by Radiohead
Released October 2, 2000 via Parlophone Records / Capitol Records
Reviewed October 1, 2020
Top tracks (based on community voting)
How To Disappear Completely (78%), Idioteque (59%), Everything In Its Right Place (47%)
Artistry can succumb to a sense of paralysis after the summit has been reached. Existential questions come into frame as the 'What do we do now?' period begins; some fold and some fade away. Only the most special of acts, like Radiohead, can shed their skin and become untethered unto another plateau. Kid A, their fourth studio album, is the origin to their acclaim as the most compelling contemporary band. Taking a left turn at the right time only solidifies future reverence, in Radiohead's case it was the shift from rock to electronic pastures that moved the Oxford band's paradigm – opening up their world to a near infinite number of potential routes. Tracks like 'Optimistic' and 'In Limbo' feature conventional rock instrumentation, but it's the execution of said instrumentation that separates it from their previous work – playing for atmospheric effect and sensory soundscapes. Kid A may just be the most coherent left turn of the last quarter century. – Peter (9.5/10)
Radiohead’s fourth studio album, Kid A, certainly never lacks in its ambition. An incredibly dense and textured record, it feels much more expansive than its 50-minute runtime. Encompassing so many different genres - alternative rock, ambient music, krautrock, jazz, and more - and drawing on a multitude of influences, including Bjork, Talking Heads, Aphex Twin, and Charles Mingus, Radiohead pieced together something truly unique. While this is certainly the album’s biggest upside, it is simultaneously its biggest downfall. There are plenty of moments on Kid A where these influences merge and craft something special. But it is at its lows, and with the intentional sparseness, they create that something feels missing. – Dominick (7.2/10)
“Everything In Its Right Place” is one of the greatest intro songs in history. Yet, the rest of Kid A just isn’t up to par. It doesn’t hit. While things like the vocal effects on the title track and the guitar riffs on “The National Anthem'' sound great, the album as a whole just doesn’t do much to merit its status as one of the greatest albums of the 00s. At the end of the day, Kid A is just...good. – Alan (6.7/10)
Jared: 9.5/10 | Peter: 9.5/10 | Pax: 9.3/10 | Enth: 9/10 | Hadley: 9/10
Cam: 8.8/10 | Ben (Synth): 8.5/10 | Dominick: 7.2/10 | Alan: 6.7/10
