Leftover gems from the Kid A/Amnesiac sessions kindly corralled.

Radiohead
Knives Out
(Parlophone)

Rating: 5/5

With its mellifluous, circling guitars, "Knives Out" may provide one of the most accessible Radiohead moments of late but it's not quite forward enough to hook the floating voter. This, then, is a package for the fans, as both CDs round up some of the last stragglers from the Kid A/Amnesiac sessions. Chief among these is CD1's "Cuttooth", which only narrowly missed a place on one of the albums and certainly deserved one, its epic rush calling to mind U2's "Zoo Station". Positively psychedelic, it powers along with accelerating momentum as Thom Yorke muses about "running away to the foreign legion" and Colin Greenwood provides a striking, sinewy bassline. The CD also includes a full-length version of "Life In A Glasshouse". CD2 draws from the abstract electronica well: "Worrywort" is a hushed, airy beauty and "Fog" has a poignant, bruised majesty. Both are far better than, say, "Treefingers". If you're thinking of compiling a Best Of from Kid A and Amnesiac, make sure you give these a listen first.

Q
08.01