As a band Radiohead have always pushed the perceived alternative rock boundaries when making their music, whether it be the opening atmospheric sounds on Planet Telex or the changes in time signature and key throughout Paranoid Android, however after listening to their fourth studio album Kid A it is clear that this is what should be earmarked as their transitional album.
The album sees the band abandon their three guitar set-up in favour of keyboards, strings and brass and even an ondes martenot, and drums replaced by drum beats produced on digital tools like Cubase. The lyrical style has also changed with Yorke now adopting Tristan Tzara’s technique for writing Dada poetry where he cut up phrases and drew them from a hat; a technique most evident on the songs Idioteque and In Limbo.
Understandably the band’s influences for this album changed dramatically from their previous works, with the band exploring underground styles such as Krautrock in songs like Treefingers and Kid A. Despite the band’s increasingly wide spectra of styles, there are still some guitar dominated tracks such as How To Disappear Completely which focuses on the pressures of touring with the refrain I’m not here/ This isn’t happening and the most radio-friendly track on the album, Optimistic.
Kid A does take some getting used to. The band have left behind key elements which were so prominent in their other albums and I don’t believe there are many bands who could make a record worth any comment after doing that, however Radiohead have managed to succeed spectacularly. Everything In Its Right Place, the opening track on the album, with its ascending chord sequence alongside a steady, synthetic bass drum, is one of the band’s most astounding songs to date and immediately shows the band’s seamless shift from guitars to synths. Other highlights include The National Anthem with its addictive, repetitive bass line written by Yorke when he was sixteen and the all-too-short climax of Morning Bell.
Kid A shows Radiohead at the peak of their powers. No matter what style they choose it seems they are always able to produce special music. They defy genre, a fact which other bands need to realise isn’t a bad thing, and Kid A is the last of a trio of albums which should rightfully cement Radiohead as one of the most influential and important bands of all time.
Understandably the band’s influences for this album changed dramatically from their previous works, with the band exploring underground styles such as Krautrock in songs like Treefingers and Kid A. Despite the band’s increasingly wide spectra of styles, there are still some guitar dominated tracks such as How To Disappear Completely which focuses on the pressures of touring with the refrain I’m not here/ This isn’t happening and the most radio-friendly track on the album, Optimistic.
Kid A does take some getting used to. The band have left behind key elements which were so prominent in their other albums and I don’t believe there are many bands who could make a record worth any comment after doing that, however Radiohead have managed to succeed spectacularly. Everything In Its Right Place, the opening track on the album, with its ascending chord sequence alongside a steady, synthetic bass drum, is one of the band’s most astounding songs to date and immediately shows the band’s seamless shift from guitars to synths. Other highlights include The National Anthem with its addictive, repetitive bass line written by Yorke when he was sixteen and the all-too-short climax of Morning Bell.
Kid A shows Radiohead at the peak of their powers. No matter what style they choose it seems they are always able to produce special music. They defy genre, a fact which other bands need to realise isn’t a bad thing, and Kid A is the last of a trio of albums which should rightfully cement Radiohead as one of the most influential and important bands of all time.
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After finishing the album the band drew up a unique marketing campaign. The album was advertised primarily over the internet with short films called 'blips' being put to the bands music and distributed freely online. Most of the 'blips' were animated inspired by Stanley Donwood's album artwork portraying nature reclaiming civilization from uncontrollable biotechnology and consumerism. A video for the amazing Motion Picture Soundtrack was released composed entirely of 'blips' and can be viewed below...
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