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Kid A+

by Spencer Ross

Weird. That's how I can describe this album. And yet as much as it's something you'd never throw on at a party, Radiohead's Kid A is probably one of the most fascinating albums I've ever heard. Everything people say about Radiohead being one of the most innovative bands of our generation is true, particularly with this record (which is supposed to be titled after the first human clone). None of the songs on this album are radio friendly, save for the modern rock song "Optimistic," which is probably the least abstract song on the album. And even at that...

The album opens on an arpeggiated chord in "Everything in Its Right Place," and then from there leads into abstract after abstract, with some discernable lyrics like "there are ten colors in my head." There's no liner notes provided in the CD case, other than a portfolio of landscape drawings that are similar to those on the covers. Also in the back of the album behind the plastic that holds the CD itself, is a book of poetry about nothing. However, the actual lyrics are nowhere to be found. At times, the lyrics fade in and out of comprehension, almost creating a melting effect with the music itself. "The National Anthem" is great song, starting off with a bass riff and forraying itself into something greater with an entire horns section coming in and sounding dissonant in a rather methodological manner. This gives the already jazz beat something more to spruce it up and makes it like a big musical party.

Kid A is a pretty good concept album. The guitar is riddled with so many effects pedals that the entire album has a rather spacey sort of feel to it, complemented by the spacey sounding vocals of singer Thom Yorke. The drums on the album are minimal and sound more like a drum machine than an actual set, but then again, the whole album sounds like some sort of organic machine. The tone of the album flows nicely such as the transition between the end of "Optimistic" into "In Limbo," yet despite this, the electronica becomes an integral part of it in songs such as "Idiotheque." Yorke's voice again sounds like a bunch of syllables that go in some sort of smooth beat, yet the background sounds purely mechanical. I must warn, this is not a happy album, so if you're looking for bright songs written in all major chords, I wouldn't recommend this. But if you're looking to fall asleep and need something mellow, this would be the album. In some respects, it's a great experimental album, but then again, experimental varies by the artist. Radiohead definitely deserves 5 stars for this one and I'm interested in hearing their follow up to it, Kid B, which is supposed to be more radio-friendly. Perhaps it won't work for Radiohead after the musical success of this album, but it should definitely be interesting to see.

11/28/00