After two albums of electronics, Radiohead plugged their guitars back in, but they kept the drum machines. Hail to the Thief is messy, overlong, and furious. It’s the sound of Yorke screaming about the Iraq War and media manipulation. It lacks the precision of OK Computer , but it has a visceral energy that their later, cleaner work misses.
Recorded during the same Kid A sessions, Amnesiac is the weirder, warmer sibling. Where Kid A was cold, Amnesiac swings. Pyramid Song is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written about death, and Life in a Glasshouse ends the album with a haunting New Orleans funeral dirge. radiohead complete discography
Challenging on first listen. Spiritual on the tenth. Listen with headphones in the dark. Amnesiac (2001) The Vibe: The basement jazz club from The Shining . Essential Track: Pyramid Song After two albums of electronics, Radiohead plugged their
If you are a newcomer, . If you want the noise, take The Bends . If you want to cry, take A Moon Shaped Pool . It lacks the precision of OK Computer ,
But the core nine? They are proof that a band can refuse to repeat itself, alienate the mainstream, and still become legends.