Radiohead - Kid A

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Radiohead - Kid A

Radiohead burst onto the scene with the hit song “Creep” in early 1993, and was quickly dismissed by music critics, as a one hit wonder everything and just another alternative band that would fade away. Fans were disappointed with how the rest of the album was mellower than the one song they heard on the radio.

In 1995 their second album The Bends won over the critics and fellow musicians alike making several year end top ten lists, although it didn’t live up to the commercial success of Pablo Honey it did start a cult following of fans. In 1997 with their third full-length album OK Computer they again became the critics’ darlings, winning the 1998 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance. The first single, "Paranoid Android", was over six minutes long and seemed a very unlikely candidate for a single let alone the lead off single for the album. The band refused to edit it for radio, so it was pretty much ignored and rarely played on the radio, however MTV played the animated video regularly and the Radiohead fan base grew.

With their fourth release, Kid A, Radiohead seems more concerned with exploring the “artier” side of the band. Radiohead started work late in 1998 and recorded the album in several different studios all over Europe with OK Computer producer Nigel Godrich again along for the ride. It’s said that over twenty-five songs were written and recorded in these sessions, however only ten made the cut for Kid A. So it seems that Radiohead is following the lead of their label mates Everclear in releasing two separate albums within a six-month period of each other. This past July Everclear released a more experimental “pop” record titled Songs from an American Movie Volume I: Learning How to Smile and are following that up with a harder more back to basic record in November with Songs from an American Movie Volume II: Good time for a Bad Attitude. Radiohead’s more conventional “traditional” record is rumored to have the additional 15 tracks and is slated for a Spring release and is yet to be named, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say be looking for the title Kid B.

Like a lot of established rock bands Radiohead seems intent on breaking away from the formula that has worked for them in the past and doing something totally different, but unlike other bands Radiohead seems to be willing to sacrifice sales for their artistic vision. Though no commercial singles will be put out in support for Kid A "Optimistic" will be released as a radio single only, also the band will not be making any music videos. Instead you can check out various websites and watch “e-blips” which are several 30 second long animated shorts set to pieces of the bands music.

The album kicks off with “Everything in it’s Right Place” which consist of various noises swirling about while lead singer Thom Yorke’s vocals are looped playing backwards and forwards. “Kid A” is more of the same with what seems like Yorke singing in a detached synthesized voice that is barely audible and lost in the noise at times, or it may not be Yorke at all but maybe the band experimenting with their MAC computer again as they did on OK Computer's "Fitter Happier". “The National Anthem” starts out with a pulsating bass line and seems like it is going to be a rocker before giving way to a brass section for most of the song. “How to Disappear Completely” is the first song on the disc that you can actually hear Yorke’s voice clearly and without any sound affects, it is also the first song that doesn’t seem to completely throw the usually rules of songwriting out the window. This is definitely one of the most accessible “mainstream” songs on the album. The next track “Treefingers” is a nice mellow instrumental that helps break up the first and second halves of this album.

“Optimistic” kicks off the second half of the album, which is less experimental and more accessible to mainstream music fans. The second half seems to go the more conventional route of song writing. “Optimistic” will be the first radio single, and is the best song on the album. Everything from the brilliant vocals, to the lyrics, to the closing orchestration in the end works just right. "Idioteque” is a dance song, beats, and all. This song pretty much disappointed me, the lyrics are sung with conviction and are great, but the backing music is pretty much just a drumbeat that falls short of what the song could have been. The song “Morning Bell” seems to follow along the lines of “Optimistic” and “How to Disappear Completely” and is a very catchy song. The album closes out with “Motion Picture Soundtrack” which was written for and expected to be on OK Computer, but was left off by the band and fits perfectly as the album closer, it is more cohesive and one of the most optimistic songs on the album.

This is an album about atmosphere and mood, not easy hooks and catchy choruses, so it takes a few listens to really begin to appreciate the album. As mentioned before this album has no classic “radio single” and to be fully appreciated must be listened to in its entirety several times. In other words this is not an album you have blasting from the radio while riding around during the summer months. This is an album that you listen to alone on those cold rainy days where you just sit in the dorm room staring off into space.


	Steamer Trunk \| home stuff about me \| album reviews \| PS2 game reviews \| pictures \| web watch \| getting in touch Rilo Kiley - Take Offs and Landings \| Slipknot - Iowa \| Ozma - Rock and Roll Part Three \| Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs \| Lit - Atomic \| Garbage - Beautifulgarbage \| The Strokes - Is This It \| Live - V \| Tori Amos - Strange Little Girls \| Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American \| Blink 182 - Take Off Your Pants and Jacket \| Weezer - The Green Album \| Alkaline Trio From Here to Infirmary \| Alkaline Trio - Hell Yes \| American Hi-Fi \| Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines \| Aerosmith - Just Push Play \| Dave Matthews Band - Everyday \| Blue Meanies - Post Wave \| Weston - The Massed Albert Sounds \| U2 - All That You Cant Leave Behind \| Green Day - Warning \| Offspring - Conspiracy of One \| Everclear - Songs from an American Movie Vol. 2 \| Radiohead - Kid A \| Limp Bizkit - Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water \| Smashing Pumkins - Machina II \| Superdrag - In The Valley Of Dying Stars \| Voodoo Music Festival Radiohead - Kid A Radiohead burst onto the scene with the hit song “Creep” in early 1993, and was quickly dismissed by music critics, as a one hit wonder everything and just another alternative band that would fade away. Fans were disappointed with how the rest of the album was mellower than the one song they heard on the radio. In 1995 their second album The Bends won over the critics and fellow musicians alike making several year end top ten lists, although it didn’t live up to the commercial success of Pablo Honey it did start a cult following of fans. In 1997 with their third full-length album OK Computer they again became the critics’ darlings, winning the 1998 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance. The first single, "Paranoid Android", was over six minutes long and seemed a very unlikely candidate for a single let alone the lead off single for the album. The band refused to edit it for radio, so it was pretty much ignored and rarely played on the radio, however MTV played the animated video regularly and the Radiohead fan base grew. With their fourth release, Kid A, Radiohead seems more concerned with exploring the “artier” side of the band. Radiohead started work late in 1998 and recorded the album in several different studios all over Europe with OK Computer producer Nigel Godrich again along for the ride. It’s said that over twenty-five songs were written and recorded in these sessions, however only ten made the cut for Kid A. So it seems that Radiohead is following the lead of their label mates Everclear in releasing two separate albums within a six-month period of each other. This past July Everclear released a more experimental “pop” record titled Songs from an American Movie Volume I: Learning How to Smile and are following that up with a harder more back to basic record in November with Songs from an American Movie Volume II: Good time for a Bad Attitude. Radiohead’s more conventional “traditional” record is rumored to have the additional 15 tracks and is slated for a Spring release and is yet to be named, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say be looking for the title Kid B. Like a lot of established rock bands Radiohead seems intent on breaking away from the formula that has worked for them in the past and doing something totally different, but unlike other bands Radiohead seems to be willing to sacrifice sales for their artistic vision. Though no commercial singles will be put out in support for Kid A "Optimistic" will be released as a radio single only, also the band will not be making any music videos. Instead you can check out various websites and watch “e-blips” which are several 30 second long animated shorts set to pieces of the bands music. The album kicks off with “Everything in it’s Right Place” which consist of various noises swirling about while lead singer Thom Yorke’s vocals are looped playing backwards and forwards. “Kid A” is more of the same with what seems like Yorke singing in a detached synthesized voice that is barely audible and lost in the noise at times, or it may not be Yorke at all but maybe the band experimenting with their MAC computer again as they did on OK Computer's "Fitter Happier". “The National Anthem” starts out with a pulsating bass line and seems like it is going to be a rocker before giving way to a brass section for most of the song. “How to Disappear Completely” is the first song on the disc that you can actually hear Yorke’s voice clearly and without any sound affects, it is also the first song that doesn’t seem to completely throw the usually rules of songwriting out the window. This is definitely one of the most accessible “mainstream” songs on the album. The next track “Treefingers” is a nice mellow instrumental that helps break up the first and second halves of this album. “Optimistic” kicks off the second half of the album, which is less experimental and more accessible to mainstream music fans. The second half seems to go the more conventional route of song writing. “Optimistic” will be the first radio single, and is the best song on the album. Everything from the brilliant vocals, to the lyrics, to the closing orchestration in the end works just right. "Idioteque” is a dance song, beats, and all. This song pretty much disappointed me, the lyrics are sung with conviction and are great, but the backing music is pretty much just a drumbeat that falls short of what the song could have been. The song “Morning Bell” seems to follow along the lines of “Optimistic” and “How to Disappear Completely” and is a very catchy song. The album closes out with “Motion Picture Soundtrack” which was written for and expected to be on OK Computer, but was left off by the band and fits perfectly as the album closer, it is more cohesive and one of the most optimistic songs on the album. This is an album about atmosphere and mood, not easy hooks and catchy choruses, so it takes a few listens to really begin to appreciate the album. As mentioned before this album has no classic “radio single” and to be fully appreciated must be listened to in its entirety several times. In other words this is not an album you have blasting from the radio while riding around during the summer months. This is an album that you listen to alone on those cold rainy days where you just sit in the dorm room staring off into space.