KID A

Radiohead (album)

Virtually no publicity, next to nothing in the way of interviews, naff all in the way of hype, loads of interest generated by way of word of mouth and no singles whatsoever to precede the album's arrival. This isn't the sort of behaviour you'd expect from a huge band on a huge label. Mind you, this isn't the sort of album you'd expect from a huge band on a huge label. This is brave stuff to say the least and I guarantee it will do your head in. OK Computer is worshipped the world over (and Paranoid Android is genius, simple as that) and it rightly sold in numbers so huge they border on the plain silly, so after three quality LPs, you'd be forgiven for expecting Radiohead to just dish up OK Computer 2, but straight away there's something unsettling about this album. Don't expect to hear this album when you're looking round the shops because it's going to cause small children and the elderly to run away screaming. Everything In Its Right Place, which contains so many samples of Thom Yorke's voice it's untrue, starts proceedings and is pretty haunting stuff, I can tell you. Then it gets strange. The next track that can actually be called a song (in the commercial radio sense, anyway) is track 4, How To Disappear Completely. It has guitars, drums, proper vocals and it's beautifully arranged. In between you get treated to some computerised vocals, lots of bass, trumpets and generally something that doesn't make sense to begin with but, God knows how it does it, it's never too strange that you'd want to hit the fast forward button. If there's a single to be had off this album it'd be Optimistic, which is about as close to OK Computer as you're going to get here, in which Radiohead revert to their old rock music ways. Despite that, Idioteque is the highlight, where Radiohead actually sound like the Aphex Twin - it's as near to dance music as they'll get and they do it in some style. As the whole thing stands it's worth hearing, but you need to be patient with it. Some bits are as annoying as hell, but when it hits form there's some damned good stuff on here. Just don't listen to it in the dark or you'll go bonkers.