"Where do we go from here?" lead paranoiac Thom Yorke asked on the title track of 1995's "The Bends," more than likely singing about girls and other people. He used to do that, you know. However, it's a pretty appropriate question to ask about the band itself, seeing as how they've mutated from alt-rock also-rans to alt-rock pacesetters to art-rock gods in the span of four short years. And guess what - you're gonna need a whole lot of new hyphenated catchphrases to pin them down at this point, seeing as how the daring and absolutely brilliant "Kid A" throws out the rulebook concerning what modern rock and, more specifically, Radiohead should sound like.
It takes at least three listens to fairly assess "Kid A" - the first to sate a three-year long jones for something other than poorly recorded live tracks, the second to compare it to the band's two previous classics, and the third to realize it holds its own in a bizarre, beautiful way. Despite the fact that "Fitter Happier" is probably the most radio-friendly track on "Kid A," it is actually classic rock. Well, maybe it's not "Cat Scratch Fever," but like the best works of Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd, it's a monolithic 50-minute time investment best shared with a pair of headphones or your moron philosopher friends and some illegal substances.
The most attention focuses on the sonic razzle-dazzle, but underneath the trickery are the actual songs. And they are as strong as anything Radiohead has done, despite the fact that "Kid A" seems at first glance to one-up anything Pearl Jam has done to destroy their career. A free-jazz freakout only increases the nastiness of the funky ostinato bassline of "The National Anthem." "Idioteque" cranks up a numbing, almost (gasp!) danceable drum track, but the congealed melodies and shifting vocal harmonies are what linger. Subtle polyrhythmic interplay brings "In Limbo" to a hypnotic froth, while "How To Disappear Completely" sounds like "Fake Plastic Trees" being melted.
There is an intentional blurry feel to the message and music of "Kid A." It is a little less of a true concept album than "OK Computer." "Kid A" is the name Thom Yorke assumes the first genetically engineered human will be named. The warped vocals of the title track can be interpreted as a cute sonic trick or perhaps the future voice of a cloned human race. The title of "Everything In Its Right Place" is either an ironic depiction of a perfect population or an ironic depiction of a track in which absolutely nothing sounds like the acoustic from which it came - including Yorke's own voice. Either way works; how "Kid A" sounds is more important than what you can pull in from the kibbles of lyrics that Yorke occasionally throws out. And with "OK Computer" producer Nigel Godrich at the helm again, every track gleams with the promise of a not-too-distant-future in which Eve 6 and Papa Roach get booted off radio playlists.
The appeal of "Kid A" bores in slowly and is best compared to that of the cute girl in class who never talks to you - the less it reveals, the more you pursue, the more you analyze every clue you can get and the more you search for something to work with. Radiohead keeps its poker face very much intact. The usual trademarks of Radiohead's hits, the underrated guitar frippery of Johnny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien and the keening lyrics of Thom Yorke have all but evaporated. "Morning Bell" comes close to being "Computer"-compatible, as creamy synths make the plea "release me" oddly uplifting. But the unusual meter and stuttering drums make repeat listenings a requirement to hear it correctly.
There are maybe four songs in which there are definitely guitars, the most obvious being "Optimistic," a relatively straightforward flex of six-string muscle. Consequently, Yorke's voice functions more as an instrument, which is quite a lovely one at that. He goes the Mushmouth route here in terms of vocal clarity, but the way his claustrophobic moan works in conjunction with the music manages to make every slurred snippet urgent. Only the most important lyrics are enunciated: "You try the best you can," "Ice age coming," "I'm not here, this isn't happening," you get the picture.
Don't expect to hear much of "Kid A" on the radio; it makes their last album sound like an hour at Soul Train. It's a pretty telling sign that Radiohead does not plan to release any singles. "OK Computer" wasn't supposed to either, yet it went platinum and is now the archetype for "critically acclaimed" albums that sent hacks such as Better Than Ezra and Dishwalla back to square one to release the career-killing, spacey concept albums they "all of a sudden" had in them. It's a lot easier to criticize "Kid A" for what it isn't than praise it for what it is. Except maybe for "Idioteque," you won't be singing any of these songs in the shower and, truthfully, they'll probably be the first to tell you this is the first truly great album of the new millennium. Whatever. Spend a couple of hours with it and the moment you realize you're not letting your broke pals borrow it for at least four months, it'll be tough to argue.
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