MSG Me. I'm ready and willing.
Radiohead :: Amnesiac
Released: June 2001. Capitol Records.
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This year has been a special treat for Radiohead fans used to waiting two or three years between albums. The band compiled around 50 pieces of music when working on Kid A and decided to release a twin album so all that Radiohead goodness wouldn't go to waste. In addition to being among the greater albums ever compiled, Kid A is a feat of engineering. The consistency and flow of that album is amazing. Amnesiac doesn't have the flow but I don't like to criticize that, simply because the flow of an album is really irrelevant to the quality of the music. Thom has said in the past that they prefer to begin an album with a song that doesn't reflect the album as a whole, which is how Amnesiac begins. Packt Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box kicks off the album almost as memorably as the opening to Everything in its Right Place but with more profound vocals. The inspirations for the song may have originally been bitter, but if so Thom would never let you know. At his bitterest, you rarely detect the slightest bit of anger or pride in his voice. I'd rate Pyramid Song among the most moving songs Radiohead has yet produced. The irregular tempo on the piano stands out as Thom sings but the beginning of the string arrangements and drums are very subtle. Pull/Pulk Revovling Doors is an example of the lack of flow in the album. The rough beats jut into the end of Pyramid Song and proceed on with creepy vocals intermittently. I'm still not sure what to make of it. When I first heard Amnesiac a few months ago I picked You and Whose Army and I Might Be Wrong to be singles (assuming they released any). Much like Pyramid Song, You and Whose Army begins quietly with Thom and his piano, then builds suddenly toward a loud combination of piano, guitar, strings and drums. I Might Be Wrong is another display of Thom's lack of arrogance and is similar to In Limbo off Kid A. Beautiful vocals contrast with the darker sound of the instruments and it concludes with a nice little outtro. The lyrics to Knives Out are really rather disturbing but the guitars are impressive throughout. I prefer the original Morning Bell over Amnesiac/Morning Bell. The new one sounds like they had backup sung by a host of angels, but creepy ones. Dollars and Cents is the third song on the album to have a jazz feel to it which is another welcome new Radiohead approach to songwriting. There is a consistent drum and bass pattern throughout the song (not the electronic kind, the actual kind). Hunting Bears is instrumental and is well placed because it slows down the pace of the album before the transition into the next electronic song, Like Spinning Plates. Like Spinning Plates is like nothing I've ever heard. The vocals are quickly mixed forwards and backwards around eerie electronic and string arrangements and the result is very eerie, rivaling that of Climbing Up the Walls. The final track is possibly the biggest departure Radiohead has yet taken, as it is 30's big band style. Johnny's arrangements on Life in a Glass House are fantastic as usual, and Thom adapts his singing very well to the new style. Just when you were worried Radiohead had abandoned their rock styles from OK Computer and The Bends and begun their slide into the electronic genres, they throw out an album amazingly varied in musical style. This album gets better every time I listen to it and it's definitely worthy of being the sibling of Kid A. |
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