Radiohead

Item: Kid A
Author: David O.

Kid A

(2000)

Reviewed by David O.

Discogs Bandcamp Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Capitol RecordsReAL Magazine2000

alternative rock art rock electronic experimental

Modern music is suffering these days. Living in this hip, technological age is hindering the quality of music currently being made. Instead of writing letters, we write emails, and we don't try as hard as we should to articulate what we're trying to communicate. Modern rock has been greatly affected by the fast paced, convenient world in which it exists. Listen to the radio for ten minutes and you'll know what I mean; all of the songs sound the same and are about the same things (broken hearts, being in love, etc.). No one is saying anything new, and as a result people are having a harder time communicating and connecting with one another on anything deeper than a superficial level. Everything is quick and easy. No band struggles against this with more tenacity than Radiohead.

Kid A is the band's fourth full length release, and though lyrically hard to pin down, it clearly depicts an individual trying to hold on to themselves in a world that wants to define people by the kind of sweater they wear. In 'How to Disappear Completely,' Thom Yorke sings "In a little while, I'll be gone / The moment's already passed, yeah it's gone / I'm not here, this isn't happening". On 'In Limbo,' he sings, "You're living in a fantasy world / I'm lost at sea, don't bother me / I've lost my way." Clearly Yorke feels disconnected from the world, and perhaps even severed from himself. As we watch time expire and life speed around us it is easy to become disoriented. As life speeds up and becomes more convenient and "pleasant," it grows less defined and less meaningful.

The album is a new starting point for the band, which is why some of the songs sound somewhat incomplete and underdeveloped. The band is toying with a lot of new ideas and technology, and they can't be expected to have a handle on it yet. Still, the band has done some things that few, if any, bands have ever done while under contract with a major label.

Overall, Kid A sounds thin. This isn't bad. Lacking are the big guitar and bass sounds from previous records. In their place, are stripped down electronic beats and sounds that don't fill out the speakers like 'My Iron Lung' and 'Paranoid Android' of the past. Although Yorke's melodies become more and more apparent with each listen, they are not as up front as on previous albums Pablo Honey, The Bends, and Ok Computer.

On 'Idioteque,' Yorke's vocal line is hard to follow initially, though his falsetto wailings become infectious as the listener grows more familiar with the song. On this track, the band uses a raw sounding keyboard as the main instrument instead of two or three guitars. An eighties-sounding electronic dance beat serves as the rhythm track, replacing the drums of Phil Selway. This is probably the most ambitious, different track the band has ever done. It is one of the best on Kid A.

'Everything in its Right Place,' the first track of the disc, is also driven by a keyboard or organ, with only the pulse of a bass drum keeping the song together. No guitars can be heard, and few instruments make an appearance. This song, like many of the others on the record, has a very loose structure, uncharacteristic of most rock bands. The band has clearly been influenced by electronic and ambient music, which doesn't rely heavily on melody or structure.

Radiohead has made a very timely record with Kid A. It does well in articulating the frustrations many of us feel in establishing our identities in this age of consumerism. We need to slow ourselves down and breathe. We need to pray. This is very difficult to do with the computer humming in the office, the TV beckoning in the living room, and the fridge buzzing in the kitchen.