Radiohead – Amnesiac (2001)

Quite surprisingly, for a long time I considered Amnesiac to be the best Radiohead album and I kind of still do even if OK Computer has gained more popularity in my ranking. People always seemed really surprised when I said this, because they immediately thought that OK Computer would definitely be better in my view. Some people also pointed out that Kid A already made this kind of sound world known and Amnesiac was basically just a collection of leftover songs from that album. Both of these are valid points, because I normally like the use of so called "real" instruments more than electronic sounds and Kid A is fairly similar. I do think, however, that Amnesiac's range of songs is better than on Kid A and just for some reason the songs on Amnesiac speak to me more. Nowadays I may actually like OK Computer more, but I only got acquainted with Radiohead really late after Kid A so I first got to know the electronic Radiohead before the more guitar driven band and that might have made me like these albums more.


Like I said, I was really late to discover Radiohead. It was around the year 2000 when a friend of mine made me a mix tape with a bunch of new music, including Elliott Smith, Grandaddy, Super Furry Animals and Radiohead. This was my introduction to new music, because at the time I was mainly listening to 70's rock music. My mind was blown by all of these bands and I think Radiohead made the biggest impression on me back then. Kid A and Amnesiac were albums that had music unlike anything else I had ever heard. They were full of strange noises that I had no idea how they had been played. Also, both of these albums were really melancholic and I was really into melancholia at the time. I could channel my teenage mood swings beautifully into melancholic tunes.

This album is a bit strange for other reasons as well. I seem to like the last two songs on the album the best. Like Spinning Plates and Life in a Glasshouse are just amazing songs. Some of my friends who don't understand how I can listen to such depressing music have been especially bewildered by songs such as these. Other examples of songs like this on the album might include Pyramid Song, You and Whose Army? and Knives Out. In addition to these crazily melancholic songs, there are some songs that just have amazingly original sounds. These songs include Packt Like Sardins in a Crushed Tin Box, Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors and I Might Be Wrong. I also have to mention Hunting Bears, which is just one guitar and one bass playing very hypnotic and minimalist tunes. Sounds simple, but this hypnotic effect is really powerful.

Radiohead has some amazing music videos, but for some reason they didn't release any music videos from this albums predecessor Kid A. Fortunately this changed for Amnesiac and we got some more great music videos such as the one for Knives Out. The video is wonderfully obscure featuring a real woman who goes through an operation in the style of the board game Operation. Like in so many other Radiohead videos, again Thom Yorke is playing a role in this one. The imagery in the video is scary and strange, like straight out of a David Lynch film.

I don't know why Radiohead's experimental electronic albums have made such a huge impression on me when I haven't really been that excited about that many other electronica albums. There's something in that completely otherworldly sound and a dream like melancholic mood that really speaks to me. Amnesiac is a really important album to me and I'm sure it will always remain so.

Listen to the album on Spotify.