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diversions:
cd review
After experimental
spell Radiohead hits mark
By Alex Roman
Daily Forty-Niner
Millions of ears
cringed at the experiment that was Radio-head's last album,
"Kid A." No one could understand why they would
stray from their proven formula or why they would bury singer
Thom Yorke's vocals.
The answer seemed
simple enough. Radiohead decided to test the parameters not
only of their own musical abilities, but of their fan's ears
as well.
Their creativity,
however, created a backlash, splitting listeners into two
camps - those who saw the band as musical innovators and those
who saw them as egomaniacal wankers.
All the negative
criticism should be permanently put to rest with the release
of their fifth studio album "Amnesiac," due out
June 6.
While not as experimental
as "Kid A," "Amnesiac" seems to find the
middle ground that fans should love.
The difference
between the two albums could most easily be found when comparing
the albums' different versions of the song, "Morning
Bell." Where on the previous album Yorke's vocals were
drowned in a sea of electronica, the new version brings his
voice and guitar up front, stripping down the electronic elements
and using them purely for ambience.
Again produced
by Nigel Godrich, "Amnesiac" doesn't seem like Radiohead
is settling on a return to their old formula.
Instead, it brings
together the mix of straight-ahead rock with "Kid A's"
experimental elements.
On the opening
track "Packt like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box,"
Yorke seems to be answering the complaints of critics and
fans when he sings "I'm a reasonable man, get off my
case."
A ballad like "You
and Whose Army?" is able to peacefully co-exist with
a computer enhanced song like "Pull/Pulk Revolving Doors."
Meanwhile, the
first single "Pyramid Song," is a beautiful example
of what makes Radiohead perhaps the best band around right
now. By blending Yorke's angelic voice with a piano and string
arrangement, the song has the ability to transport your mind
somewhere completely distant.
Radiohead's aptitude
to take the listener on a ride, thus transporting them away
from the real world is what makes this album, much like their
other ones, so great.
When it comes down
to it, while "Kid A" was experimental and wonderful
to listen to, "Amnesiac" simply goes down much easier.
In 11 songs and
43 plus minutes, Radiohead proves that the only thing wrong
with the last album is the way it was received. That and the
fact that with Yorke's vocals no longer buried, "Amnesiac"
showcases one of the tightest bands ever to produce music
to the masses.
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