Review: “Kid A” (Radiohead)

“Kid A” is a polarizing album. Radiohead had seemingly perfected their alternative rock formula with the highly successful and widely praised album “OK Computer”. Instead of attempting a similar follow up, they completely deconstructed their sound and created an album that sounded completely different yet was still Radiohead. They almost completely left behind the rock part of their sound to create an almost entirely electronic album. The end result is an incredible and breathtaking album and possibly the greatest change in the direction of a band, ever.

The confusion this album created is obvious. Reviews range from perfect scores hailing it as masterpiece and the greatest pop album ever, while others call it a piece of trash and give it terrible scores. 

The change of sound is evident from the very beginning. Synthesizers pile up as Thom Yorke’s voice fades in and out in an incoherent manner to begin the first song, “Everything in Its Right Place”. Yorke continues to sing over the electronic soundscape chillingly singing the odd line “yesterday I woke up sucking on a lemon”. Various sound effects pile up as the song gradually becomes more chaotic. The title is almost an oxymoron, giving the disjointed feel of the song. 

Eventually the first track calms down to give way to the second song of the album, the title track. An electronic beat dominates the song as various synths add texture. Yorke’s voice is once again not understandable, but the lyrics aren’t the focus of the song. The atmosphere of the album continues to grow as the song continues. By this point, most listeners will already be swept away by the abstract sound of “Kid A”. 

If the first two tracks didn’t grab you in, “The National Anthem” is here to sweep away all doubts. Out of nowhere, a catchy and strong bass line appears to start perhaps the most rocking song of the whole album. The drums come crashing in and all doubts are swept away, Radiohead has outdone themselves once again. Various horns fade in and out through the course of the song, keeping the abstract feel alive. 

Radiohead once again shifts the tone of the album with the next song, “How to Disappear Completely”. This song is the spiritual successor to the “OK Computer” song “Exit Music (For a Film)”. It’s a slow and sad ballad featuring mostly just Yorke’s singing and an acoustic guitar, with various electronic textures spread throughout. The lyrics are quite melancholy with lines such as “I’m not here/this isn’t happening”. 

Just as “How to Disappear Completely” starts to wear out its welcome, the album returns to its electronic sound for the instrumental “Treefingers”. The song is comprised of various soothing synths and is virtually rhthym-less. The song acts as a nice intermission and is a good way to break up the album into two halves. 

The next song, “Optimistic” starts with a bang as a driving electronic drum beat and bass opens up the song, with Yorke and a guitar joining quickly. “Optimistic” is one of the few songs on the album to have a standard chorus, and it’s certainly quite catchy and great way to start the second half of the album. Like most Radiohead songs, the song is actually quite melancholy despite the title. The album ends on an almost funk note, creating a very cool segue to the next song.

“In Limbo” starts right where “Optimistic” leaves off. While certainly not a bad song by any means, it’s also not anything exciting, and as the title humorously suggests, is more of a long transition between the two pieces on each side. That being said, it should never be skipped and does help build the mood.

“Idioteque” is probably the most popular song on the album and is a fan favorite. The song has a very catchy electronic beat and synthesizer lead and the sing along line “Ice age comin’”. It is certainly one of the album’s many highlights.

“Idioteque” flows right into the penultimate song “Morning Bell”, which is a softer song with rather impressive singing by Yorke (well, more impressive than normal that is). The song grows more and more abstract and dissonant as it leads into the breathtaking album closer “Motion Picture Soundtrack”.

The song begins with horns with Yorke shortly joining. The song is a complete surprise in that it’s actually…upbeat. After an incredibly yet slightly melancholy album, it decides to end on an up note. Yorke sings “I think your crazy/maybe” and a harp joins in to give the song an almost epic quality. The song sounds very…big to give the album a grand finish. 

Or not? After a minute of silence there is a short orchestral instrumental piece to finish off the album, followed by another couple minutes of silence to let the listener reflect on what they have just heard.

The atmosphere this album creates is unparalleled by anything else I have ever listened to. As soon as the album starts I get swept away by its abstract and unique soundscape and lose myself completely for 50 minutes. There is so much beneath the surface of this album that each listen is just more and more satisfying. It’s rather hard to explain the impact this album has.

One certainly won’t notice this at first either. While interesting, the first listen might not be great. For me it took at least a couple listens before the album really got to me. It is certainly one of those albums that needs to be listened to multiple times before its secrets start to reveal themselves. Give the album some time and it ultimately may be the most rewarding album you own.

Not everyone will like this album, for it is by far the most “far out” album Radiohead has made. After this album they kept the electronic sound but also brought in more of their rock influence as well. Despite hitting #1 in the US it did not produce any singles or videos, mostly because this album is meant to be listened together as one piece and not as separate songs. People who like catchy four minute songs and don’t have the patience to listen through a whole album will not appreciate this at all, but everyone else (regardless of their favorite type of music) should listen to this album for it is a truly genre-transcending masterpiece.

Rating: 5/5

Track listing:

1. Everything in Its Right Place   (4:11)

2. Kid A   (4:44)

3. The National Anthem   (5:50)

4. How to Disappear Completely   (5:55)

5. Treefingers   (3:42)

6. Optimistic   (5:16)

7. In Limbo   (3:31)

8. Idioteque   (5:09)

9. Morning Bell   (4:29)

10. Motion Picture Soundtrack   (6:59)