Artist: Radiohead
Label: Parlophone Records
Release: 2009
Rating: 4/5
Just a year after Kid A came out, Radiohead are back with a stellar record called Amnesiac (a person who loses their memory). Unlike with Kid A, this time Radiohead did decide to put out singles too. The first was “Pyramid Song”, the second “Knives Out”. Like everything they’ve done before, this one earned plenty of praise from critics and sold extremely well.
Radiohead once again built the record as a concept that continues the story of Kid A, and the album itself is dedicated to Noah and Jamie, the children of Thom Yorke and Phil Selway, who were born while the album was being made (not Thom and Phil themselves, their kids).
The reissue naturally serves up the album in its original form on the first disc. Musically, Radiohead have once again done something they’d never done before. They’ve piled on even more new sonic ideas and stayed true to themselves by always trying something new. There’s still plenty of acoustic and electric guitar (though there’s very little distortion), piano and other keyboards, interesting percussion and more. There are lots of electronic parts and percussion again, plus vocal effects. At times the whole thing even veers toward Kraftwerk, a kind of ambient techno. This time they throw in a bit of jazz too (on Glasshouse), but it’s all built on a foundation of alternative post rock. A specific sound also comes from the guests, in the form of an orchestra and assorted wind players (on clarinet we even hear the brother of Pye Hastings from Caravan).
The second disc hits you with several different things. First up is the Pyramid Song EP, where we hear the other three songs from that single, which complement the sound of Amnesiac quite well. Then come the leftovers from the Amnesiac sessions, where you can tell the compositions fit the sonic picture really well, and it’s a real shame they weren’t on the original version of the album. As is tradition with Radiohead reissues, the end of the second disc brings a few more songs played at Studio Canal +. Definitely one of the best bonus discs among Radiohead’s album reissues.
Lyrically, Amnesiac is a continuation of Kid A. Yorke once again talks about all sorts of traumatic experiences, which he knows how to express with just the right vocal touch. Thom Yorke himself said that the difference and the connection between the two albums are best explained by looking at the artwork in both releases. On Kid A the fire is far away, while on Amnesiac you’re right in the middle of it. You could say the music is accordingly more full of anxiety. Thom Yorke also added that, lyrically, he was heavily influenced by Gnosticism.
Amnesiac is definitely another major moment in the band’s history. The reissue is also worth every penny, since it holds quite a lot of unreleased or hard-to-find material. There’s no debate here, just head to the store and buy this revamped and, in my opinion, even better version of this excellent album. You really won’t regret it this time.
Lineup
Thom Yorke – vocals, guitar
Colin Greenwood – bass
Jonny Greenwood – guitar, keyboards
Ed O’Brien – guitar, vocals
Phil Selway – drums
guests: St John’s orchestra, Humphrey Lyttelton – trumpet, Jimmy Hastings – clarinet, Pete Strange – trombone, Paul Bridge – double bass, Adrian Macintosh – drums
Production
Radiohead
Track list
CD1:
1. Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box (4:00)
2. Pyramid Song (4:48)
3. Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors (4:07)
4. You and Whose Army ? (3:11)
5. I Might Be Wrong (4:53)
6. Knives Out (4:14)
7. Morning Bell/Amnesiac (3:14)
8. Dollars & Cents (4:51)
9. Hunting Bears (2:01)
10. Like Spinning Plates (3:57)
11. Life in a Glasshouse (4:34)
CD2:
1. The Amazing Sounds of Orgy
2. Trans-Atlantic Drawl
3. Fast-Track
4. Kinetic
5. Worrywort
6. Fog
7. Cuttooth
8. Life in a Glasshouse (Full Length Version)
9. You and Whose Army? (Canal+ Studios 04/28/01)
10. Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box (Canal+ Studios 04/28/01)
11. Dollars and Cents (Canal+ Studios 04/28/01)
12. I Might Be Wrong (Canal+ Studios 04/28/01)
13. Knives Out (Canal+ Studios 04/28/01)
14. Pyramid Song (Canal+ Studios 04/28/01)
15. Like Spinning Plates (Live) (I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings)
