Kid A - Radiohead

...style. What resulted was Kid A in 2000 and Amnesiac a year later. Although released as separate albums, the tracks on both were recorded at the same time, so they will always be considered as part of the same. These albums divided the fans and probably didn't gain Radiohead many new ones - some thought they were just getting too weird. They took a little break after these, and came back in 2003 with Hail To The Thief. This was the album that first ...
...link between OK Computer and Kid A - part rock, part experimental and electronica.

Well, onto Kid A. I'd start off by saying that it's more a work of art than a music album. Without trying to sound pretentious, I think it takes you on a journey, and it is accompanied by two of the most interesting and original booklets I've ever seen. Yes that's right - TWO. There is a secret hidden one underneath the black plastic CD tray, which you ... more

Where can I start to review an album like this? Perhaps with a bit of information about the band. Radiohead are made up of:

Thom Yorke (vocals)
Jonny Greenwood (guitar)
Colin Greenwood (bass)
Ed O'Brien (guitar)
Philip Selway (Drums)

In 1993, they released their first album Pablo Honey, which was full of rock songs and showed they had potential, but wasn't actually that good. Next came The Bends in 1995, which was a huge step up, because they mixed their rock roots with some songs that were a bit slower, and in the process created some classic like Street Spirit and Just. The Bends was voted number 20 in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Albums. However, if that album was great, 1997's OK Computer was extraordinary. Each of the twelve songs on there is overflowing with originality and haunting beauty, and it remains one of the greatest albums of all time. This was shown by it coming in at number 1 on the previously mentioned poll.

Where were Radiohead supposed to go after this? They could have tried to better it with more of the same, but instead they chose to experiment - big style. What resulted was Kid A in 2000 and Amnesiac a year later. Although released as separate albums, the tracks on both were recorded at the same time, so they will always be considered as part of the same. These albums divided the fans and probably didn't gain Radiohead many new ones - some thought they were just getting too weird. They took a little break after these, and came back in 2003 with Hail To The Thief. This was the album that first introduced me to Radiohead, and it's probably a kind of missing link between OK Computer and Kid A - part rock, part experimental and electronica.

Well, onto Kid A. I'd start off by saying that it's more a work of art than a music album. Without trying to sound pretentious, I think it takes you on a journey, and it is accompanied by two of the most interesting and original booklets I've ever seen. Yes that's right - TWO. There is a secret hidden one underneath the black plastic CD tray, which you have to lift up to find it. Radiohead don't go in for the usual posed photos and lyrics combination; instead going for bold and daring artwork, which in this case perfectly fits the bleak mood of the music. Concerning the secret booklet, there are plenty of rumours going round about how it's an attack on Tony Blair and the album is dedicated to his son Leo, but all I know for sure is that are some interesting bits of writing, lyrics off this album, Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief which is a bit weird, and two drawings that are quite disturbing, verging on creepy.

The first track is Everything In Its Right Place, which you may recognise from Vanilla Sky, and even the recent Derren Brown: The Heist show! It's a fitting way to start this magnificent album, with a rich electronic sound and strange but beautiful vocals from Thom. The lyrics aren't the best ever - "I woke up sucking on a lemon" - but this remains one of my favourites.

If you thought that was strange, you are in for a real shock with the rest of the album - when I first heard it I was left feeling baffled, but trust me, over time you will learn to love it. Track two is the title track, and this time as well as weird music there are weird computerised vocals. Perhaps the strangest song on the album is Treefingers (as soon as you saw the title you knew it would be strange, didn't you?) which has no discernable words, or even vocals; I think it's an instrumental. It's extremely relaxing, and sounds a bit like one of those "call of the dolphins" CDs. Don't let that put you off though - it has a mysterious charm.

Track 3 is called The National Anthem, but don't worry, it's not a reworking of God Save The Queen. It has an instantly recognisable base that will hook you and pull you in right from the start and more of the unique vocals you come to expect from Thom Yorke. This sounds like it just escaped from OK Computer, except towards the end a saxophone comes in and it all goes a bit loopy!

Track 4 is, in my opinion, the highlight of the album, and goes down in history as one of Radiohead's top 10 songs ever. How To Disappear Completely begins with gentle guitar like something from The Bends, with occasional soaring strings in the background. As the song progresses, these strings get more and more frequent, and the song gets ever more complex, and the dynamic between quiet and loud, busy and simple, is just beautiful. The lyrics are also sublime, as are Thom Yorke's high-pitched, slightly off-key singing. I'll admit, he probably wouldn't make it through the first round of the X Factor, but that is what makes Radiohead's music so unique and, I think, so brilliant.

After Treefingers comes Track 6, Optimistic, the most mainstream song on the album. It's a return to the guitar-led music of their past, and has a nifty chorus. The lyrics are actually quite uplifting, which is strange in this ultra-bleak album. Loads of people label Radiohead as depressing, which is never something I ever feel, but I can understand why people would get depressed. If you're one of those gets the urge to jump out of a window at the sound of Thom Yorke, this album sure ain't for you.

In Limbo begins chaotically and doesn't get any easier on the ear, with Thom possibly at his whiniest. The lyrics don't exactly inspire confidence either: "trap doors that open, I spiral down" and "I'm lost at sea, don't bother me". So this just has to be another one of my favourite tracks. At least if you don't like it it's quite short in comparison; three and a half minutes is nothing on an album full of five/six minute songs.

Ah yes, Track 8 is Idioteque, and this is the one song that shows just how much Radiohead have evolved. It features no guitars, but a lot of electronic beats and some kind of weird high pitched noise in the background. It's effectively just Thom singing over a drum box, but it's an absolute anthem, with a great chorus and some nice overlapping vocals.

After the frenetic beats of Idioteque, Morning Bell is quite soothing and calm. It's not a stand out track, but it still bristles with interesting drums and vocals. The same could be said for Motion Picture Soundtrack, which is another strange one. It starts with organs and vocals, but part way in a kind of synthetic harp appears and it's really quite beautiful. But then after about three minutes it all goes silent, only for a weird noise to come in a minute later, which is then followed by two more minutes of silence. I'm all for experimentation, but I just don't get it. It's completely pointless! Oh well, at least it's a talking point.

Radiohead are the kind of band you either love or hate, and this is more so on Kid A than on any of their other albums. One person might appreciate the beauty of Thom Yorke's distinct voice whilst another just hears it as a drone. I would say that if even if you liked OK Computer there is no guarantee you will like this, since it is just so completely different. It is more like Hail To The Thief, so if you liked that, you probably will love this.

As for the difficult task of rating this album against their others, I would probably put it above Hail To The Thief and even The Bends, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of OK Computer. Amnesiac is still on my "to buy" list. Overall then, it's another fantastic album from the band, which I can't recommend enough.
 

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