Rating: 10/12
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.
Fakejazz
08.06.01