As I've said before, I'm not the biggest Radiohead fan. I love some of their stuff, but, in general, I won't put on an album of theirs and just listen. I honestly believe that, if you went through their entire catalog, you'd have an amazing double disc or really, really good triple disc "Best Of" collection.
I bought The Eraser when it came out as, like them or not, Radiohead unarguably one of the most talented and interesting ground breaking etc. bands out there and I found myself enjoy it as a whole more than any one Radiohead album. So, when I heard that Thom Yorke was going solo again, but this time recruiting Flea on bass, Mauro Refosco (David Byrne, Brian Eno) on percussion, and Joey Waronker (Beck) on drums, as well as Nigel Godrich back on programming and production...I was anticipating a great album.
And...well, let's just say that if these five guys hadn't made something amazing, I'd have been more surprised than if they had.
And they did.
Make something amazing.
Of the few tracks that don't jump out at me, the opener, "Before Your Very Eyes...", is one of them.
It isn't bad, just not as good as what surrounds it and opening with a track that isn't amazing is kind of a weird choice, but, you know, Thom Yorke is kind of a weird choice.
The brightness and bass are pretty awesome though, so, you get a pass this time, Thom.
This time.
The first single, "Default", is still as absolutely brilliant as the first time I heard it and it's the main reason I've been so expectant and hopeful about this album. I can't say enough good stuff about this song, so I'll just move on.
Funny thing about "Ingenue"...I can't tell if I love it or hate it. I don't know if I like that little descending melody in the back or not, but, based on the fact that it keeps rattling around in my head for hours afterward...I think that's a good thing? Or I have a developmental disability.
Vocally though, I can't think of a time when I've heard Yorke so vulnerable...and, folks, this guy always sounds vulnerable.
"Dropped" made me think of Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" when I very first heard it, something about that continuous programming and doo-wop beat in the background. Try singing her track along with it. It's fun. I was caught up in that until the song unfolded like some groovy disco flower that makes you nod your head forever. I could not stop listening at that point. This one goes right up there with "Default". I love the bass on this...although...I'm thinking of just letting you assume that as a given unless I say otherwise...and I'm thinking of extending that to the programming and percussion as well...
Next, "Unless", another great track. It starts off sounding a bit like something from an 8-bit Haunted Mansion. Then there's the vocals, "I couldn't kill us"*. I love the boss fight feel of this...dark and evil and confrontational....like fighting Death Adder at the end of Golden Axe. At one point, Yorke's looped, layered, yammering vocalizations mimic keys doing the same thing and it is unnerving.
"Stuck Together Pieces" is sweet and warm and whimsical, really comforting; even more so when juxtaposed with what we've just heard. Like a summer jam in Greenland. Things get a little distressed when the guitars come in, and then settle back down. It ends in a place not as comfortable as where it started, but, come on, were you really expecting a happy ending? The buzzy synths at the end are perfectly placed.
Remembering that I'm not huge into Radiohead, "Judge Jury and Executioner" sounds the most like a Radiohead song to me...and I think that's because this was, at one time a b-side or something by Radiohead.
Or maybe not.
I also think it sounds a bit like Depeche Mode's "Dream On" (the beat and the guitar).
I really dig the chorus here and I think the mournful moaning in the background adds a lot. Also, the asymmetrical clapping works very well.
The piano on "Reverse Running" (which feels very Beck-like) and the final track, "Amok", stick out like sore thumbs from all the electronics we've heard thus far and I love it, it adds such a different mood... These two tracks provide an excellent ending to an amazing album. The barely audible vocals on "Amok" and the palpable sense of regret create an absolutely perfect feeling. There's a rising tide and then a quiet drop off and then we're through.
Too soon, in my opinion.
I deduced the reason why this is such a strong album, why it has such a unique and unified sound: it's the mathematics; it's the precise and masterfully planned placement of layers of simplicity and randomness. Nothing on here is accidental, every hand clap and metallic click you hear is exactly where it should be in order to have the most impact on the listener. This is what you get when you put such intelligent, calculating and exacting artists on one project. This is what you should get.
Here's how I know this is a great album: at this particular point in time, the end of February 2013, there is a lot of stuff coming out that I am very, very excited to hear: the new Eels album, Wonderful, Glorious, the debut LP from Trent Reznor's side project, How To Destroy Angels, the sixteenth They Might Be Giants album, Nanobots, and, of course, the totally unexpected and immensely anticipated thirtieth album from David Bowie, The Next Day...and yet I'm going to continue listening to AMOK after I've finished this review. I'm going to keep spending time with it because these guys have put a lot into it, and there is a lot more here for me to find.
* At least I think that's what he's saying. Surprise surprise, no lyrics in the liner notes!
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