For Radiohead fans hoping the band's new release would bring Thom Yorke and company's musical experimentation from Kid A to a screeching halt and rekindle the old flames of the influential OK Computer, prepare to be disappointed.
Yorke answers discriminating fans in the first song on the album, "Packt Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box.": "I'm a reasonable man/get off my case."
Amnesiac does not return completely to the guitar driven music that made 1997's OK Computer so successful. Recorded mostly during the Kid A sessions, Amnesiac instead fills in the gaps that connect OK Computer's guitar sound to Kid A's sonic experimentation.
"Packt Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box" illustrates the influence of the Kid A sessions. The opening percussion sounds more like machinery moving than a drum sequence. Then a dance beat arrives, haphazardly unannounced, followed by a catchy keyboard line.
"Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors" ventures even further. Over a heavy drum-and-bass loop and ambient noise, Yorke mumbles distorted lyrics about different types of doors. The stop-start rhythm of the song gives it a kind of chug-a-lug quality that may send listeners to a paper bag for motion sickness.
Yorke's piano serves as the backbone for a number of tracks, including "Pyramid Song" and "You and Whose Army?" These tracks are somewhat more traditional in their arrangement than many of the songs on Amnesiac and will probably become instant classics in the following months.
If you just can't get over OK Computer, however, "I Might Be Wrong" and "Knives Out" are reminiscent of the sound that made Radiohead's 1997 release successful. These tracks feature actual guitar riffs - seemingly a novel idea for a band that has relied so heavily on keyboards and effects in the past few years.
Another version of "Morning Bell" makes an appearance on Amnesiac. This version is more open and airy than its sister on Kid A, and fits the new material well, but doesn't feature the staccato snare-drum hits and rolls that formerly defined the track.
For fans who are looking for another track with as much appeal as "Karma Police" or "Paranoid Android," be prepared to be disappointed. Radiohead's musical stylings on OK Computer are presumably finished, judging by Amnesiac's new style.
