Radiohead - Amnesiac
(Capitol)
Radiohead's Amnesiac was hyped as their return to rock, to contrast their
foray into electronics on last years
Kid A. Though electronics don't control the songs as they did on Kid A, this
ends up sounding quite a bit like its
younger brother.
The heavy beat, bizarre instrumentation, and digital vocals in "Pull/Pulk
Revolving Doors" hints at Aphex Twin
more than any Radiohead song they've ever released. However, the majority
of the album is driven by the band's
standard instruments (guitar, bass, drums, and some synthesizer). The mood
of Amnesiac is the main force behind
it's similarity to Kid A. Crazed and melancholic or wistfully angry, the
songs carry the same tone most of
Radiohead's music does, but with less force.
"Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box" and "Amnesiac / Morning Bell"
both feel like songs that should affect
the listener but are lacking the quiet intensity Radiohead have become
masters of creating. A few songs disappoint,
such as "Life in a Glass House" (those horns!), "Hunting Bears," and the
distorted shadow of Radiohead's great
song style, "Dollars and Cents."
All of that aside, Amnesiac does deliver some breathtaking songs. "You
and Whose Army" carries all the subtle
strength of any song they've done in the past, without resorting to bombast
to prove itself. "Pyramid Song" is a
gorgeous piano driven song with the best drum beat written since Black
Sabbath were in their prime (not that it
resembles Black Sabbath in any way). Finally, "Knives Out" is a song
that would have fit nicely on OK
Computer. Easily the best song on the album, this song is what the album
was said to be like, and really, this
one song almost validates the entire album.
While there are some weak songs that should have probably been left off,
Radiohead are showing us a new hybrid of
two styles they've been developing. Combining these electronic
sensibilities with their rock-pop songs is
certainly nothing new, but it's something they're making all their own,
without sounding like any one of the many
bands who blend the two styles.
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