Radiohead - Amnesiac
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Free Music Notes for Amnesiac
Free Music Review: really great
Hit: 5 Stars
radiohead have been THE most intersting band of the last four years, and that is saying a lot. nearly all of the great bands of the 90's didn't make it to the next decade (bands like nirvana, the smashing pumpkins, soundgarden), but radiohead have kept it up for over a decade, and now, with, 'amnesiac,' radiohead unleash their most complicated (and ultimately rewarding) album to date.packt like sardines in a crushd tin box - an odd, electronic ditty to start the album with. don't judge the rest of the album by this song, because none of them are like it.
pyramid song - 'amnesiac's crowning masterpiece; this may be the best song radiohead have ever recorded. dramatic, lilting, and downright gorgeous, it's almost like a religious experience.
pulk/pull revolving doors - another strange, electronic piece. this is the last one of it's sort on the album.
you and whose army? - another painfully beautiful song. it has a soft, slow beginning, but then transforms into a grand, piano-driven masterpiece. definitely one of the best songs on the album.
i might be wrong - oh my god! they actually went back to guitar-hooks for this song! an unexpected rocker, this song never fails to make me happy. it has a bluesy (although tense) feeling to it; you'll be nodding your head in no time.
knives out - yet another amazing song, beautiful, yet scary. as i've read, this is a song about cannibalism. don't be fooled by the pretty tune.
amnesiac/morning bell - this is an alternate version of a song off of, 'kid a,' and it is equally as brilliant, although very, very different. it's very slow, and sounds like a mixture of a child's nightmare and the theme from, 'journey to the center of the earth.'
dollars & cents - this is an anti-capitalist rant that is the most satisfying song on the album. it has a strange, exotic beat with a string section, and thom yorke ranting about the evil's of money.
hunting bears - just a short, lyric-less piece of noise from the machine. interesting to listen to but not an actual song.
like spinning plates - here is where radiohead does something completely different, but the song is not easy to listen to. yorke sings sweetly over a strange, bass-laden tape loop, and that's the entire song.
life in a glasshouse - radiohead abandons rock-experimentalism for this track, and goes into an all-out jazz romp. the brass section is excellent.
so, for god's sake, buy this album!!! if you were put off by, 'kid a,' don't go by that judgement, because this album truly sounds nothing like it.
Free Music Review: Artists At Work
Hit: 5 Stars
If you had announced in 1967 that "Sgt. Pepper" was the greatest album in the history of popular music, people would have dismissed you as a Beatles freak. But 20 years later the world's rock critics -- and most of the rest of the planet -- would come to agree. There are Beatles records that I listen to more often, but it's hard to deny the audacity of "Sgt. Pepper," the way it seems to pull together the entire history of song and apply it to an examination of Life on Earth, circa 1967.Most of the world or rock criticism has already annointed "OK Computer" (1997) Radiohead's masterpiece -- and it is breathtaking -- but it is only the "Revolver" of this Oxford band's ouvre. "Amnesiac" is yet another pinnacle.
Where "OK Computer" begins with a guitar riff, "Amnesiac" starts with what sounds like a drum set at the bottom of a swimming pool. "Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box" is (like much of last year's "Kid A"), electronica that, refreshingly, doesn't sound like it evolved from disco, hip-hop, or lite pop. "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors" sounds like Laurie Anderson playing around with Trent Reznor's sample collection and is quite possibly the most arresting thing Radiohead has ever committed to tape.
"What!?" the masses cry. "But where's the guitar? You can't even tell what the words are!" Such outcry sounds vaguely like lambasting Picasso for drawing all those messed-up faces. Anyone wanting to hear this band repeat "The Bends" (1995) -- or anything else they've ever heard -- is either listening to the wrong band or listening in the wrong way. Radiohead has left all conventions and expectations behind.
This is not a record to put on at a birthday party, or while you're driving to the beach, or (god forbid) while studying. This is one to put on, and turn out all the lights, and lay on the floor, and experience. Suspend disbelief, as one would in a movie theater, and let the music take you where it will. The melodies are there, and the humanity -- and, yes, the guitars -- but these comforts arrive well-disguised and under cover of a dark and mysterious night -- not unlike "Within You Without You" or "Mr. Kite" from "Sgt. Pepper." It's too soon to rationally call "Amnesiac" the best rock album ever made, but it's not hard to imagine a future, 20 years down the road, where nothing sounds as powerful or inspired as this.
Free Music Review: Much more than a sequel to Kid A... it's even better
Hit: 5 Stars
Don't get me wrong. I love Kid A -- I think it was by far the best album released last year. However, Radiohead have topped themselves again with Amnesiac, which just happens to have been recorded at the same time as Kid A. Amnesiac merges the experimental style of Kid A with the great songwriting of earlier Radiohead efforts. A greater (compared to Kid A) emphasis on Thom Yorke's vocals also elevates this work to higher emotional levels than Kid A achieved.This album deserves a song-by-song review, so here goes...
1. Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box - 4.5/5 - A great opener that provides transisition from Kid A to Amnesiac. Really sets the tone for the album.
2. Pyramid Song - 5/5 - wow... I feel like I went to heaven in a little rowboat.
3. Pulk/pull Revolving Doors - 3.5/5 - A pretty cool song, but not quite up to the standards of the rest of the album. It does have a great beat to it though.
4. You and Whose Army? - 4.5/5 - Another great one that shows off Radiohead's unique songwriting talents.
5. I Might Be Wrong - 4/5 - Solid guitar-driven song. The highlights of this track are Thom's vocals and Colin's bass line.
6. Knives Out - 4/5 - Another guitar-centric number. Could be the next single... I'd bet. Not really radio material, but that's a good thing.
7. Morning Bell/Amnesiac - 4/5 - Really cool reworking of Morning Bell. Sounds like an acid trip. This reminds me of the Beatles' Revolution, with the different versions of the same song.
8. Dollars & Cents - 4.5/5 - Didn't like this song as much as first, but it really grew on me, now it's one of my favorites. "Why don't you quiet down?"
9. Hunting Bears - 3.5/5 - Fits with the album as a whole, but this little instrumental interlude doesn't really stand up on it's own.
10. Like Spinning Plates - 5/5 - Incredible! I love Thom's vocal effect in the verse... he learned to sing the verse backwards, then they reversed his backwards recording back to forwards. It's hard to understand, but sounds really good.
11. Life in a Glass House - 5/5 - Radiohead can write a song in any style of music and still make it work. This is a departure, even for them, but it adds up to one of their best songs ever.
Although I gave some songs 3.5/5 it's important to remember that these songs work 20x better in context. That's why I rated the whole album a 5/5. Amnesiac is an another amazing record from these paranoid androids, that only deepens with every spin.
Free Music Review: Maybe not for blasting out your car stereo...
Hit: 5 Stars
I remember listening to this album while reading at the library on cold winter days somewhere in upstate New York when the sun did not shine (which was often). These songs have a haunted feel that perhaps matched my surroundings and my mood. I agree that this album is maybe not right for every single occasion, but I feel I have to defend some songs on this album that have been pounded on by others. In my opinion, this is one of the best albums in terms of interesting music that you can actually enjoy listening to. I have listened to this album (as well as all of the other Radiohead albums) from start to finish many times, and for some reason, Amnesiac is the most fun. As for the disjointed sound, who is bothered by this now? How many people have not gotten used to listening to a wide range of music on iPod shuffle mode? I am not one of those guys who defends avant-garde art because it's daring or clever. I actually like these songs for what they are. In terms of favorites...
1.Life in a glass house--like being drunk in an old French wine bar on a wet night walking home with your crumpled hat and clinging to a telephone pole for support. I was shocked to see other people don't like this song. It gives me chills every time I hear it. But hey different strokes.
2.Pyramid song--driving through an unknown mountain town on a cold still night alone. I like how this song builds into that dreamy, melodic nowhereness.
3.You and whose army--I like how weak his voice sounds in contrast to his big words--overall it gives me the feel of a weak person reminding someone who is tormenting him that we are all weak and there is strength in numbers. Do not mess with us!
4.Hunting bears--as a post-apocalyptic source of nutrition, bears will be hunted. It will be a sad time. This song will make it sadder.
5.Spinning plates--probably not good enough to listen to on repeat, or maybe not ever, what the hell, skip this one.
6.Knives out--sounds more like a Radiohead song than anything else on this album, and it's good, but not as good as some of the other songs on Amnesiac.
Anyhoo, if you don't like this album I can't help you. It's not worth trying to change someone's opinion regarding music anyway. (Have you ever tried to recommend something you are super excited about to someone and they are like, eh..) I feel that way about this album. I'm just glad I have it and can listen to it on my headphones so as to not annoy those around me.
Free Music Review: Moving, Original, And Brilliant Piece Of Music
Hit: 5 Stars
Wow. That's pretty much all I can say. Wow. Let me strain for a moment to try to give individual reviews of the songs, even though they all flow together in their own special way. The transition between "Pyramid Song" and "Pulk" is breath-taking. PS is slowing down, after a smooth, orchestral climax...then all of a sudden, BAM! Pulk comes out of nowhere with a stop-start, driving, creepy rhythm. It's like the purpose of that is to wake up the listener after being put in the hypnotic trance of "Pyramid Song".1.Packt... 10/10 The best opener I've ever heard. It immediately draws you into the album, and when the song ends, leaves you with that craving for more of the album. A fantastic rhythm.
2.Pyramid Song 10/10 Quite frankly, the best song since Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Piano work that, no BS, is comparable to some of Beethoven's early work.
3.Pulk... 10/10 Think about your worst fear...then set it to music. This is Pulk. After listening to this song, you'll be very jumpy.
4.You And Whose Army? 9.5/10 Tear-jerking vocals. It'd be perfect if it wasn't short. (3:10)
5.I Might Be Wrong 10/10 Catchy and meaningful. Some of the best lyrics I've ever heard. "I used to think there was no future left at all"...
6.Knives Out 9.5/10 Just about perfect. Great singing on Thom's part; when you hear him burst into the song with "I want you to know/He's not coming back", it's an auralgasm.
7.Morning Bell/Amnesiac 9/10 The lowest-scoring song on the album, and I rated it a 9! Just goes to show how great this album is. A song from a previous album, just remixed a little.
8.Dollars & Cents 10/10 Unlike any other song I've ever heard...how can you describe D&C? I'll leave that to another reviewer.
9.Hunting Bears 9.5/10 A 2-minute guitar/organ instrumental in the vain of Pink Floyd...perfect for relaxing to.
10.Like Spinning Plates 10/10 Most experimental thing I've ever heard...it makes me cry every time I hear it.
11.Life In A Glass House 10/10 I'm gushing with perfect scores, and for good reason. A tear-jerking jazz/piano combo with Thom singing his heart out...best jazz arrangement ever. Yes, I know there's a lot of "best-ever" awards I'm slapping on these songs, but I truly mean it. At the end, Thom is reduced to a whimper. "There's someone listening iiiiiiin". One final horn trumpet and it's all over.
Buy it.