Review Summary: An enthralling yet risky move from Radiohead, Amnesiac breaks away from the looming shadow of Kid A and earns its spot amongst the band's finest efforts.
At the start of the new millennia, Radiohead cemented itself as one of the world's leading music groups. After the meteoric success of their third effort
OK Computer, they made the ballsy decision to release
Kid A; a cold, erratic masterpiece that was different to anything the band had ever released... and it worked. Not only did the genre-hopping record prove to be a terrific album, it soon became a rival to its magnificent predecessor. Now Thom Yorke had a bigger burden than ever on his shoulders; to release another excellent LP that would serve as a worthy follow-up to the infamous
Kid A... and it worked.
Though
Amnesiac was and still is criticized to be a collection of "leftovers" from
Kid A, that totally isn't the case. While not exactly similar,
Amnesiac definitely has some inherent qualities from its precursor. Filled with ambient nuances, leftfield electronics, jazzy textures and alt. rock squelches, it's difficult to put the record under a specific genre. Yet one detail that is certainly constant throughout is its moody atmosphere. Early on in the record, Thom asserts to the listener, "get off my case", repeatedly, over a bumbling beat that sounds like it was ripped straight off from an arcade game. It's quirky, which is something you'd expect from the band, but the warning is hostile nonetheless, and seems to echo throughout the album's 45-minute duration. From the ominous pounding of
Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors, to the apocalyptic resonance of
Morning Bell/Amnesiac and the unsettling rumble of
Dollars and Cents,
Amnesiac is easily the band's grumpiest record to date.
There is barely a presence of guitar riffs or solos, only appearing in the razor-toothed brilliance of
I Might Be Wrong and the enthralling fury of
Knives Out. Instead, the presence of strings, oceans of reverb, echo and swelling basslines dominate the entirety of the record. Yorke's croons are delivered in various forms from ghostly tones (
Pyramid Song), eager trepidation (
Dollars and Cents) and debonair swagger (
Life in a Glasshouse). Sometimes his voice doesn't seem tangible at all, and instead blends in with the music, forming a large, torrential wall of sound.
Though however moody it may seem,
Amnesiac does offer a plethora of highlights.
Pyramid Song is the ultimate piano-ballad, a ghostly hymn to the afterlife that is propelled by a beautifully haunting chord progression, jazzy drum rhythms and Thom's indelible vocals. It is one of the band's greatest achievements, topped off with strings and ambient afterglows. Elsewhere,
I Might be Wrong is equally brilliant, featuring sexy guitar riffs, bouncy drums and a bumbling bassline, before simmering down to a melancholy catharsis. It's perhaps the only optimistic piece on a record filled with themes of contempt and dread, with lyrics like "Let's go down the waterfall / Think about the good times, never look back". Meanwhile, the dreary excellence of
You and Whose Army? and the jazz-fueled escapades
Dollars and Cents and
Life in a Glasshouse keep things interesting. Yet the album's most dazzling and perplexing moments are found in the penultimate track,
Like Spinning Plates. A synth loop resembling helicopter blades undercuts Thom's schizophrenic vocal delivery, whilst more details are thrown into the mix. The album's suppressed rage finally surfaces on this grim masterpiece, and the result is equally rewarding as it is frightening, as Yorke wails, "My body's floating down the muddy river" through chilly synths, piercing strings and pockets of static.
Though
Amnesiac is an incredibly circumferential record in terms of sound, the album's spacey production and ambience portrays it as a cohesive work of art. Each track varies considerably in sound from the last, but each is painted using the same brush. That's why even the odder tracks like
Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors,
Morning Bell/Amnesiac and
Hunting Bears seem to coexist peacefully with the structurally straightforward songs. All in all,
Amnesiac is a bold gamble by Radiohead, but it's a brilliant, challenging and inventive record that has climbed on to the upper echelons of the band's discography. And that is one of the highest praises I can give to an album. Encore, Mr. Yorke and Co!
Recommended Tracks:
Like Spinning Plates
Pyramid Song
I Might be Wrong
Dollars and Cents
Life in a Glasshouse
