"Great." "Aphex Twin meets Nirvana." "I'm blown." That was just some of the praise thrown about as a dozen people emerged from the other side of a secret listening session for Radiohead's forthcoming album Amnesiac.

An hour before the session, the mood was anxious and tense among those lucky and determined enough to find the one room in Toronto's Westin Harbour Castle hotel where the new Radiohead album was previewed this past weekend.

There were, after all, 981 rooms to choose from.

For Radiohead fans, this is as important as it gets, hearing Amnesiac two months before the official June 4 release date.

Please see below for a track-by-track review

Radiohead has been good to Toronto. Last October, the city was chosen as one of only three venues in North America for the band to support their new, challenging album Kid A.

The Oxford, England quintet have picked up a reputation for being prickly and terse, but they displayed pure exuberance at the Air Canada Centre to rave reviews.

Last week, EMI's local marketing department put out the word - Amnesiac, Kid A's follow-up, would be openly available to the public for listening, something of a sideshow in a hotel alive with activities for Canadian Music Week, the music industry's annual trade conference.

The Amnesiac listening room soon became a main attraction.

The catch? The room number was a secret. All were welcome - if only they could actually find it.

The concierge was besieged with requests and claimed to know nothing. Anyone and everyone with a name tag or CMW delegate pass was interrogated by desperate fans.

Markeee Urban, 25, walked all 34 floors of the hotel. That, following an eight-hour bus trip from upstate New York, all for a sneak preview.

For those who found their way, the experience was almost too rewarding.

A transformed hotel room, with shaggy pillows, bean bag chairs, fake plastic walls, retro lamps, and 15 headphones was the destination. Amnesiac was the reward.

Reports of Amnesiac being a more conventional, straightforward album than the twisted Kid A have been greatly exaggerated. Tracks like "I Might Be Wrong", "Knives Out", and "You and Whose Army?" are closer to genuine rock this time around. Those who were challenged by Kid A will be similarly stifled here.

That said, expect Amnesiac to be lapped up by the band's rabid fan base, regarded by critics and at least in part well-received by the average alternative rock listener. The fact that this album was recorded during the same time period as Kid A is evident.

Other than a few tracks reminiscent of the catchy riff-slinging Radiohead of the mid-1990s, Amnesiac is challenging and may require a few listens before becoming anyone's favourite.

And by the way, for those who didn't find it - the listening session was in Room 2324.

A look at the 11 tracks from Radiohead's yet-to-be released album Amnesiac:

Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box: An unofficial favourite among fans in the Toronto hotel room where a preview of the album was heard on the weekend. The track starts to the sounds of metallic clanking and beeps before a pulsing, dance-like beat kicks in. Vocalist Thom Yorke's voice is striking and prominent; almost a surprise after the studio work and abuse it took on Kid A.

Pyramid Song: This song will be familiar to fans who attended the Toronto show last year or for those who scan Napster. A piano-driven number, one of the more accessible tracks and most likely the first single in Canada.

Pull Pulk Revolving Doors: The clearest example of Radiohead's abstract, experimental studio tinkering. The song has a noisy, fuzz-filled start and continues with heavily treated vocals and a harmony that sounds like a jewelry box faintly in the background.

You and Whose Army?: Fans of Radiohead's guitar work will sigh with relief with this guitar driven track. Yorke's taunting but weary vocals lead to a dramatic and resounding climax.

I Might Be Wrong: Back to back songs with prominent guitar. Powered by the album's first proper riff. That and the beat make this toe-tapper another good one.

Knives Out: A song with a long, arduous history in the recording studio finally gets released. Again, easily available online after being unveiled during a Webcast and played at several of Radiohead's more recent shows. More guitars and the closest thing to a guitar solo since OK Computer's "Paranoid Android".

The Morning Bell Amnesiac: A song that appeared on Kid A, but now completely reworked. Slightly more uptempo, infinitely more chaotic. This version is ghostly and haunting, although perhaps redundant.

Dollars & Cents: An aggressive bass line and strong drums rule this track. Frequently traded online.

Hunting Bears: An odd, stop-and-go start establishes this bizarre track. Heavy with distortion, fuzz, string noise and notes left hanging in the air. The song begins with what sounds like a butterfly's tortured wings pushed into overdrive.

Like Spinning Plates: Vocals reminiscent of Kid A's first track, "Everything In Its Right Place". They sound as if played backwards or heavily processed with studio tools. Electronic riffs, repeating sounds and keyboards dominate the track.

Life in a Glasshouse: A prominent brass sound coupled with piano-based rhythm brings the album to a close. Although the playing is manic at times, it's a slower track, a sad, sweeping showstopper that makes you feel you've stumbled upon some strange cabaret act winding down for the night

-Greg Bonnell & Mike Oliveira

Canada.com
02.04.01