AMNESIAC

Radiohead is my 2nd favorite band of all time, just behind Pink Floyd. They are ambitious, inventive original, and they sound great. They can do pop (Pablo Honey), straight-up Alternative Rock (The Bends), and Alternative with a strong progressive edge (OK Computer). But where they really become prog is on Kid A and Amnesiac. They were both recorded during the same sessions, but they are still separate albums, or "twins separated at birth" as the band describes it. Amnesiac experiments with new and strange sonic territories, like the hollow, metallic percussion on "Packt like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box", the repetitive guitar line in "I Might be Wrong", the deep lyrics of "Pyramid Song", the guitar noodling in "Hunting Bears", the horns in "Life in a Glasshouse", and the list goes on. However, the album can have down points; Amnesiac is a great album, but Kid A does what Amnesiac does, except better. So if you are looking to try some Radiohead, get OK Computer first, then Kid A, and if you liked Kid A, pick up Amnesiac. Overall, Amnesiac is a solid three-star effort.