KID A

Radiohead's "Kid A" is the followup to the master work "OK Computer" and really that is a hard act to follow by any standards. Yorke's incongruous vocals are a trademark for the group as are the spacey ambient waves of sound and the bleak despairing feelings conveyed. The songs are sluggish, slow, brooding, pensive with a laconic delivery. One may call Yorke's style almost lethargic and aloof, considering the relaxed loose technique and soaring high falsetto. Radiohead are always going to be in the hard-to-define basket, with the beauty of keyboard strings merged with dark ominous tones, and reflective melancholy ambience merging with a pop oriented style. The layers of sound are immersed in gentle serenity and it threatens to break out into violent distortion. Like an angry wasp that searches for that elusive flower and gives up so that it can embark on a stinging spree, the music is jarring and ubiquitous, moving from eloquent passages of beauty that massage the ears to bellicose flashes of rage. The rage is downplayed though and it becomes dreary waiting for something to happen outside of the droll slow meandering.

The album was recorded in Paris, Copenhagen, Gloucestershire and Oxford and given the magic touch by producer Nigel Godrich. This is perhaps the more experimental side of the band that really focusses on electronica and subtle rhythms. You can hear Krautrock oozing from the pores of the material along with classical music. The musicianship is completely out of the box utilising such weapons as the Ondes martenot, symphonic strings and brass.

The lyrical content is abstract and hard to pin down, open to interpretation as was "OK Computer", but is nowhere near as depressing as some of their more recent material. Thom Yorke has been quoted as saying the album was never intended to be "art", but instead reflects the music they listen to at the time of recording. Listen to the dark 'Idioteque' and sounds nothing like other Radiohead songs, and that is perhaps the best and worst of what the group can achieve. The ghost track is an unwelcome component too.

The album is incredibly bleak and stark with unsettling variances in cadence. It begins with icy soundscapes that chill you to the marrow and it is a ferocious diversion from the material on other albums. It is not until we get to 'The National Anthem' that we have something that may resemble a song, and even then the vibe is off kilter. Some of the highlights include 'Optimistic' with its infectious hook, and 'Morning Bell' with some insane drumming and chiming keyboards.

The experimentation is perhaps too heavy handed for the average music listener but it still is hailed as one of Radiohead's greatest triumphs. I cannot agree with this view as it is not my style of music and its hard to sit through. I can still applaud its originality and sheer atmospherics nonetheless as one of the bleakest albums in existence.

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