Amnesiac

Reviewers should probably start by admitting their bias, and mine is that I loved Kid A. Having I enjoyed Radiohead since Creep and The Bends, I realised with OK Computer that this was not a band content to musically stand still. All of the major artists like The Beatles,Dylan,Bowie etc.have been driven by the urge to explore and, despite the inevitable clunker, emerged stronger for it. And, inevitably, their old fans attacked them for it. I find Amnesiac to be a far more melodically accessible album than Kid A, but it only works if you're not expecting more of the stadium rock anthems of yore. Certainly, it's not an album for everyone, but compared to the later work of,say, Autechre or Squarepusher it's actually rather user-friendly given its ambitions. I left one star off because I feel the best work of Radiohead is still to come. But complaining that it doesn't all sound like My Iron Lung is like complaining that I Am The Walrus isn't as good as Please Please Me.

"Kid A" and "Amnesiac" are largely the two sides of the same coin. Written and recorded at the same time, the two albums are the twins of the same musical pregnancy, seperated and left to live their own lives. "Amnesiac" suffers slightly from being the younger brother - the perception being it is made of out-takes and not very good songs. This is nonsense.

The two albums really are part of the same whole and should be seen only as companion pieces, not seperate entities. One could argue that each should have different selections and running orders, that the records are in a way, slightly schizophrenic, split personalities that would've benefit from seperation into two distinct stories, and you would be right. But they are in themselves, both, valid artistic statements with no shortage of integrity or vision.

What is truly baffling is the bonus tracks are, once again, shattered into pieces and fragmented out. The concert that appends "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" is a complete, and passionate one hour from French television after the release of the second album. Nonetheless, the concert is broken into two parts, and the songs divided into their parent albums. Instead of a Radiohead concert, you get a random assortment of songs lacking any cohesion. And since it was broadcast on French Television, you might expect the television broadcast on the DVD that accompanies them.... Well, you'd be wrong. The callous and heathen mutilation of the material is lacking in even a moments thought.

Not only that, but the bonus tracks are frankly, very incomplete, and are presented without a moments thought as to how they may sound when listened to as a complete experience.

The shows they are taken from are mutilated, cut to pieces, kids cut in half, torn apart by demons, and abandoned as roadkill with no care. If these releases are EMI's funeral farewell to Radiohead, theyc ould at least bury the records with dignity instead of leaving the corpse in the road.

The 10 song DVD that accompanies "Amnesiac" is servicable, but again, there's so much space unused, and the whole of that Paris concert that is licensed - and available spread across the two CD's in bits - still remains in a vault visually. What a waste. How these can be regarded as bonus editions when they are assembled with no artistry, no coherency, and no consideration is fairly incomprehensible.

This is the sound of a slapdash, half-bothered attempt to put together some vague appetisers to fool the majority of the public and assembled without any consideration for either what is actually available or what makes any form of musical or artistic sense, validity, or cohesion. The sound of a goal being missed as administrators devalue the art.

Sure, it's a fairly hefty bonus package and assembled with some decency, but it is, by any standard, an incomplete package assembled with no thought for what could provide a truly outstanding release. Why be great, when you can be good? Must try harder.

If any Radiohead album epitimises the great music transition made at the turn of the millenium, 'Amnesiac' is it. Pre-2000 Radiohead was a totally different beast to the 21st century version, and this change in style, attitude and imagination is evident through their fifth studio album. The experimental nature of the disc was revolutionary at the time and proved Radiohead were no ordinary alternative rock band; they had the musical inovation required to create an album as unique and influential as Sgt. Peppers.

'Amnesiac' remains a lynchpin of their live act, not in the numerical sense, but in the way that the most moving memorable songs in the set were from the record. I recently saw them live at the Hammersmith Apollo and tracks from the album played a big part. The concert began with the sensationally moving 'You and Whose Army'. We were immersed in darkness and the beautiful piano and thickened vocals cut through me like a smooth feather. My spine tingled with excitement and I almost began to well up with emotion. Later in the set the jaunty bounce of 'Dollars and Cents' elated the crowd as Thom Yorke's dramatic (and often disturbing) lyrics sent waves of tension and angst throughout the audience. Although the album featured no more from Amnesiac, it could have done.

For example, the fantastic 'Pyramid Song', a similarly dramatic track to 'You and Whose Army', could well have played a huge part in the act, mainly due to its captivating emotion. 'I Might Be Wrong' and the truly superb guitar fuelled 'Knives Out' are also memorable songs adding great depth to the album.

'Amnesiac' however is an experimental, electronic album, so songs such as 'Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Can' and the jazz-fusion 'Life In A Glasshouse' require a particularly acquired taste. The backward sense insued by 'Like Spinning Plates' is often regarded as a high point of Amnesiac due its totally unique nature. The pain and anguish expressed in Thom Yorke's vocals are an amazingly physical feeling, and as Yorke wails 'It feels just like spinning plates' listeners everywhere feel (apart from slight confusion) a tragic sympathy towards Thom, whatever his problem may be. Elsewhere, the industrial dance track 'Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors' is a particularly strange point of Amnesiac, but still a fascinating one; the instrumental interlude 'Hunting Bears' gives off an ominous sense of well being; as does the slightly merrier version of 'Kid A's' 'Morning Bell'.

The imagination required to make such an amazingly unusual album as 'Amnesiac' is beyond belief. Radiohead surpassed so many expectations, defied so many critics, and often worried many fans due to their total betrayel of commercial success and guitar bassed indie music; and all to provide an extra depth to the music scene and widen the musical poriphoral. Not many can argue that Radiohead are consequently a vital aspect of music history and a fantastic band, and should be remembered for a very long time.