Amnesiac review

The 5th album by Radiohead, and the sister album to their masterpiece Kid A. This contains more of the insanity from Kid A, although it's a bit less experimental.

Tracks:

1. Packt Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box: 8/10 not only does it boast ingenious experimentation galore, it's actually not completely miserable for once.

2. Pyramid Song: 9/10 it's difficult to know quite what to make of this one to be honest. One thing's for certain though: this mesmerising, haunting and hypnotic track mercilessly sucks the listener in like a black hole and never lets go.

3. Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors: 8/10 the lyrics being so muted doesn't add anything to the song, but the music sequencer instrumental is fabulous.

4. You and Whose Army: 7/10 first half? Mostly bland and Thom Yorke just singing 'Come on'. Second half? Awesome.

5. I Might Be Wrong: 9/10 this gets off to a slow start, before slowly hooking the listener with one intense, mesmerising beat and one brilliant vocal after another.

6. Knives Out: 9/10 utterly terrifying. Thom Yorke should really try writing a horror film.

7. Morning Bell: 8/10 with a better and more layered instrumental, this is better than the version on Kid A.

8. Dollars and Cents: 7/10 this one feels generic and overdone, although it's perfectly competent since it's Radiohead. In such a daring, experimental album this feels out of place but it's still pretty good.  

9. Hunting Bears: 6/10 just a bunch of random guitar chords. Interesting, but what exactly is the point?

10. Like Spinning Plates: 9/10 a particularly arty track, this one actually features vocals sung backwards. It's admittedly self-indulgent and possibly alienating to casual listeners, yet it's so completely brilliant. I don't know how they do it either.

11. Life in a Glass House: 9/10 like Kid A, this album closes on an emotional and shattering note. This one has a nice bit of jazz thrown in too.

Best song: Pyramid Song
Worst song: Hunting Bears

Summary: Amnesiac is a very strange album, but also a magnificent one. It's an overwhelming, haunting and oppressive record, but in the best possible way. Brilliantly experimental, beautifully executed and truly haunting, this insane, intoxicating album perhaps isn't quite as good as Kid A but still knocks it out of the park. To appreciate it fully however, you'll probably need to be in the right mood while you listen, as this one is pretty crazy.


Final rating: 9/10