Album #35 : Radiohead - Kid A

Radiohead

Kid A (2000)

Following the monstrous OK Computer, and the concert tour that followed, Radiohead were exhausted, both mentally and physically. Thom Yorke suffered a mental breakdown, citing burnout, as well as a deep ennui with guitar music, for his inability to write standard guitar songs. Feeling that guitar music had 'run its course', and with the industry now swamped by copycats and soundalikes, the group decided on a change of course. 

Influenced by electronica acts like Aphex Twin and Autechre, jazz musicians such as Charles Mingus and the minimalist textures of post-rock and Krautrock, Radiohead entered the studio and created Kid A, an album that was less a subtle departure from and more a complete trashing of the past. The band once described by Melody Maker as "the band who would return rock to us" were, in fact, deciding that you could keep your rock, thank you very much, we're tired of it. Out went the guitar driven epics and moody rock tunes; in came strings, cacophonic brass and electronic samples and strange instruments, such as the ondes Martenot.

What was the result of that? Well....

The Album

Kid A is nothing short of a masterwork. The entire album possesses a haunting quality; this is not an album you put on when you want to feel happy, though it's certainly an album to put on when you want to reassure yourself that you can feel. Throughout Kid A, ambient electronica, the ondes Martenot and the creation of moody, sombre textures thanks to Jonny Greenwood's string arrangements, are punctuated by the occasional trace of guitar, a fair smattering of hypnotic bass and drum patterns, and, of course, the vocals of Yorke.

The ambient/IDM influences of Autechre and Aphex Twin, among others, are all over tracks like Everything In Its Right Place, Kid A, Treefingers and the scintillating Idioteque. Right Place manages to use interwoven snippets of Yorke's vocal as a second instrument, supporting the main organ riff, while an insistent electronic bass drum pattern pumps away. Kid A is minimalist electronica personified; a dissonant, staccato melody (possibly played on an electric piano, I'm not sure) supported by haunting electronic sounds, and over it all Yorke's inhuman vocal (the result of running his vocal line through an ondes Martenot).

Treefingers (while being my most disliked song) is almost Radiohead trolling everybody; an Ed O'Brien guitar solo going through the ProTools wringer and emerging as pure ambient electronic noise. It's almost a middle finger to guitar music, saying that it can be turned into 'that electronic shit' that many guitar music fans (myself included) usually hate. Idioteque, on the other hand, is Radiohead in pure electronica mode. A thumping club style drum 'n' bass line is the backbone; two samples of 1970s computer music form the musical component (the chord progression comes from Mild und Leise by Paul Lansky) and then Yorke's vocal, sounding at first withdrawn, then later desperately passionate, ties it all together. Simply brilliant musicmaking.

The jazz influences? Well, they're clearly found on the hypnotically brilliant The National Anthem. What starts as an entrancing song, based around a repeated bass riff and drum pattern (with effects-laden vocals and ondes Martenot to support), turns into pure chaos when the brass section starts. Imagine ten jazz musicians all playing different solos to the same music - and you have the brass section to this song. (That or you're listening to Vampire Weekend.) There's also a jazz flavour to the end of the guitar-driven Optimistic, which is the only song on the album that is in any way reminiscent of 'old' Radiohead.

Elsewhere, In Limbo and Morning Bell are seemingly attempts to show that you can create ambient music with guitar riffs; the former in particular is one of the richest, lushest sounding songs on the record as a range of sounds (noodling guitar, keyboard, bass, vocals and other electronic effects) swirl together. Motion Picture Soundtrack sees Yorke, solo, playing a pedal organ (you can even hear the click of the pedals) and singing a withdrawn lament; the addition of harps and strings in the second verse give the track its intended 50s Disney movie song feel. It's beautiful, if haunting - which seems to be the theme of the album.

Finally there's How to Disappear Completely. This review's already getting long, so I won't say much, other than to say that as a monstrous Radiohead fan, this song is my favourite, hands down. I can relate to the feeling of the song - a person wanting to be anywhere but where they are. Yorke sings "I'm not here, this isn't happening", and while you know he is singing about himself, it could be any one of us. It's a stunningly beautiful piece of music (acoustic guitars strum away, there's a two-note recurring guitar motif and there's also strings and the trusty ondes Martenot to drum home the song's message of distance and isolation). It's also quite possibly one of Yorke's best lyrics and vocal performances. Perfection.

The Verdict

It's little wonder people were cool on this album upon release. Radiohead were supposed to be TEH SAVIOURZ OF ROCK. They were supposed to make more guitar pop with meaning. They weren't supposed to do this.

Music should be glad they did. For Radiohead found a way to both disassociate themselves from guitar rock while entrenching their status as mainstream music's biggest risk takers. The result is an album that has more feeling than most guitar music made by their contemporaries.

My only 'criticism'? It takes more than one listen to click if you've never heard it before. It was, after all, the group's most inaccessible album until The King of Limbs. It even took me three or four spins before everything was in its right place (tee hee). 

I will never, ever, regret those three or four spins.

My rating: *****

Standout Tracks

Idioteque

How To Disappear Completely

The National Anthem

Tomorrow, it's the 5th of the month. That means I review another album chosen by my wife. She has chosen some Australian hip hop. Provided I can find it.

I'm not optimistic (ha I did it again!)