Radiohead - Amnesiac (2001)

Anyone can play guitar eh? Anyone it seems except Radiohead. Amnesiac was recorded at the same studio sessions that produced 'Kid A' and in reality, this album is the sorry sequel to that mixed up affair. Where Radiohead could have developed on that tatty mess and produced something more worthwhile they instead opt for an altogether disjointed approach yet again. Sequels should show some progression but inexplicably Radiohead have conjured up a monument to regression. From the word go something is amiss. 'Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box' could easily be a cut from a chilled out trance album. Why Radiohead would ever wish to outdo someone like Ferry Corsten is beyond me. Are they simply bored by their musical roots, are they trying to cash in on the dance craze, have they completely lost the plot? So many questions, so few answers.

The reworking of 'Morning Bell' is utterly pointless. Thom Yorke had spoken of a radical departure from the version on 'Kid A' but it sounds pretty much the same. 'Morning Bell' was one of 'Kid A's better moments but hearing it again adds nothing to Amnesiac. The first single 'Pyramid Song' has all necessary paranoia required to make it a winner but it lacks that robotic charm required to leave a lasting impression. It is one of those songs that takes aeons to sink in but watching the video for it certainly boosts its charm. One of the mild successes in an album of wretched failures. 'Pulk/Pull Revolting Doors' is surely the most nondescript pieces of music that Radiohead have ever produced. It is made from an idea that the Boards Of Canada would have quickly discarded. With Thom Yorke sounding like he's swallowed one too many helium filled balloons, it is an unrivalled duck egg. 'You and Whose Army' is slightly better but Yorke again sounds freakish. Without trying to be cruel it could easily be the elephant man on vocals. Matters are not made any better when the piano accompaniment sounds like it has drifted eerily from the back room of Bates Motel.

I remember hearing 'The National Anthem' and all I could hear was a good riff and precious little else. 'I Might Be Wrong' is in the same category. Here the riff is not as encompassing (but I guess at least it's a riff) and the electro beats take from it's listenability. Yorke again plumps for vocals that are close to being hallucinogenically detached. There are sparse moments on 'Amnesiac' that befit the Radiohead of old. 'Dollar and Cents' lives and breaths cruel intentions, the chopping guitars providing a perfect backdrop for Thom Yorke's voice which for once is given license to showcase it's quality. 'Knives Out' is laced with a smooth groove, the underdone but wholesome drumming is joined by an intricate guitar progression and a solemn vocal delivery. Both Ed O’Brien and Jonny Greenwood are largely unemployed throughout the whole of the proceedings. It's the sort of album that could have been created quite easily by a single person in a home studio. 'Like Spinning Plates' for example, has a tune that is playing in reverse. The surreal space noises that float in and out of the mix certainly sound different, but rather than being challenging you get the sense that the whole thing is meaningless rubbish imagined by a recluse who should get out more. 'Like Spinning Plates' could have sounded better if that little thing called melody had been introduced.

'Hunting Bears' is the sound of a lone guitar and some shards of bass slowly concocting a Ry Cooder studio jam. It's not too bad but then again put in the context of this album it is entirely worthless. 'Life In A Glasshouse' closes the album. A hybrid jazz funk piece with a skewed trumpet coursing through its veins it is not particularly interesting unless you're into that sort of thing. A pretty mess is the closest one could get to describing it. As it and the album peters out the pain of disappointment is hard to dispel. I'm all for innovation but in Radiohead's case they seem to have totally forgotten what made them so incredibly special in the first place (hence the title?). With a genuine tear in my eye, 'Amnesiac' gets the thumbs down. The lyrics 'Oh no Pop is dead, long live Pop' now seem truly apt.

Rating: 5/10

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