Rating: 5/5

· "If Kid A is difficult, then God help us!" – Thom Yorke

In a recent interview, Thom Yorke compared the inner workings of Radiohead to the operations of the United Nations, and said that in his band he would occupy a position equivalent with the U.S. in the UN. Given the one-two punch of Kid A and its sequel Amnesiac, Yorke’s position in the drivers’ seat becomes more apparent than ever.

During the media circus that surrounded OK Computer (documented in Grant Gee’s fascinating documentary Meeting People Is Easy), Yorke’s sentiments towards popular music shifted from slight embarrassment for his own buzz bin hit "Creep," to full-on hate – the radios played only "fridge buzz," and modern rock was not only in peril, but should be "bludgeoned to death."

The band’s response was the equally brilliant Kid A. A largely electronic offering with very little guitar, its hooks and melodies were hidden behind extreme studio manipulation, which left many of the band’s casual fans and record label officers scratching their heads in confusion.

Yorke’s claim that Radiohead has returned to guitar-based rock and roll, hit singles and music suitable for cheerleaders is pleasantly revealed as a bald-faced lie on Amnesiac. Those hoping for The Bends-style anthems or OK Computer’s guitar overload will be greatly disappointed. Beyond the Smiths homage "Knives Out," the crooning Labour Party protest lullabye "You And Whose Army?" and the charged blues-rock electronica centrepiece "I Might Be Wrong," the six-strings make very few appearances. (The companion limited edition Pyramid Song EP, only available in Canada, includes the "Electioneering"-style meltdown "Trans-Atlantic Drawl," featuring Jonny Greenwood’s angriest soloing since "Paranoid Android.")

What we have instead is a continuation and improvement of the themes and sounds introduced on Kid A. Much warmer than its predecessor, Amnesiac breaks through the circuit boards, humans keeping the computers at bay. "Pyramid Song" and the Can-inspired "Dollars & Cents" float on spiraling orchestral strings, while "Like Spinning Plates" combines the sounds of a self-destructing hard drive with a sputtering organ and Yorke’s falsetto vocals spun backwards. The grand finale, "Life In A Glass House," transports "The National Anthem" to 1940s New Orleans, with 80-year-old British jazz legend Humphrey Lyttleton on manic clarinet.

Encapsulating electronica, experimental composition and krautrock, Amnesiac sees Radiohead looking straight ahead, all others left to follow.

-Mark Hamilton

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