Kid A?

ok so i relistened to this and it's quite good. But I think really the reason I was never really smitten with Radiohead is their complete lack of musical asceticism. They never stick on one idea long enough for it to ever really develop into a lasting and cogent musical statement. It's as if their essential goal is not to be a melange of styles, but to bombard the listener with the IDEA that they are a melange of styles. "Look at us, we can do this! and this! and that! and we LISTEN to ALL different types of music! It shows up in all our albums right?!" Acts like Basic Channel, while incredibly different music, has always affected me much more precisely because it never states it's subtleties and variations. On the contrary, it appears completely single-minded and lets the listener discover the nuances.

I never thought that Kid A was IDM, way far from that, but it has a lot of electronic influences which can be heard.

IDIOTEQUE IS FUN. Period.

It's a great album and unique u-turn, pulled off in style and with aplomb. Credit where credits due, who else could of pulled it off and got to number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic? (maybe the most experimental album to do that.)

I think they realised they couldn't top OK Computer so a change of sound was needed, otherwise they was always going to be compared to it "..the new album is good but not as great as OK Computer..." syndrome. Such a change of direction was a clever step as they wisely avoided this trap.

Its nothing like AFX either lol

I might like Amnesiac more. Not sure though. They're pretty similar. Kid A and Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors are both awesome songs.

I feel hipster cool for liking Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors because it seems to be everyone's least favorite from the album.

kid a is the least embarrassing gateway to idm imo, others being nine inch nails, jean michelle jarre, fatboy slim and such..

art-rock + drum machines, woo. that's proper idm!

i like allright but its reputation really got on my nerves over years, because it mostly just sounds like pink floyd trying to be can.

amnesiac to me is more like what people are trying to make of kid a.

also, kid a the song reminds me of beetles.

I don't hear aphex twin in it but i'm pretty sure Idioteque was inspired by this autechre track

Its reputation is so ridiculous, yeah but once you step back from that and listen with fresh ears, it does sound 10 steps ahead of the game for a rock band. And that's not to say rock is any less sophisticated than other types of music. That's a common snobby misconception. To take these sounds and make them exciting to the uninitiated takes mad skills.

everyone is

so

niaaaaaaAaaA

You either like it or you don't but it's probably the best album they could of done post-OK Computer. I appreciate it for the clever side-stepping, I think they out maneuvered all the critics with it, and a lot of indie/guitar fans too (I remember a lot of NME readers crying about it lol).

Not only that there are some great tracks on it!!! And live these tracks blow even bigger holes in your brain.

  On 4/9/2012 at 5:45 PM, Candiru said:

Its reputation is so ridiculous, yeah but once you step back from that and listen with fresh ears, it does sound 10 steps ahead of the game for a rock band. And that's not to say rock is any less sophisticated than other types of music. That's a common snobby misconception. To take these sounds and make them exciting to the uninitiated takes mad skills.

why would they be 10 steps? it's still a rock album in a pretty normal fashion. people really exaggerate it just because there's kid a and idioteque, which sound like bedroom idm. rest sounds like a natural next step after ok computer. it's a sound of a band experimenting, but not exctly an experimental record, even for a rock band. sure it's kinda exciting radiohead kept evolving, but it's not like they made the king of limbs then. now that would be 10 step ahead, quality of the songs aside.

  On 4/9/2012 at 7:02 PM, kinski said:

  On 4/9/2012 at 5:45 PM, Candiru said:

Its reputation is so ridiculous, yeah but once you step back from that and listen with fresh ears, it does sound 10 steps ahead of the game for a rock band. And that's not to say rock is any less sophisticated than other types of music. That's a common snobby misconception. To take these sounds and make them exciting to the uninitiated takes mad skills.

 

why would they be 10 steps? it's still a rock album in a pretty normal fashion. people really exaggerate it just because there's kid a and idioteque, which sound like bedroom idm. rest sounds like a natural next step after ok computer. it's a sound of a band experimenting, but not exctly an experimental record, even for a rock band. sure it's kinda exciting radiohead kept evolving, but it's not like they made the king of limbs then. now that would be 10 step ahead, quality of the songs aside.

For the time when MTV stopped being cool and trendy and alternative people (especially teenagers) were starting to get jaded about music this album came out into the mainstream at the perfect time, to make people feel like they had a special music CD thing. It was the new Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness for a lot of people. Radiohead translating emotional manipulation into cash, like a boss.

IDM LOL. It's got some electronics in it, yeah, but it certainly isn't IDM.

An album that I enjoy that has never had the same rating in my mind over the years. When it first came out, I struggled a bit to understand it. Then I really liked it. Then Amnesia came out and I liked that better. I still like that better. But Kid A is good. Probably overrated, but still good and deserving of some praise. Just maybe not as much as it gets, but I wouldn't argue it if not asked about it. Sometimes I consider it one of the best albums, sometimes I don't see what all the fuss is about even though I still enjoy it. Still it has never had fewer than 4 stars on my 5-star scale.

I am listening to it now. After I will listen to Amnesia.

The artwork/packaging is quite simply one of the best. In that case I think they did manage to top OK Computer, which also had great artwork.

Does the term IDM strictly apply to pure eletronic music? I mean, word for word it's intelligent dance music. Kid A got bleeps and blops and you can dance to it.

IDM is the dumbest term ever. How the fuck are BoC, Autechre, Amon Tobin, and P73 all in the same category? Maybe we should just stop using the term altogether.

  On 4/9/2012 at 8:32 PM, gmanyo said:

IDM is the dumbest term ever. How the fuck are BoC, Autechre, Amon Tobin, and P73 all in the same category? Maybe we should just stop using the term altogether.

hey guys have yo uheard of ravdiohead

Tommy York and The Radio Heads sure can play a swingin' tune. I hear this new fangled Kid A causes quite a ruckus with the youngsters. Golly.

Talk about I*M all you want, for me the best track on the album is In Limbo. I love Kid A.

  On 4/10/2012 at 4:00 AM, Caretstik said:

Talk about I*M all you want, for me the best track on the album is In Limbo. I love Kid A.

Yeah, the album for me is mind blowing! Just fantastic! And In Limbo is pretty underrated, yet one of Radiohead's best songs ever.

  On 4/10/2012 at 8:36 AM, Revitute said:

  On 4/10/2012 at 4:00 AM, Caretstik said:

Talk about I*M all you want, for me the best track on the album is In Limbo. I love Kid A.

 

Yeah, the album for me is mind blowing! Just fantastic! And In Limbo is pretty underrated, yet one of Radiohead's best songs ever.

I agree. For all the computer wankery etc. on the album (which is fine by me, by the way), I think In Limbo is completely different to anything that they'd done before and even since. I suppose it feels hypnogogic and lanhuid in a way, and the vocals and instrumentation just all come together perfectly.

+1, it's an otherworldly song in the best possible sense

also how to disappear completely is just fantastic and motion picture soundtrack is still one of the weirdest and creepy songs they have imo.

  On 4/10/2012 at 8:39 PM, jules said:

also how to disappear completely is just fantastic and motion picture soundtrack is still one of the weirdest and creepy songs they have imo.

I'll second that, both tracks are highlights for me