KID A

Is this a conceptalbum or not? Most of the lyrics seem to make no sense, yet musically it's does have have a certain vibe that no other Radiohead album has, or any other album I know. Each song is solid on it's own, but combined it creates a weird trip that doesn't seize to amaze me.

"EIIRP" is an eerie opener compared to their earlier albums, but gives a good impression about what is to come, with it's spacey keyboard and . The titletrack is probably the weirdest song here, sounding like an cross between an Aphex Twin song and a , only with a Radioheadvibe. Next up is "the National Anthem", one of the most unique songs I know, combining a groovy bassline with inconsistent drumming, paranoid distorted vocals and a crazed out brass-section. We've had the weirdest songs now. "How to..." is the closest thing to a ballad on Kid A, very eerie and absolutely beautiful. "Treefingers" is a filler, but specifically written to be one, to give the album a better flow. "Optimistic" is the first and only real rocksong on this album. It has a great climax and ends with a little jazz variation of itself. I find "In Limbo" one of the most underrated songs on the album, it's very original and really creates a sense of being lost at sea, as the lyrics suggest. The next two song, "Idioteque" and "Morning Bell" flow nicely into eachother, the first being the closest thing to post-house and the latter a dark keyboardsong with a 9/8 timing. Both are absolutely genius. I heard some reviewers finding "MPS" to be an anti-climatic ending, but I couldn't disagree more. A heartfelt song, with an organ and an harp as it's sole instrumentation. Furthermore, the secret track at the end really gives the impression that it's the end of this beautiful album.

I really can't give this album any less than 5 stars, considering it's originality, emotions and flow. Let me say I do consider this a concept album, albeit a very unconventional one. It's starts with birth (Kid A, EIIRP being an introduction) and ends with death (MPS) and everything in between flows perfectly. I'll probably never know what the album's about (some suggest it's about the first human clone, but we can't be sure), but perhaps that's the charm of this disc, enhacing it's weirdness and originality.