KID A

Kid A is one of the most original albums I've heard in years. I'd heard the same statement from countless other people over the years, but before actually listening to the album, I didn't believe them. Everything else I'd heard from RADIOHEAD was great music, but hardly what I'd consider experimental or progressive. Well, I now own the album, and I can quite honestly say that I was wrong. This music is not only amazing, but it's also unbelievably creative.

The electronic elements that Radiohead has pushed to the forefront of their sound may seem offputting at first, but they're what make Kid A so great. Listening to the album, it's hard not to get pulled into another world by the dreamy effects and Thom Yorke's characteristic vocals. The songwriting is simply incredible, and is at a level of complexity I never expected the band to reach. I really can't believe this album is as popular as it is; the number of non-prog fans who love it is very surprising, and proves that the general music-listening public isn't completely stupid.

I'd do a song-by-song run-through of Kid A, but several reviewers already have, so to save myself from becoming redundant, I'll just say this: Kid A is a masterpiece that should be heard by everyone, regardless of any preconceptions you may have before listening to it. This music is inspiring, uplifting, creepy, weird, depressing, and dreamy all at the same time, and this is one of the best releases of the past decade. You'd be doing yourself a disservice by not listening to it.