#20 Radiohead, 'Kid A' (2000)
Previously #67
Following ‘OK Computer’ (#42), Radiohead had become burnt out. Mentally and physically, the band members were sick, “a complete fucking mess ... completely unhinged,” according to Thom Yorke. The band had felt that other guitar bands were trying to emulate them too much and that they needed to move on. Yorke felt that their music had become background noise. And so similar to when Dylan picked up the electric guitar, or The Beatles put production on its head with ‘Revolver’ and ‘Sgt Pepper’s,’ Radiohead turn towards electronic music. They experimented with modular synths, an early electronic instrument similar to the theramin called a ondes Martenot and software such as Protools and Cubase. As they were covering new ground and completely reinventing the band, there would be songs where not all members featured, and this caused anxiety within the band. Guitarist, Ed O’Brien said “It's scary – everyone feels insecure. I'm a guitarist and suddenly it's like, well, there are no guitars on this track, or no drums.” And so he adapted. He experimented with pedals and taught himself to use his guitar like a synth. Producer and unofficial 6th member of Radiohead, Nigel Godrich didn’t understand why if they were so strong as a guitar band, would they try a genre of music that they weren’t as strong at. But he trusted them and went along with it.
I’ve always said that this album was way ahead of its time. Listening to it now, it sounds like it could have been recorded at any point between 2015 and now. It’s as fresh and as current as ever. In 2000, however, it divided fans, myself included, as well as critics. People just didn’t get what they were doing. Where were the big hits? There wasn’t even any singles released. In fact, to avoid EMI in the US listening to the album and selecting promotional tracks individually, the only way they allowed them to listen to it was as a cohesive piece of work on a bus from Hollywood to Malibu. The band avoided press and photoshoots and relied on the internet to promote the album. A widget was created that could be embedded on websites which streamed the album ahead of release (in 2021, that’s common, in 2000, unheard of). The album was streamed over 400,000 times. Three weeks before release, the album was leaked on Napster. Instead of damaging sales, it just added to the mythology. When it came to the lyrics, Yorke wrote down clichés and random phrases, cut them up and assembled them randomly. At the time, the album was thought to be pretentious by critics, but in retrospect, it was a bored band trying to be innovative. This record, whether you liked it or not, made Radiohead the most experimental and innovative mainstream band around. ‘Everything In Its Right Place,’ ‘Idioteque,’ ‘Motion Picture Soundtrack,’ ‘Optimistic’ and ‘How To Disappear Completely’ are amongst some of the best songs that band have written. But the best way to listen to this record, is the way they band intended, uninterrupted and in full. Perhaps on a bus from Hollywood to Malibu, if you have the means. The album was inspired by Aphex Twin and Talking Heads, but in turn, it would go on to inspire so many indie and alternative bands in the 2000s and beyond, and would pioneer a whole new genre. They showed bands that followed that veering out of their lane was not the worst idea in the world when stuck or bored with their own music. Bowie did it, Dylan did it and now Radohead had done it for a new generation.
#rs500albums