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Radiohead - Amnesiac
- Radiohead’s “Amnesiac” isn’t so much a follow up to their previous album, “Kid A,” as it is a companion album. All of the tracks for the two albums were recorded in the same sessions, which gives them a connection in terms of sound and tone. However, the band managed to allocate the tracks appropriately as to give each its own unique sound and feel. Whereas “Kid A” combines bleak electronica with subtle rock and roll elements, “Amnesiac” marries the electronic textures with jazz and classical elements. The result is an album that is both connected to “Kid A” as well as a sort of precursor to the lush, baroque elements of later albums, “Hail to the Thief” and “In Rainbows.”
“Packt Like Sardine in a Crusd Tin Box” evokes the claustrophobia of superstardom in electronica landscape that seems like a sequel to “Idioteque” from “Kid A.” “Pyramid Song” is one of Radiohead’s best. What begins as a piano ballad with allusions to “Dante’s Inferno” steadily builds; the bouncy jazzy drums come in, then the electronic textures and strings. The song is truly one of the 21st century’s most brilliant thus far. “You and Whose Army” is a preview of “Hail to the Thief” with its subdued guitar line hushed, old-fashioned sounding vocals. “I Might Be Wrong” is the closest thing on the album to rock, with its bluesy guitar riffs. The tension on this song between Yorke’s vocals and the driving guitars however, keeps this song from being anything close to mainstream fare. “Knives Out” is a mysterious, jazzy tune with inspired, silky smooth three-part guitar interplay. “Dollars and Cents” combines a slowed down funk bass line with unpredictable vocals and Yorke’s positively spectral vocals. “Like Spinning Plates” is a tremolo laced electronic piece with the album’s darkest textures. The album’s closer, “Life in a Glass House” is one of Radiohead’s most unique songs. It is another brooding piano ballad, but with accompaniment by both subtle electronics and a New Orleans style jazz band (with trumpets, clarinets, and trombones). The song closes the album off on an ambiguous and introspective note, and perhaps purposely, does not provide quite enough of a sense of closure to make the album feel like a complete story. It leaves the listener lost, but this uncertainty brings out the “lostness” of the album’s overall tone, making for a dark listening experience.
“Amnesiac” is a brilliant crossover between electronica and live instrumentation. While many would say “Kid A” succeeds in this experiment best, “Amnesiac” has arguably better songs. No other albums sound quite like this. The driving and yet somehow meandering jazziness of this album is what makes it particularly special. It may not sound quite so good the first time through, and may even scare the pants off of some, but is worth at least one good listen.
Reviewer: Kris Lorenz
new
Reviewer's Rating: 9.5
Reader's Rating: 9.67
Reader's Votes: 6
Added: 3-Jul-2009
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