Radiohead - Amnesiac
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Free Music Notes for Amnesiac
Free Music Review: Riveting, raw, & by far the most fascinating release of 2001
Hit: 5 Stars
....Me & many other people on the other hand are happy with the musical transition the band has accomplished, knowing that OK Computer #2 would've been much more disillusioning than Kid A or Amnesiac seeing that a masterpiece reminiscent of OKC comes around only once in an epoch. This album won't be easy to people who aren't familiar with Kid A, but for the ones who are it'll incontrovertibly reflect as its brighter side. ...Radiohead are my favourite band but also seeing that every track here deserves it ...-"Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box"- The incessant, hardtofllow drumbeats & electronic effects might give you the first impression that this is "Idioteque" part two, however Thom's vocals sounds tranquil + welcoming & the melody is- You're not gonna believe this- really catchy. Don't worry, of course Radiohead didn't start writing Britney Spearsish songs, it's just that this song is in point of fact rather hummable as opposed to many of Radiohead's other songs.
"Pyramid Song"- The first single off of this album is enforced by mesmerizing strings, dainty pianochords & what appears to be an impossible rhythm. The lyrics which refer to a dreamy, otherworldy experience make the song sound hopeful & even happy, not "gloomy" as many people here said. You've gotta love it.
"Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors"- The weakest track on the album ...however fortunately the electronic beat combined with Thom's distorted vocals prevent it from becoming dull. ....
"You And Whose Army?"- The piano (& Thom's voice too actually) have this hollow, jazzy feel to it which is nice + the chordprogression is really cool. The part where the rest of the band joins in sorta sounds like Kid A meets OKC (Only in a way though)- Neat.
"I Might Be Wrong"- Incontrovertibly one of the best songs on the album. An irresistible & very very VERY hooky guitarriff plays throughout most of the song, @ times actually manages to conceal bits & pieces of the chorus' beautiful melody. The part @ the end where you think the song is over but then the guitar/organ comes back in is superb, reminds me of stuff on Blur's last album 13.
"Knives Out"- The band said that they worked on this song for 373 (!) hours. Apparently you won't get this feeling listening to it, though the distinctive piano sounds a lot like the first guitar bit on "Paranoid Android". The lyrics which would under other circumstances sound appalling flow perfectly within the unforeseeable melody & that bit in the middle where Thom stops singing sounds kinda creepy (Though I think it's only me).
"Morning Bell/Amnesiac"- This version really differs from the Kid A one. The 10/8 drumbeat is gone, substituted by what sounds like actual bells. The "Cut the kids in half" part sounds much better here.
"Dollars And Cents"- Another strong point. The eerie arrangement doesn't mutilate the powerful melody Thom is singing, one of the best ones the band ever wrote. The lyrics, even if still fairly ambiguous, work flawlessly here, @ points even reminds you of that exultant angst we all felt whilst singing along to songs like "Airbag", "Paranoid Android" or "Electioneering". This song is essential.
"Hunting Bears"- This track will really surprise you. If you already know that this is an instrumental & expecting another indistinct "Treefingers" then prepare to be astounded. This guitar/organ interlude is really marvellous + it only lasts for two minutes (As opposed to the static, stagnant "Treefingers" which nearly made it to the fourth minute) id est you won't get sick of it, you'll want more of it.
"Like Spinning Plates"- The intro actually sounds like something is digging its way out of your stereo- Miraculous! After that you'll be treated with signature Radiohead electronica (Much like "Kinetic"- Sorry but I really love that song) & nightmarish lyrics. Should we ask for more?
"Life In A Glasshouse"- Yes we should. The last track here is, again, a fair candidate for best song on the album. The trumpet + jazz section sounds authentic & much more important moving, particularly on the chorus. In point of fact Thom's vocals & lyrics (& the lyrics on this one are the best on the album- Perchance seeing that the song was written during the OKC period) sound a tad pallid when compared to Humphrey's trumpet. A must.
Stanley Donwood's artwork must be referred to aswell- This is pretty much his best work since OKC, so as someone else here already said make sure you're actually purchasing the album, not downloading it. ....
Free Music Review: Kid A's Companion
Hit: 5 Stars
As soon as Radiohead had released Kid A and gone on tour with those songs many people had speculated as to why some of the best new songs played at the concert were not deemed good enough for that album.Then after all the experimentation of Kid A,some fans were delighted that there were a batch of songs that had the older more familiar Radiohead sound.So when I bought Amnesiac I was expecting to hear a more guitar and drums driven c.d..Well I got that one totally wrong.This is definitely a sister album of Kid A.It's full of experiments,has lots of treated vocals,uses plenty of drum machines and artificial beats-in fact it's even got a reprise of one song "Morning Bell" which was on Kid A.Fortunately I loved Kid A,but I actually think this album is even better from the basic point of view that the songs here while experimental,tend to work better and are more melodic.The opening seconds of the first song gives our first drum machine-which has an almost Asian/Buddist feel to it.Guitar is very hard to detect on this song,it's full of synth effects.The feel of the song is very quiet and mellow with Yorke's soft and almost untreated vocals warning someone ominously that "he's a reasonable man,so get off his case".Of course this isn't the first time on this c.d. where the lyrics speak of a threatening defiance.Once again most of the lyrics are very miserable and very beautiful.This is certainly evident on "Pyramid Song" with it's theme of suicide and "black-eyed angels".This song is driven by a suitably haunting piano,strings which have a distinctly eastern flavour and the most wonderfully sympathetic drumming you're likely to hear.The next song is more experimental then anything on Kid A!What sounds like a hammond organ in the background is drowned out completely by the sound of lots of heavy drum machines.And then the vocals are the most treated I've heard yet-I mean it could be anyone.Many critics seem to dislike this song but I actually like it-okay the lyrics may make no sense but it is sort of like Radiohead doing dance music but in a totally unconventional way.
The next three songs are vintage Radiohead and will be the ones most enjoyed by those who liked everything until Kid A.Yes the guitars flourish in these songs.The first one "You And Whose Armies" once again sees Yorke having a defiant dig at someone.It all remains very quiet until 2 minutes in,it reaches a glorious finale with the full band and piano joining in.The next song is one of the best from any Radiohead album.Driven by an excellent meaty almost blues guitar riff.This one will certainly satisfy those older fans.The vocals are not very prominent on this song but then they're not of the treated variety-no this one is Jonny Greenwood's song.The break in the song is also excellent."Knives Out" is also excellent and could have come from The Bends.Acoustic and gentle electric guitar dominate this song.Vocals are strong,louder and clear as day-but the theme and sound of despair once again.Make no mistake this c.d. won't be used to cheer people up.
I'm not sure why Radiohead have put out Morning Bell on this c.d. also.Okay it does sound different,more full on melodic then it's Kid A version and lyrically it's more distinct and very dark.Song 8 "Dollars And Cents" is a really good song.The guitar is gently strummed but it is slightly distorted and sounds really interesting.The drums are gentle with an almost jazzy feel and this is all backed beautifully by strings or a synth that sounds very like a full on string section.The multi-layered vocals also give this song an eerie hypnotic feel.Then we have a 2 minute blues guitar instrumental which is very atmostpheric.Spinning Plates uses lots of technology,so much so that I'm convinced it's the sound of several instruments played backwards but speeded up.The last song is very unusual in that it sounds like a New Orleans funeral march.They use veteran British jazzman Humphrey Lyttelton,who I'm sure helped compose the cacophony of brass sounds that dominate this song.Very different for Radiohead and it goes to show that this is a group constantly evolving.Good as a once off but I hope they don't do a full jazz album for their next creation.
All in all I loved Kid A but I like this album even more.I've played it now 5/6 times find it's more accessible then it's predecessor.They still have all the experiments,it's just that the songs are way better.
Free Music Review: Perfect, and the best to date.
Hit: 5 Stars
Packt Like.. is very listenable, Kid A'ish, & I like what Thom does to his voice (at first I thought it must be Ed because it doesn't sound like Thom, and who else could it be, but after a few listens, his phrasing is identifiable)- I also love the lyric "I'm a reasonable man, get off my case" because I don't know if that's really how he sees himself, even though he states it as if he's convinced he does. The tone of Pyramid Song reminds me of my favorite Bends song - Nice Dream(I think it's the "black eyed angel" line & the "ooh's" and that it sounds like he's describing a dream), but also has an OK feel to it because it's darker, with slow drumming. Pulk/Pull is incredible. The hypnotic rhythym is what I love, along with the lyrics and the vocals. It sounds like a little boy giving a book report - I love the line "there are doors...that you can't come back from" - like he's reporting something he's pretty sure we know about already and he's embarassed that it's a revelation to him. I get a kick out of You and Whose Army - the lyrics are so typically male, but I'm hearing them delivered with a sarcastic admonition (I might be wrong - they are just a bunch of guys, after all). It really kicks in half way through when Thom starts wailing "You and (you are? you asked?)" and becomes a straight forward rock song. I love the economy of this song - great, simple lyrics, fabulous hook, beginning, middle, end. Perfectly constructed. I Might Be Wrong speaks for itself and should be the Creep of 2001 - it is highly listenable and should appeal to anyone who hears it. I like it when they slam on the brakes toward the end of the song, though, to remind us that they aren't doing that kind of thing anymore, which, of course, they are because, here it is. I like Knives Out a lot, and the latin beat on this and other songs on this side remind me so much of Pablo Honey's Blow Out, and the deliberate pace also reminds me of Lurgee from Pablo Honey. It's guitar work and Thom's singing are reminiscent of the Bends, but it's darker. The line "not coming back" is a simple, efficient hook - these guys really, really know what they're doing. They have become so good at putting a song together in the most economic, but effective way. People keep talking about them evolving, but I believe that what they are really doing is becoming experts at their jobs. We all evolve, we just don't all have the ambition to incorporate it into our daily work the way that they have been doing. I like the Amnesiac version of Morning Bell a lot, but it's not as different as I expected it to be after reading an interview in which Thom was reported to have said that it's included because it's essentially a different song. I think Dollars & Cents, another song with a latin beat harkening back to Pablo Honey, is one of the best songs on the album because of the way it builds in intensity. I just love it when you know Thom's going to end up wailing at the end of a song. The guitars are very Bends like, and the drums are stupendous. The progression and length of the song are reminiscent of OK Computer. I also think this song is interesting because of the reference to something so American which is also something Thom seems to be very involved with (the world economy). I remember him saying that he thought America was "silly" during the Creep days. I get the feeling, with his interest in the world economy, that he has decided that we are also a very productive and powerful country. Hunting Bears is a guitar piece that sounds Japanese influenced, which would be another interesting nod to a culture they've been introduced to through their work, if that's what it is. I like the raw sound of the guitar. Like Spinning Plates is another of the best songs on the album - the backward sounding electronic hook and the lyrical hook "And this just feels like...spinning plates" are perfect. I'm interested in seeing what the distorted lyrics are all about, and I'm guessing I'll see them on one of the fan web sites soon? It's like they've supplied a little puzzle to work on in your spare time. Every time I hear the beginning of Living in a Glass House, I do not like it. But it is compelling, especially since it sounds so paranoid and bitter, and I love it when an artist isn't afraid to sound very human and frail. The perfect end to a(nother) perfect Radiohead album.Free Music Review: WHAT DO YOU PEOPLE WANT, COLDPLAY????!!!!!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
I am getting more and more confounded and aggravated by these ignoramus reviewers who foolishly ask "where's the dang guitars and loud and happy, melodic stuff?" as they furrow their brows in a vain attempt to understand the situation. Attention people, if you want warm,let's-look-at-the-bright-side-of-things,Major G major C Major G music, please look towards Travis and Coldplay. If you want paranoid, post-apocalyptic mastery concerning the pitfalls of society, then please, look through the smog and into the light. Amnesiac has stayed in my Cd player for many reasons. Its sparse musical vistas, the swirling intelligent insight throughout, and godammit, great songs. The CD kicks of with "Pakt like Sardines......" that sounds like a narrative of a downtrodden robot who has a heartless job in Computer networking. Ironic, haunting song, but that's just my opinion. Pyramid Song, unbelievably beautiful, and the correlations of this song and Dante's Inferno are quite interesting(going to heaven, crossing a river with all of your past experiences). Pulk, not my favourite but definitely an interesting trip in industrial techno. I does start to grow on you. You and Whose Army, a defeated, sombre song that sounds like a doomed attempt to fight against a corporate or political entity. I love the crescendo. I Might Be Wrong. For some reason, this song reminds me of Idioteque. While Idioteque says 'this is really happening', I Might Be Wrong does just the opposite, the narrator tries to convince himself to 'have ourselves a good time/it's nothin' at all' and makes statements like 'i used to think that there was no future left at all'. But the song's title gives the self-doubt of the narrator away. Great Song. Knives Out. Most rockish song on the album, and makes me think of some yuppie leaving his wife and children to go live in some corporate networking, satanic, canniballistic outpost. Quite depressing, but a fantastic song. Amnesiac/Morning Bell. Many consider this song needless, but it serves a very important purpose to the main theme of the album, and (in my opinion) that is forgetting things that shouldn't be discussed, and the impossibility of having an unbiased, clear memory. Apparently one day Thom forgot how to play Morning Bell, and it came out like the Amnesiac version. Beautiful song. Dollars & Cents. Probably my favorite track on the album. Almost an anthem for globalization(anti). I always envision a thug hired by a corporation, or by George Bush, who kidnaps an unsuspecting citizen that resistance is futile(we're gonna crack your little souls). An outstanding, defiant baseline and eerie muted guitar throughout. Great ending too. Hunting Bears. I haven't really formed that much of an opinion of this track yet. Sounds to me like Arabian Oil Companies killing for a market with the West. Like Spinning Plates. Amazing, shuddering organ. This song reminds me of some of the ambient parts of Dark Side of the Moon, with undertones of madness and helplessness throughout. Great song. Life in a Glass House. Some say this is a song about paranoia of being famous rockstars, but i disagree. To me, this song more or less sounds like a party at the Cafe in 1984, where people go after they have been "corrected" by the state. It sounds like one man is still conscious of the misery, and would like to cry out "but someone's listening in". A great ending to a down-trodden, defeated album. I can really see why the band decided to put the songs in seperate albums. To me, Kid A tells the story of the coming of the Apocalypse, and people have forgotten the warnings of the cataclysm (Memory, see?) but it is too late, the end is happening. Please do not dismiss this album as throwaways from Kid A. I believe these two albums are equally good, and WILL BE REMEMBERED. COLDPLAY WILL NOT. LIMP BIZKIT WILL NOT. STAIND Will not. RADIOHEAD WILL.Free Music Review: Mainstream music is not dead...as long as there is radiohead
Hit: 5 Stars
I listened to Radiohead in the "reverse order" so to speak, starting with Kid A, ending with Pablo Honey. Pablo Honey is their only weak album, and quite frankly I hated it, but this isn't a review of Pablo Honey...When I first got Kid A, it took me a lot of listens to even figure it out, I mean, I was exremely intrigued by this almost montrous recording, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what made it work. Maybe it was because I had virtually no previous experience with <i>Radiohead, Aphex Twin, or Boards of Canada </i>,(PS, check out Boards of Canada, they are fantastic) but it took me a while to get into it.
Amnesiac is an extremely difficult album to those who only previous experience in music are <i>Limp Bizkit</i> or <i>O-Town</i>. But to those who are music afficionados, and got all the obscure band references from <i> High Fidelity </i>, this album is for you. Although as all radiohead records need to played as a whole, here is a little review track by track.
1) Pakt like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box: Thom gives the impression of a paranoid, whithered old man, sulking into the corner of a dimly lit room, with his contant repeating of "I'm a reasonable man/get off my case." Not as of great of an opening track as "Everything in it's right place", but still good.
2) Pyramid Song: The album's first single and easily is seen why. The most accessible track. A constant repeating piano melody gives the sense of doom, while the strings make you feel like you are lost at sea. Fantastic.
3) Pull/Pulk Revolving Doors: Scary to fall asleep to. The random sputtering of the lyrics from what sounds like a broken down robot gives you the sense of falling through door after door until your death.
4) You and Whose Army? One of my favorite tracks. Thom's voice is utilized to the full extent, breathing life into the lyrics. His voice is so frightened, so upset, it sounds like a scared, shaking individual who is shouting out random babbelings at unknown adversaries.
5) I Might be Wrong: Blues-y, sounds almost like a normal band!(wow!) The kind-of-rock track on the record.
6) Knives out: Frightening Lyrics that suggest an unwarranted murder, without any mercy. Imagine an insane person calling for an execution, and shouting to all his friends "so...knives out!!!" as they take them out of their pockets and go in for the kill.
7) Morning Bell/Amnesiac: Same morning bell from Kid A, only with dissonant live instruments, like someone a thousand years in the future, who is extremely distraught, trying to cover the Kid a version.
8) Dollars and Cents: Another one of my favorite tracks: The main character seems to have a beyond obsession with money, an almost evil love of it. Thom shouts "All of the dollars and cents" repeatedly while on another vocal track, he mutters under his breath "We are going to CRACK your little souls"
9) Hunting Bears: instrumental, all guitars. I haven't really gotten an image out of it, like I did with Treefingers. Maybe it will just take more time.
10) Like Spinning Plates: My second favorite track. a whirring techno sound makes me imagine the character in a dark futuristic city, with towers that have spinning plates on top, as the character jumps in the "muddy river" and tries to float away from this society he hates so much. I personally think they perfect the whole soundscape idea on this song.
11) Life in a Glass House: My favorite track. Uses aleatoric jazz elements not unlike from "The National Anthem." Gives the impression that the paranoid/skitzophrenic character believes everyone can see through the walls of his house, as he hides his head in the corner of the damp basement, with his head exploding from all the images and thoughts contained in his brain. His memory cannot take anymore.
Five Stars.