Amnesiac
(Capitol)

RADIOHEAD thrives on delivering the unexpected. When expected to zig, the British rock group will not only zag, but complete the maneuver in a flourish as unimaginable as ice-dancing poodles.

So it comes as no surprise that the band's new CD, Amnesiac, is not the long-rumored radio-friendly twin of last year's groundbreaking Kid A. It also is not the much-feared throwaway collection of leftovers from the Kid A recording sessions that would halt the band's artistic winning streak.

Instead, Amnesiac, released Tuesday, is a vexing collection of amazing should-be hits, experimental wonders and indulgent, arty nonsense that somehow holds together on the strength of Thom Yorke's quivering voice and a consistent electronic pulse.

"I'm a reasonable man, get off my case," states Yorke in the jittery opener "Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box," one of those rare contemplations of death that can easily double as a dance hit.

It is the "reasonableness" of Yorke's distinctive vocals that keeps the musical boundary-stretching of his Radiohead pals - guitarists Ed O'Brien and Jonny Greenwood, bassist Colin Greenwood and drummer-keyboardist Phil Selway - from riding off into the bleepy-bloopy, prog-rock sunset, never to be heard from again.

On the dramatic "Pyramid Song," Yorke's emotional delivery introduces the suicidal meditation at a high-intensity level that only builds as the spare piano line is gradually overpowered by an orchestral swell of string sections.

The band uses this technique even more effectively in the glorious "You and Whose Army?" which begins meekly with Yorke's wavering croon of "Come one, come all," only to gather strength when the band kicks in with full OK Computer glory.

"Knives Out" also seems to look back, its jangly guitarwork and straightforward, rockish attitude calling to mind its underappreciated masterpiece, The Bends. Radiohead, however, has gathered all its indie-rock momentum by looking forward. It is beloved by critics who hope Yorke and company will be the battering ram that finally busts through the pop mainstream's defenses so that the bookish and the brainy can once again return to the Nirvana-era promised land.

Though the bulk of Amnesiac's forward-looking tracks aren't quite as successful as those on Kid A - the jazz- meets-"Millionaire"-theme "Life in a Glass House" is exhausting and the too-artsy "Like Spinning Plates" is cloying - there may be a secret weapon that could help accomplish disenfranchised domination. "I Might Be Wrong" opens with a guitar riff that sounds swiped from The Cult and an actual backbeat and bassline that sound as current as any of the rap-metalheads. The song, already tapped as the first single and making some noise on rock radio, could be the hit that lures in the less-experimental fans who couldn't quite get behind "Optimistic" from Kid A. Will Amnesiac repeat the extraordinary No. 1 debut of Kid A when sales figures become available next week? It's hard to tell, though it's certainly in the running.

If such things were predictable, Radiohead would likely work to end that as well.

-Glenn Gamboa

Newsday
06.06.01