Radiohead - Kid A
“I'd completely had it with melody. I just wanted rhythm. All melodies to me were pure embarrassment." Thom Yorke
Facing writer's block and general burnout after the success of their 3rd album, OK Computer, Radiohead, and more specifically Thom Yorke, took an entirely different approach to writing and recording their next LP. The sessions for Kid A started in January, 1999. Nigel Godric produced the album. Lots of uncertainty and experimentation followed, as the band members tried to reconcile Yorke's desire to change directions with their previous successes and comfort zones. Sometimes no guitars, no drums, no lyrics to react to, or no traditional song structures left band members unsure and searching.
The band, with Godrich's help, found their way. They would develop ideas, or sound sequences with traditional rock band instruments, and with the synthesizers and electronics they were now fully incorporating, and then turn those sonic beginnings into more advanced structures and eventually into finished songs. They worked with no real deadline, discovering the path as they went along.
The sessions produced a lot of ground-breaking material. Certainly a new sound for the band, and a new, expansive palette for 'rock' bands more generally. The songs they finished became not only Kid A (released October, 2000), but also Amnesiac, which was released in 2001. In 2021 the band released both albums, along with other material from these recording sessions in one package titled Kid A Mnesia.
Kid A melds rock, electronic, kraut-rock, and jazz influences in an exciting new way. Yet it still sounds like Radiohead and was a giant leap forward for the band. Though somewhat polarizing when it was released, Kid A has become a high-water mark for pop music. It's wildly creative, it pushes boundaries, it questions traditions, and it's still catchy and thoroughly enjoyable. It's often (almost always, actually) included in 'best of' lists and continues to inspire and reward listeners. And there's plenty of melody, despite anyone's embarrassment.
“I'd completely had it with melody. I just wanted rhythm. All melodies to me were pure embarrassment." Thom Yorke
Facing writer's block and general burnout after the success of their 3rd album, OK Computer, Radiohead, and more specifically Thom Yorke, took an entirely different approach to writing and recording their next LP. The sessions for Kid A started in January, 1999. Nigel Godric produced the album. Lots of uncertainty and experimentation followed, as the band members tried to reconcile Yorke's desire to change directions with their previous successes and comfort zones. Sometimes no guitars, no drums, no lyrics to react to, or no traditional song structures left band members unsure and searching.
The band, with Godrich's help, found their way. They would develop ideas, or sound sequences with traditional rock band instruments, and with the synthesizers and electronics they were now fully incorporating, and then turn those sonic beginnings into more advanced structures and eventually into finished songs. They worked with no real deadline, discovering the path as they went along.
The sessions produced a lot of ground-breaking material. Certainly a new sound for the band, and a new, expansive palette for 'rock' bands more generally. The songs they finished became not only Kid A (released October, 2000), but also Amnesiac, which was released in 2001. In 2021 the band released both albums, along with other material from these recording sessions in one package titled Kid A Mnesia.
Kid A melds rock, electronic, kraut-rock, and jazz influences in an exciting new way. Yet it still sounds like Radiohead and was a giant leap forward for the band. Though somewhat polarizing when it was released, Kid A has become a high-water mark for pop music. It's wildly creative, it pushes boundaries, it questions traditions, and it's still catchy and thoroughly enjoyable. It's often (almost always, actually) included in 'best of' lists and continues to inspire and reward listeners. And there's plenty of melody, despite anyone's embarrassment.
“I'd completely had it with melody. I just wanted rhythm. All melodies to me were pure embarrassment." Thom Yorke
Facing writer's block and general burnout after the success of their 3rd album, OK Computer, Radiohead, and more specifically Thom Yorke, took an entirely different approach to writing and recording their next LP. The sessions for Kid A started in January, 1999. Nigel Godric produced the album. Lots of uncertainty and experimentation followed, as the band members tried to reconcile Yorke's desire to change directions with their previous successes and comfort zones. Sometimes no guitars, no drums, no lyrics to react to, or no traditional song structures left band members unsure and searching.
The band, with Godrich's help, found their way. They would develop ideas, or sound sequences with traditional rock band instruments, and with the synthesizers and electronics they were now fully incorporating, and then turn those sonic beginnings into more advanced structures and eventually into finished songs. They worked with no real deadline, discovering the path as they went along.
The sessions produced a lot of ground-breaking material. Certainly a new sound for the band, and a new, expansive palette for 'rock' bands more generally. The songs they finished became not only Kid A (released October, 2000), but also Amnesiac, which was released in 2001. In 2021 the band released both albums, along with other material from these recording sessions in one package titled Kid A Mnesia.
Kid A melds rock, electronic, kraut-rock, and jazz influences in an exciting new way. Yet it still sounds like Radiohead and was a giant leap forward for the band. Though somewhat polarizing when it was released, Kid A has become a high-water mark for pop music. It's wildly creative, it pushes boundaries, it questions traditions, and it's still catchy and thoroughly enjoyable. It's often (almost always, actually) included in 'best of' lists and continues to inspire and reward listeners. And there's plenty of melody, despite anyone's embarrassment.