Few bands are as mythologised as Radiohead, and for good reason. This British art-rock artist has become one of the most acclaimed and influential rock artists of the past quarter century. Beyond their increasingly sparse but surprisingly consistent output, their discography follows a very consistent arc, and 2001’s Amnesiac may be the key to it all.
“‘Amnesiac’ puts Radiohead’s turbulent recent history into perspective,” the Guardian wrote in a 2001 review titled “Relax, it’s not like Kid A.” . “In hindsight, Kid A’s deliberate racket reminds me of the rattle of a rattle thrown from a stroller.” Beyond the tantrums, Radiohead continued their role as the world’s most fascinating and innovative major rock band. I returned to
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Although it left a slightly aged impression on Kid A, listeners trying to figure out where Radiohead were headed after their journey through the frozen jagged mountains of IDM and free jazz in 2000, This critic was not alone. “Amnesiac” seemed to hint that the boys still retained their love for killer guitar work and could coax emotion out of old-school acoustic piano, but they didn’t call it “Kid A’s.” categorizing it as “not something like that” fails to recognize a clear change in the approach to red. means record.
Famously recorded during the same year-long recording sessions that gave birth to their untouchable 21st century debut, Kid A, the songs leading up to ‘Amnesiac’ have generated excitement among fans. It caused both anxiety. Listeners and critics look to find out whether ’90s Radiohead is truly dead and buried, beyond concerns that it contains leftovers that may not be enough for Kid A. This project caught my attention. Will they continue down a new path of bleeps and experimentation, or will they dust off their guitars and give us another ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ or ‘Karma Police’? As it turns out, the answer was secret number three.
In retrospect, this was not surprising. After an interesting start to their career (forming under the objectively lame name “On a Friday”, performing at the now infamous MTV Beach House, and being an alleged one-hit wonder following “Creep”), Radiohead I quickly made it a habit. They redefined themselves and dropped increasingly advanced long players The Bends and OK Computer.
The Bends initially changed their logline from “grunge chasers from across the pond” to “maestros of Britpop”, but OK Computer once again described the quintet as “a heady but digestible collection of guitar music”. He was repositioned as a “progressively crooked savior.” Despite their success, each new title brought increased pressure from fans, labels, and ultimately themselves. Radiohead achieved the impossible feat of captivating (most of) the critics while becoming incredibly popular commercially. OK Computer went platinum in the US within a year of its release, and a year-long tour that followed culminated in the band’s first headlining slot at Glastonbury. Where do we go from there?
