Expectation is a dangerous thing. After the ‘shock’ of Kid A, many Radiohead fans have been pinning their hopes on ‘Amnesiac’ being a return to the bands traditional sound. We really should have all known better, ‘Amnesiac’ was after all recorded during the same sessions as Kid A and after a good few listens (its an advance copy by the way…) it seems that Radiohead are further away then ever from the ‘Ok Computer’ era.
Which is not say that Radiohead have abandoned the angsty guitars completely, but as with ‘Kid A’ they are no longer allowed to dominate. The guitar is but one, often underused colour, in Radiohead’s new palette. Nothing rocks on this album, in fact the band seldom seem to rise above ballad pace. Even the electronic rhythms of the opening ‘Packt like sardines…’ and ‘Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors’ hardly push the bps threshold. Completely absent are the thrashing guitars of say ‘The Bends’ or ‘Paranoid Android’.
‘Packt
like Sardines…’ opens the album, appearing almost like a riposte to those who hoped Radiohead would return to the mainstream. It’s a close cousin to one of Kid A’s finer tracks, ‘Idioteque’ a blend of slowed down electronic beats and repetitive vocals married to an insidious melody. It sets the scene for ‘Amnesiac’ quite nicely, not the great voyage into the unknown that was ‘Kid A’ but no walk in the park either.
First single ‘Pyramid Song’ is one of the few tracks that will sound familiar to long term Radiohead fans. A slow piano builds momentum, while Thom’s vocals begin a steady rise to an almost wailing climax. A jazz influenced drumbeat enters mid way through adding to the slightly off kilter texture. Whilst not exactly Am radio rock, as a single it will doubtless have some commercial potential. It is undeniably one of the finest songs on the album.
From here on in Amnesiac proceeds to take us on a slightly messy tour through Radiohead’s back catalogue. ‘Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors’ evokes memories of ‘Kid A’ at its most perverse, a bizarre slowed down dance track, with unintelligible vocals and little melody to speak of. Whilst ‘You and Whose Army’, ‘Knives Out’ and ‘I Might Be Wrong’ are dark bluesy guitar numbers. Of the three ‘You and Whose Army’ is the best, its lo-fi stylings, with Thom’s vocal sounding rather like its being played on an old gramophone, building to an epic swirling climax. ‘Knives Out’ is perhaps the albums biggest disappointment, sounding rather like an Ok Computer out take. Its almost certain to be a single however, as it is the closest thing to Radiohead’s traditional sound here. ‘I Might Be Wrong’ reminds of ‘Optimistic’, Kid A’s sole concession to guitar rock. It’s the album’s only semi-upbeat track, and even that feels begrudging. The tracks momentum and purpose impresses although the melody feels lazy and only part finished.
A re-recording of ‘Morning Bell’ follows and leaves the listener puzzled. The tracks funeral pace turns what was once a beautiful song into something of a dirge. Whilst repeated listens reward, the track still seems a pointless throwaway, more a b-side then album track. Were Radiohead really scraping the barrel at this point?
Thankfully the driving ‘Dollars and Cents’ follows. The lyric is an anti capitalist tirade but the music is probably the most interesting on the album, the haunting strings really adding to the atmosphere, it even has (whisper it) a memorable melody. Unlike much of the album it seems to show a way forward for Radiohead, rather then re-enacting their past.
Sadly after this high water point the album seems to lose its way completely. ‘Haunting Bears’ is a very short instrumental, which is as pointless as its ‘Kid A’ counterpart ‘Treefingers’. The only compensation is at least its short. ‘Like Spinning Plates’ is short too, another experimental track with very odd backwards vocals. Sadly it just sounds like it was recorded for the bands own amusement rather then our own.
Thankfully with ‘Amnesiac’s’ final track, ‘Life in a Glass House’ Radiohead turn back on the quality control. The jazzy rhythms return along with a trumpet and an improvisational sound whilst keeping a firm hold of a song structure. An excellent close to a somewhat erratic album.
This review may have appeared somewhat negative, ‘Amensiac’ is not a terrible album by any means and in places it rivals anything Radiohead have previously recorded. It is however, a frustrating listen at times. Listening to ‘Kid A’ and ‘Amnesiac’ together, one can not shake the feeling that the sessions created one excellent album. As two separate albums there is too much space given to the experimental and not enough given to what Radiohead do best, make memorable music.
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Your predictions have proved very accurate! I actually enjoyed hearing the different version of Morning Bell as it shows just how different the same song can sound with different production. I'd also say that Like Spinning Plates has the most beautiful melody on the whole album! But I know that this music isn't all always for everyone -x-
cjc117 29.05.2001 12:32
Good op! and a belated hello and welcome
pinknails 29.05.2001 12:10
Thanks for an extremely informative and well written op. Sophia
Though the songs onAmnesiacwere recorded at the same time as those on its predecessor,Kid ... more
A, the gap between the releases of the pair suggests a determination on Radiohead's part that the two should not be perceived as halves of the same whole. However...
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Though the songs on Amnesiac were recorded at the same time as those on its predecessor, ... more
Kid A, the gap between the releases of the pair suggests a determination on Radiohead's part that the two should not be perceived as halves of the same whole. Howe...
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Though the songs on Amnesiac were recorded at the same time as those on its predecessor, ... more
Kid A, the gap between the releases of the pair suggests a determination on Radiohead's part that the two should not be perceived as halves of the same whole. Howe...
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Advantages: It's great! It's mad! It even has a couple of guitars on it... Disadvantages: Should have featured Humph and the band playing Mornington Crescent!
Dick_Dangerous 13.06.2002 (13.06.2002)
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Review of Amnesiac - Radiohead
May 29th, 2001
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