Review Summary: Weird noises that just make sense
Radiohead released a really cool album almost 10 years ago today! It is hard to believe it was so long ago when this album feels so fresh and gripping. The synths flutter, the drums tinge and crack in just the right blood curdling way that make Kid A both a haunting experience and a bodank one.
The album kicks off with the classic song ‘Karma Police’ introduced by some lightly played, simple piano keys. Nothing really special I mean we have all heard pianos before right? But for this album it is really more of the entire spectrum rather than the sum of the parts and that is what makes the album a real hoot. There are all sorts of strange noises that come in and out of play, ranging anywhere from whacky to bizarre. These noises somehow though all come together whether it be to blend in, build atmosphere or progress the music even further. The vocals on the song ‘Kid A’ for example aren’t anything like Amy Whinehouse (RIP baby) but they do work with the electronics and computer gibble that all goes on, making a really cool effect and that is what makes me proud to be a Radiohead fan, not that they are just obscure and cool as beans but that they take approaches that one would consider just abstract or silly and turn it into gold.
‘The National Anthem’ is a really awesome song probably the best on the album so if you haven’t heard anything from Radiohead I would probably start here. The guitar starts off with a dissonant guitar line that sounds almost like the wind. The drums have a real weight to them slamming down and building vastly with intensity and the creepy wind noises drone along in the background. All sorts of other noises and horns come into play falling in and out of the drum beat as if they are just collapsing around the thudding pace of the drums. 5/5
Then of course you can’t forget about ‘Optimistic’ if you ever feel bad about your math test mark then look no further! Cus unlike my mom this song forgives me for my shortcomings, Thom Yorke may have not ever met me but he understands me better than anyone else I know probably and that is even with not being able to understand a word he says. 2/5
Overall this album is really neat featuring some cool drum patterns that build in intensity and create a soundscape, the noises all fall and build upon each other making this album feel scary almost
