Kid A

And I thought OK Computer was peak Radiohead, until I listened to Kid A. This album is VERY different and experimental. But once you listen to it enough, it slowly becomes a masterpiece. The vinyl is great, though I don’t know why they made it on two discs instead of one, but the sound quality is incredible, and I love spinning this one.

OK Computer was certainly a commendable achievement, and The Bends was a welcome change from Pablo Honey, but Kid A is what established Radiohead as true innovators.

First, for many years I was put off from Radiohead by "OK Computer." It was only five or six years ago that I began listening to some of their more recent releases, beginning with "The King of Limbs," which I consider their second masterpiece. I also love the remixes of that album on "TKOL RMS 1234567." Nearly as good is "Moon Shaped Pool." Radiohead's fifth album, "Amnesiac," was recorded at the same time as the music on "Kid A," but in the end released separately a year later. I think it was a good choice, since the best of those tracks are on "Kid A," which I consider their first masterpiece. The packaging alone is a masterwork of numerous fold-out pages and translucent overlays. It took a few minutes to find the actual recording and track information.Apparently, following "OK Computer" Yorke was burned out and looking for a new direction. He was influenced by a few ambient/electronic musicians and groups of the time, which led to the completely new sound of the tracks on this record—sounds, especially rhythms, that form the roots of Radiohead's music ever since, as well as that of Yorke's Atoms for Peace project. "Kid A" is probably the most important recording by Radiohead.

I listened to the entire album when it was played on MTV2. The next day, a friend at work asked me, "how does it sound?" I thought about it for a while. Finally I gave up. I said, "I can't answer that."It's not a valid question, you see. It's like asking someone to tell you what carrots taste like. The implicit request is for them to tell you what carrots will taste like to YOU - and they can't - they can only tell you what carrots taste like to them, which really does you no good at all. Like all good art, the meaning and quality of this album depends entirely on the personal filters through which you perceive it.I could tell you that the musicianship is exceptional, or that the lyrics are masterful, or that the vocals are excellent...but you know that already, because it's Radiohead, and they have moved far past the point where any of the technical details are an issue. All that's left to rate is the art. And that is judged by a personal rating system that won't translate outside your own little universe.I can tell you something of what it is not. It isn't something you dance to, ignoring everything except the beat while you watch the cute guy/girl across the room. It isn't something you jam to on Friday night with the windows rolled down driving down Main street. It isn't something you use as pleasant background noise. It is art, and like all good art, it requires you to WORK for it. You must bring something to the music, pay ATTENTION to it, sit with it, let it have its way with you...or you will find nothing there for you.As I listened to the album, I had one of those rare epiphanous moments of clarity, where the perception of a work of art that resonates with something integral to your self triggers a domino affect that rearranges a rather alarming number of your perceptions about your universe. After a little while, I smiled, curled up like a cat, letting the music wash over me...and felt content with my universe.I hope it is the same for you.j.m.

Yorke said the album was partly about "the generation that will inherit the earth when we've wiped everything [sic] out. Thank you as well Johnny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway and the whole personal as well. This album is above and beyond the world excellent and should be in the thesaurus next to excellent's synonyms Radiohead's Kid A and should be number one.Continuing on, everything about this album is impressive is striking and superior. First of all, this album is influenced by greats such as the Talking heads, Blackalicious, and DJ Krush, only the first two who I have heard of. Here are my favorite tracks. Idioteque is a sample of sample the work of Paul Lansky and Arthur Kreiger, who specialized computer music. And then you have another one of my favorites Kid A, which is extremely electronic and features distorted vocals from Yorke. Thirdly, is the National Anthem soundtrack, which has a bassline and horn section. And then we have the Motion Picture Soundtrack, an astonishing and lengthy ending track which is very slow and grand for dramatic effect.I like the electronic style but not 100 percent because it was really hard to hear the lyrics on this album, yeah Radiohead you got me. It is a mix of ambient, jazz, and electronic influences. Lastly the album is perfect lyrically as it focuses on the generation that will inherit the earth. It also focuses on anti-consumerism, personal dreams, and probably about their personal lives themselves.This is my favorite Alternative album ever and Electronica as well. It deserves to be. Brilliant and impressive throughout could have also been its name. God bless once again. It deserved to win the 2001 Grammy Album of the Year and is true perfection. It is my third Favorite and Best Album of all time and could be the greatest album of all time.