RADIOHEAD: Amnesiac

Posted 07/01/01                                          email jb now

Talk about ambivalence. After a year of waiting, Radiohead comes out with a "new" album. Yes, and it is what you would expect from Radiohead: it's dark, ambient, brooding, whiny, self-indulgent, groovy, innovative, brilliant and pretentious. But it's also something that you wouldn't expect: it is old. It was recorded at the same time as Kid A, released last year.

Now, even though I've tried to get past it, this simple fact has been a real sticking point for me. When I realized that these two albums were generated together, I felt ripped-off. I immediately thought of the White Album: at a time when the Beatles were at their most prolific, just coming back from the Maharishi in India, they had a huge backlog of songs. Even Ringo had a song. But the Beatles didn't stop and say, "Wait, lets hold off on this half of what we've done so we can make twice the cash." No, they put it all out there. To me there is something admirable about producing, producing, producing, and then clearing off the desk for a new project.

Perhaps even a better example of this generosity and drive would be one of my all-time favorite bands, the Clash. Not only was "London Calling" a double album for the price of one, but they even threw in an additional track after the cover went to press. And the next album, "Sandinista!" was three albums long, again for the same price. Though it may have been hard to approach immediately, it is now recognized for the groundbreaking album that it is—with tracks that are proto-electronica, dancehall, calipso, reggae, and good ol' p-to-the-f'n rock.

On the other hand, I can see how this may not be a truly appropriate ruler to measure Radiohead by. In their defense, Amnesiac and "Kid A" are not "Sandinista!" or "London Calling," or even The White Album. There are no Ringo songs here. Both albums are dense, layered, and deep. You have to listen to these albums—these are not background, sweeping-your-floor, doing-your-dishes albums. Nor are the two albums conceptually bound to each other, nor are the songs on each album related. They do not attempt to tell a story like Pink Floyd's "The Wall."

Still, I think they could have thought this one out. It's a small point, but really. They could have figured out a good way to get all of this material out in a way that didn't seem so, well, distasteful.

All of this said, Amnesiac is a great album, much the way Kid A is. A great leap forward from even such a groundbreaking effort as "OK Computer." They blend electronic music with traditional rock instruments that create something very new and extraordinary, and the integration is seamless. It has humor, too—mixed in with the pathetic, woe-is-me, barely intelligible mutterings of lead singer Thom Yorke. Songs like "You and Whose Army" are genuinely funny, while songs like "Life in a Glasshouse" and "Knives Out" are genuinely soulful.

It's a good album: so, can I get past the packaging?

Yes.

Should I?

Well, yes—but only because life is short and it's only Rock 'N Roll.



Comments, or suggestions for albums or events to review? Send an email to: jboyte@ululation.com