Radiohead - Amnesiac
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CD Details
Artist: RadioheadEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001
CD Release Date: 2001-06-05
Music Label: Capitol
Product features:
- RADIOHEAD AMNESIAC
- Packt like sardines in a crushd tin box
- Pyramid song
- Pulk/pull revolving doors
- You and whose army?
- I might be wrong
- Knives out
- Amnesiac/Morning bell
- Dollars & cents
- Hunting bears
- Like spinning plates
- Life in a glass house
Music reviews of Amnesiac
Music Review: Not quite as bad as it's made out to be
Rating: 4 Stars
As Radiohead albums are ranked, Amnesiac more often than not ends up at the bottom. It is also made out to be some sort of 'Kid B'. Both of these statements are, in my opinion, undeserved and false.
Amnesiac has on the whole a very different feel than Kid A. For starters,it is pervaded by a different atmosphere. Most people might not know what I'm talking about by this statement so I'll clarify. Guitars are largely absent on this album, but that doesn't necessarily mean that 'Amnesiac' falls into the same category as 'Kid A'. In fact, the electronics have been mostly replaced by classical instrumentation. There are a few guitar tunes such as 'I Might Be Wrong' and 'Knives Out'. The whole record has a very surreal atmosphere. All the songs seem to take place in a world very like ours, but different and darker. Neither 'Kid A' nor 'Amnesiac' are nearly as despondent as 'The Bends' or 'OK Computer'. But whereas 'The Bends' and 'OK Computer' seemed to be set in our world, this time Thom and the gang don't seem to be out to tell a story. All the tracks are less cohesive, and seem to be seperate little entities of their own, set in another, more eerie universe.
And yet despite this, 'Amnesiac' is more abstract than Kid A. Listening to this album is similar to appreciating a Cubist work: it needs to be heard again and again to appreciate its beauty and its little subtleties. While 'Kid A's heavy reliance on electronics is the main reason for its opacity, on 'Amnesiac' even basic song structures are shattered and glued back together again in an unusual manner. Often the songs don't seem to have any particular direction, or take unexpected turns. If you are like me and do not pay much attention to structures, it won't bother you much. But I can understand that for other people this album may be hard to grasp on the first listen.
Now for a track-by-track review of the album.
Packt Like Sardines In a Crushed Tin Box - An electronic number. The lyrics are sparse, with Thom repeating "I'm a reasonable man, get off my case" again and again. The sound seems to consist of clanging metal boxes. It is enjoyable, but not one of the best.
Pyramid Song - Words cannot describe how gorgeous this song is. There are no guitars. It is really Thom singing accompanied by lush strings, piano and drums. The chord progressions might not appeal to everyone. They are certainly unpredictable, and sound as though a pitch tuner on a keyboard was used. The beat is very irregular. Check the video, it is a perfect match. A magnificent and etheareal song. This is one of Radiohead's best and most underrated songs.
Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors - Another one influenced by IDM, although here it merely sounds amateurish. A bad attempt, I should say. Not a traditional song, but just a noise similar to the revolving of doors(how surprising...) and an alien voice mumbling nonsense about different kinds of doors. It sounds mostly like an attempt to sound deep and inaccessible, but comes off sounding pretentious instead. All in all amusing for a couple of listens, but the song irritates soon. I always skip it.
You And Whose Army? - The subject of this song is reportedly Tony Blair. The first half of the song sounds like it was broadcast from an old '40s radio. In fact, the whole song feels as though it was written 60 years ago. The beginning is just Thom singing, accompanied by an Ondes Martenot. Then the orchestra is introduced for a grand finale.
I Might Be Wrong - A more 'traditional' song by Radiohead. It is quite similar to 'This Mess We're In', Thom's duet with PJ Harvey. The only Radiohead number, I should say, which has a somewhat sexy feel to it.
Knives Out - Another traditional one. The lyrics are surprisingly violent for Radiohead. There's not much else to say about this one...it is just a good song.
Morning Bell/Amnesiac - This is a reworking of 'Morning Bell' from 'Kid A'. A lot of people have complained that it is merely filler, which in my opinion is rather unfounded. It is not merely the notes and the lyrics that create a song but also the arrangement. This version literally has more bells and it seems less trip-hoppy than the version on Kid A. Definitely a different song.
Dollars & Cents - Aside from a barely-there lead guitar 'Dollars & Cents' is awash in strings, and with Thom's voice almost blending with the violins, this is certainly one of the more interesting experiments on this album. Unlike on 'Pyramid Song', though, the strings are not warm and enveloping but icy, and Thom sings in an especially high range as he rants about capitalism. The echoing cymbals only add to the gloom. The music doesn't seem to go into any particular direction, and there are no clear cut choruses and verses.
Hunting Bears - Unlike 'Treefingers' on Kid A, the music is completely incongruent with the title. It is essentially the sound of guitars cut and pasted together again. What results has a vaguely oriental feel, and sounds a bit like a sitar, but I've never paid long enough attention to describe it further.
Like Spinning Plates - My favorite. The background consists of strings or an organ, I can't decide which, recorded backwards. Thom has sung his lyrics backwards, and the tape was reversed forwards, so now he is singing the right lyrics. Can you follow? The effect is that Thom's singing is now very slurred. This song is in a similar vein as 'You And Whose Army?'.
Life In a Glass House - A slice of New Orleans jazz. Don't listen to those who claim that it is pretentious. The musical knowledge of these people doesn't extend beyond the Sixties. The lyrics highlight the more unpleasant side of fame.
Be warned, the lyrics on 'Amnesiac' are sparse and simple. There are no complex metaphors such as on 'OK Computer'. The lyrics sound even more garbled than usual, and better understanding of the album is not aided by the fact that the booklet contains no lyrics.
All in all, I'm not sure whether 'Amnesiac' is really less accessible than for instance 'OK Computer'. I guess for someone exposed to music beyond the usual rock it will not seem as difficult to approach than for someone who is not. But really, 'Amnesiac' isn't as bad as it is made out to be. In fact, it is better than Kid A, which is actually less accessible. And I've also grown to appreciate this album because it has helped me through some difficult times. So judge for yourself.
Description of Amnesiac
Radiohead Photos
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More from Radiohead
 OK Computer |  The Bends |  Kid A |
 Pablo Honey |  Hail To The Thief |  The Astoria London Live |
More song-driven and acoustic than Kid A, Radiohead's Amnesiac isn't quite "Kid B," but it is unquestionably cut from the same far-out cloth, as the band revels in fascinating quirks and abject nihilism. It's also the first time in Radiohead's career that a new record hasn't meant a complete shift in artistic priorities. Surely, however, regardless of which was released first, they both deserve recognition; after all, Amnesiac, like Kid A, is an amazing piece of work.
Only lightly augmented with electronics, songs like "You and Whose Army?" and "I Might Be Wrong" almost sound like they came from a typical five-piece rock band. You may even believe the band still employs a guitarist after hearing Jonny Greenwood's wistful surf-guitar lead on "Knives Out" or his subtle but noticeable contributions to the anticapitalist rant "Dollars and Cents." But inevitably, the band continually shifts gears, moving into Boards of Canada territory on "Like Spinning Plates" and delivering dark, bass-laden oddities like "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors," a fuzzed-out piece of avant-garde techno that could just as easily be on an Autechre or Aphex Twin record. The song's half-sung, half-spoken vocal was laid down by either a heavily distorted Thom Yorke or, just perhaps, a loquacious microwave oven. Either way, the music always has momentum, regardless of whether propelled by man or appliance. Radiohead as a band understand how to make rock interesting again, and in the end, that's all they set out to do when they recorded Amnesiac, as well as Kid A. It's more than can be said for the bad frat-punk, teen-pop and soulless techno that currently rules the charts, and for that alone, Radiohead's astonishing exploration of 21st-century anguish deserves credit. --Matthew Cooke
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