Radiohead’s Amnesiac: Forgotten Album
Before we talk about Amnesiac, we need to talk a little history first. Radiohead were pioneers in the alternative music scene. Their original alt-rock hit Creep made them a “one-hit wonder” and drove them to improve with their follow-up album, The Bends. The Bends put Radiohead on the map as a noteworthy band deserving the recognition they got. This would be solidified by their 3rd studio album, OK Computer. OK Computer is recognized by some as “the best album of all time” and for good reason. Then Radiohead took a sharp left turn. The OK Computer tour took a toll on the band’s mental state, and Radiohead damn near broke up. They needed a new creative direction, and the lead member Thom Yorke stripped Radiohead down to the skeleton beneath. Kid A is the result of their experiments with synths, rhythms, and new instruments that Radiohead had no idea how they worked. People had trouble liking Kid A directly after OK Computer; it was so alien, so bizarre. It is now hailed today as a masterpiece of music, and Radiohead recorded so much material that they had leftovers that would be fitted together to form what we know today as 2001’s Amnesiac.
Amnesiac is my favorite Radiohead album, though many disagree with me on that point. In fact, many people put it in the bottom three of ALL Radiohead albums. Some bits of criticism against Amnesiac are that it feels sewn together, it’s “not Kid A,” and lacks depth. I understand why people say these things; they’re (mostly) valid criticisms. It all goes back to a trend I noticed with Radiohead and music in general. People will fall in love with certain albums or songs, and the further forward or backward in time from that music, the longer it will take for someone to like that music, if at all. Amnesiac is incredibly jarring coming off of Kid A, for the sparse lyrics and very open and chasmic feeling, and glacial but violent pace on Kid A work so well to make a cohesive listening experience. Amnesiac is much less of a cohesive unit than OK Computer and Kid A were, with each song carrying the feeling of the album but not connecting directly to each other. The Bends and Pablo Honey did this incredibly well, but considering the fact that most Amnesiac detractors also say Pablo Honey is Radiohead’s worst album, I see a trend. It’s ok to prefer a certain method of album structure; some music just isn’t for everyone.
Enough about literally everything but the album itself. How does Amnesiac sound? Kid A feels like a mountain range or a chasm, whereas Amnesiac feels like a much more closed experience. Hell, the first track is Packt Like Sardines In A Crushed Tin Box. Amnesiac gives a feeling of closeness that is incredibly hard to describe. It’s just you and the band, and Thom Yorke is back at the forefront with his much more grounded and beautiful voice. Kid A had a lot of distortion over Thom Yorke’s voice like you were hearing him from beneath the ice. Amnesiac sounds less like ice and more like Thom is sopping wet. His vocals drip with this feeling of a man coming up for air, a somewhat sad and bittersweet contrast to the melancholy and echoey loneliness of Kid A. Vocals are once again at the forefront of the music, rather than long and sprawling instrumentals. Amnesiac is, in essence, a reborn Radiohead, retreading a path they have already been on with a new outlook. Amnesiac isn’t meant to be a cohesive masterpiece of music like OK Computer or Kid A; it’s a relief for the band. Amnesiac saw experimentation in all kinds of musical directions that OK Computer and Kid A didn’t get to with their centralized styles. Life in A Glasshouse experimented with Jazz and saxophones, while Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors had a more visceral and focused beat than anything on Kid A.
Amnesiac feels distinctly different from Radiohead’s other albums, and though it is objectively worse than OK Computer and Kid A from a constructive and musical standpoint, the emotions that Amnesiac evokes in me are enough to make me love it over again. Amnesiac carried me through my first-ever breakup, my ex liked Radiohead, and Amnesiac was one of the first albums we shared together. At the end of the day, art is subjective, and everyone is entitled to their opinions. We make art to communicate with one another, to share how we feel and to feel anything at all. In this empty, uncaring universe, music appeals to most, if not all, humanity. Other people may find Amnesiac to be cheap, shoddy, or just plain bad, but I still hold it in my heart and in high regard for the emotions it makes me feel.
