AMNESIAC

Considered the little brother of 'Kid A', and usually given less respect than that album, I'm probably in the minority of Radiohead fans who likes this one more than 'Kid A'. While some of the experimental aspects of 'Kid A' sounded like test-pattern blueprints for real songs, 'Amnesiac' is packed with fully-realized songs that retain their experimental edge while also possessing the approachable human quality of pre-'Kid A' Radiohead.

Electronic gadgetry is still the basis for their sound on 'Amnesiac'. The jarring quality of opener "Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box" is like Kraftwerk meets 'Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape'-era Porcupine Tree. This fractured alien vibe dominates other tracks like "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors" and "Like Spinning Plates". It's when Thom Yorke starts releasing his more emotional side that this album starts to shine. His convincing wail is smooth as silk on "Pyramid Song", a nice contrast to the subtle oddball time signature that gently jerks the song from side to side. Other high points might revolve around Yorke's vocal purges, but there's also plenty of amazing musical dexterity and chemistry from everyone else throughout "I Might Be Wrong", "Knives Out" and the inspiring "You And Whose Army?" The album ends with in an interesting sequence: 1) hazy guitar theme ("Hunting Bears"), 2) melancholy electronic phasing ("Like Spinning Plates"), 3) smoky lounge weirdness ("Life In A Glasshouse"). A fitting if disorienting end to the rollercoaster rides beforehand. 'Amnesiac' deserves to be judged on its own merit, and not in the shadow of the groundbreaking 'Kid A'.