It’s been quite an experience to inadvertently work through what many consider to be the best parts of Radiohead’s discography in this journey through the “Best Albums of All Time
“, particularlly because it’s been fascinating to hear just how strikingly different all their music is. “In Rainbows” is, to my best interpretation, a rock album. Songs have more of a structure (by Radiohead’s standards at least). It’s louder. It’s more colorful. There is a range of emotion. If that album is their attempt at mainstream art rock, then “Kid A” is the complete otherside of the coin. Its melodies are cold and haunting, echoing across sonic tundras and barren wastelands in an attempt to shed the pressures of rock stardom that burdened them with self-doubt, writer’s block, and depression.
Of course, we know the trajectory with which Radiohead has ascended into the music Hall of Fame. From my recent adventure into their discography, it seems that it is precisely for the aforementioned reason that they are so critically acclaimed by fans and audiophiles. They are truly one of the few bands in the world who aren’t afraid of experimentation. Their response to being called rock stars is to create a cold, vacant album of electronically infused songs that don’t put any sort of emphasis on chorus. All of this might seem to suggest that the album is inaccessible, and after having listened to their 2007 album “In Rainbows”, I can certainly say that it is less accessible. Even after repeated listens I still find myself struggling to come to a conclusion as to how I feel about it. I certainly don’t hate it, and it’s a good album, but do I love it? Do I agree that it is a decade-defining album as so many other reviewers and music magazines and blogs have suggested? Is it worthy of the FIFTH Best Album of All Time spot?
It’s hard to tell. The more Radiohead I listen to, the more I find myself completely immersed in some of their more dreary tracks. Songs like “How To Disappear Completely” and “Motion Picture Soundtrack” are immediately making their way onto my list of favorite songs of all time, and I really enjoy the bombastic evolution of early album stand-out “National Anthem”, but there are also tracks that I find myself feeling indifferent about (looking at you, “Morning Bell”). Do I have any doubt in my mind that this album will be one that I return to? Not at all.
The real question is… do I like it better than “In Rainbows”? I think so. While the energy of “In Rainbows” is definitely higher, jazzier, more colorful, I’m finding myself more and more drawn to the dreary gloom that permeates “Kid A”. Is it immediately jumping onto my favorite albums of all time list? Not today?
Might it in the future? I suppose everything comes together in its right place.
My Rating: 4/5
The Word and The Song 