Rating:8.2/10.0

Amnesiac' is definitely the result of tracks being cut back from Kid A because they didn't fit. However, this doesn't mean the songs on 'Amnesiac' are poor. They are all pretty damn great, they just don't flow together in one fluid motion like Kid A and OK Computer did.

'Packed Like Sardines...' is a stand out track, with it's amazing chorus repeating 'I'm a reasonable man, get off my case.' It's perfect, it's Radiohead lashing out against a creative block they went through prior to Kid A and 'Amnesiac' being created. 'Pyramid Song' brings to mind 'Everything in it's right place' because of it's slower beat. The piano on the track tries to evoke a lot of emotion from the listener and does so accordingly. The song is probably the most sullen, sad song on the entire disc. 'Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors' is a break-beat type of number, with distorted computer vocals that shows a lot more of that Aphex Twin influence. I'm sure it'll be the club hit for those damn raver kids. 'You and whose army' just straight up annoys me. I don't think Thom Yorke should ever sound the way he does vocally on that track. He sounds like one of those old early 1900's female crooners. Everytime he says 'come on', I get the chills, but not in a good way. I don't like the track, and for me to say that shows that despite my love for Radiohead, I am honest. 'I might be wrong' sounds a lot like Laika's last album, Good Looking Blues. The guitars have this funky-western-ish groove while the vocals are laid down like a pop-singer. Thom sounds a bit like Brian Molko of Placebo on this for some reason. 'Knives out' has this almost surf-guitar going on, but Thom's vocals really shine on this song. Imagine 'Talk show host'[*1] sped up twice the normal speed. Also on Amnesiac is the re-make of 'Morning Bell', which surpasses the original one. It has this amazing haunted piano screaming at you, forcing you to imagine a nightmare plaguing Thom Yorke's mind. 'Dollars and Cents' has more of the surfy sounding guitars, it's all played very clean. There is also some kind of synth-effect constantly swerving in and out through this song. It's yet another less memorable song. 'Hunting Bears' is a really great track, as I think others might disagree. The track is nothing but Johnny's guitar(?) plucks looped with a bit of Brian Eno-esque lo-fi synth sounds in the background. My favorite track is probably 'Like spinning plates.' It has this great sound effect that perfectly resembles what the the title says, plates spinning, in the air on someone's finger. It also has this great loop going on backwards that adds to this very eerie ambient feel. With Kid A, they opted to go out with a bang on 'Motion Picture Soundtrack' and the same thing holds for Amnesiac. The last track 'Life in a glass house' is a complete surprise. It's this beautiful show-boat big band song. You can literally imagine the band doing this number on board the lounge of a Mississippi boat. It builds up very slowly towards the begining, but ends with this catastrophic blues-jazz ensemble. A great way to go out.

Overall, it's a departure in texture for Radiohead. It's not a complete concept album, much like there old ones seemed, however it does still pack a punch that will probably hold fans over for a while. Radiohead, once again, surprise everyone with this unexpected sounding album. I predict that there next album will destroy everything people think about music, and after that they'll throw in the towel.

Editors Note:*1 Has anyone noticed that the song 'Somtimes' by Ours starts out with a complete rip-off of 'Talk Show Host'??

Lightupthesky.com
23.04.01