How does a band follow up an album like O.K. Computer, considered by many to be one of the greatest albums of the '90s? Quite simply, with an album just as groundbreaking, just as exciting and just as perfect, called Kid A.
Radiohead
Kid A
Capitol Records
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Kid A is an album, not a collection of singles. It flows gracefully from track one, "Everything In Its Right Place," to track 10, "Motion Picture Soundtrack." Starting the album in the middle disrupts its whole effect. It should be started at the beginning and then looped continuously until the stereo dies of exhaustion. It is too beautiful to be stopped.
This album is completely different from every other Radiohead album to date. Yet it is distinctly Radiohead. It marks the next logical step from 1997's O.K. Computer. It delves further into the electronica and strays even further from Radiohead's alternative rock roots. Tracks like "Kid A" and "Idioteque" are almost pure electronica, looped beats with a hint of straining guitar. Their multiple layers and combination of various beats and sounds make listening to them an experience each time. Each song is wrought with emotion and abstraction.
In fact, the only track that could even compare to classic Radiohead rock would be "Optimistic," the closest thing to a single that will come off Kid A. But even this is slowed down and combines much more variety and expansive guitar work. There is no "Airbag" on this album, and there is definitely no "Creep."
Thom Yorke does much less in terms of vocals than any previous Radiohead album. While his moanings can be heard on virtually every track, typically they are simply complements to the music, not overbearing it. On tracks like "Kid A," Yorke's voice is so distorted that the words are practically indiscernible. They become just another element of the music and not a separate entity.
There are still three months left in the year. But it's probably a safe bet that no one is going to even come close to beating Kid A for album of the year. Kudos to Radiohead for going above and beyond all expectations.
