it should come as no surprise that Amnesiac does not represent a radical sonic departure from Kid A; a fact that hardcore Radiohead fans will appreciate. The biggest difference between the two albums is that on this batch of songs, the band seems to have rediscovered the guitar--an instrument barely present on Kid A. Also, lead singer Thom Yorke appears on more of the songs. The most conventionally-Radiohead song on the disc is "Lights Out." Yorke's ethereal voice is supported by a bed of guitars that would not have been out of place on The Bends. Back to the beginning for a second, the album opens with "Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box," a jungle gym for the ears that opens with what sounds like someone banging pipes and suddenly finds a low-key Yorke repeating "I'm a reasonable man, get off my case." The opening piano solo of "Pyramid Song, perfectly sets up the dark, sparse song that follows. At times, this album feels more like a collection of songs that didn't fit on Kid A for thematic reasons, and were placed together solely because the band did not want to jettison such quality songs. That is a minor criticism, because what this album might lack in thematic vision, it more than makes up for it in song quality. This is not an easy album to listen to because it challenges the notions of what many consider an album should be. Those looking for The Bends would be best served not purchasing this album. However, those looking to embark on a groundbreaking journey, narrated by one of the most daring commercial rock acts on the planet would be well-served by adding Amnesiac to their shopping carts. By breaking convention, Radiohead has done it again. They have released a major-label, commercial album that has the feel of an underground experimental disc. The music world needs more artists like them who dare to challenge our notions of popular music and who realize that in order to succeed, one needs to go out on a limb and risk abject failure. |
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Amnesiac $12.58 CD |
 Kid A $14.49 CD |
 The Bends $14.99 CD |
 OK Computer $14.99 CD |
