@nessisonett On another note, try Remission by Mastodon, it's their first album and pretty d*mn sludgy! Totally different to what they became on Leviathan and subsequent albums. Let me know what you think!
@render Really liked that Ochre tune, planning to listen to more, so thanks for posting it. @Jimmer-jammer I think it was me who recommended Isis to you on here before, their last two albums and Panopticon are amazing, so listen to any of those you haven't heard already, if you like.
"Man is the pie that bakes and eats himself, and the recipe is separation." - Alasdair Gray
@johncalmc Quoting this for emphasis, I was pleasantly surprised by this album too. Despite loving some of her previous albums, I didn't have high hopes for this one, but I really enjoy it.
The new Radiohead re-release of Kid A/Amnesiac has sent me off on a bit of a Radiohead phase here, and while the third disc of outtakes etc. isn't anything revolutionary or necessary I like it. The latter half is made up of mostly instrumental tracks and they've made the interesting decision to kind of blend these various short tracks so they all lead into one another seamlessly so it almost works as a medley. I appreciate this for some reason.
Anyway, Amnesiac is the best Radiohead album and that's all I have to say about that.
@Keith_Zissou I listened to Amnesiac for the first time in - probably! - years yesterday and I gotta say it was an absolute treat. I know Kid A gets all the acclaim, but I think Amnesiac is way more interesting - it's somehow both more and less accessible than Kid A, with some more conventional songs mixed alongside some more out there ones. Like you got Pyramid Song and Pulk/Pull both on there - it jumps from one extreme to the other and I kinda appreciate the chaos.
Also it has my favourite ever Radiohead song on it - Like Spinning Plates.
@johncalmc Did you listen to the newly released Why Us? version of Spinning Plates? It's brilliant.
And while I don't know if Amnesiac as an album is better than Kid A, I think it has way better songs. Life in a Glass House and Packt Like Sardines are two of my favorites. And Pyramid Song is just a whole 'nother level, it's one of the most beautiful things.
@Kidfried I did and I love it. Like Spinning Plates has been my favourite Radiohead song for years and years and now I don't know which version is my favourite any more. The new one is such a wonderful version.
I suppose it depends on how you define an album really. Kid A works well as a listen from start to finish and all the songs complement each other honest to God album. Amnesiac is more chaotic and doesn't really flow from one song to the next in as logical a way but the high points, I would argue, are much higher. Pyramid Song, Like Spinning Plates, and Life In A Glasshouse are for me better than anything on Kid A by a country mile.
@johncalmc@Keith_Zissou@Kidfried It's great to see so much love for Amnesiac and Kid A which are equally great albums packed with great tracks. If I had to pick one for me it would be How to Disappear Completely but it's just edging it really. If You Say the Word off of the third disc is great and feels quite fresh even though it's not a radical departure, it has some nice upbeat tones in a relatively chilled and downbeat song.
I'd still pick OK Computer as the standout Radiohead album though. After The Bends everyone was expecting the same again but OK was the first showing of how prepared they were to take risks with their audience. I'm sure it alienated some people (I can think of one friend who stated that's when he stopped listening) but for me it was the perfect follow-up. I guess some part of it might have been where I was in life at the time. I was living in Germany and I remember going into the Saturn store to listen to it on the CD players with headphones there before I bought it because they were way better than my personal one. If I was ever feeling homesick though I'd listen to that album and it made me feel right at home!
@render I have to be honest and say that it may be contrarian but for whatever reason OK Computer never jived with me as much as for most people. This is not to say I don't like it - I think it's one of the best albums of the '90s but it's not my favourite Radiohead album or even second. Or third probably. I generally consider it in the middle, I think. It does have some of my favourite Radiohead songs on it though, like Exit Music.
@johncalmc I agree about OK Computer, it doesn’t really land with me as an album either. There are still great songs on there like No Surprises and Let Down. Kid A and Amnesiac are definitely my favourites from them but Kid A probably has the edge as a more cohesive album.
Actually, looking at In Rainbows’ track list, I forgot just how solid that album was. Very very high points and not much chaff.
@johncalmc@nessisonett Not going to knock you for choosing Kid A or Amnesiac, both are a joy to listen to. Going back and listening to Kid A Mnesia just reminds me just how many great albums they've had over the years.
I believe I had posted a list of my favorite Radiohead albums somewhere on here a long time ago, but I actually couldn't find it. So here goes.
9. Pablo Honey - Solid indie rock album.
8. Hail To The Thief - Most outward Radiohead album, very worthwhile, but not their strength
7. The Bends - Album on which they found their own voice; a classic, but not groundbreaking
6. A Moon Shaped Pool - Very well produced and beautiful songs, all of them. Radiohead's most normal album post-Kid A.
5. In Rainbows - This is such a smart album. It's modern Radiohead, but it's stripped down to the essentials.
4. OK Computer - Brilliant songwriting that completely blew me away back when I heard it the first time.
3. Kid A - Even after listening to it so many times, I still feel my brain is not developed well enough to truly grasp these songs. An album from space.
2. Amnesiac - The synthesis between Kid A and OK Computer for me. All three albums are really close to each other with regards to how much I love them, but Amnesiac has the hardest hitters.
1. The King of Limbs - I wish more people would understand this album, but I'm with loving it as much as I do!
Maybe The King of Limbs needs some more explanation. I think the album has been greatly misunderstood, due to different reasons: the album has a difficult start, there was just so many people expecting this album to be more (I remember all the rumors that this album was only the first part!), and some muddled messaging about 'the death of the album' . If you look back at the discourse around this album surrounding its release, it's no wonder this has been one of the most underrated albums.
I don't think the album is incomplete or too short. The album is almost a concept album, starting with life (chaotic songs) and ending with death (calmer songs). It's an album about life and death, but less in the existential way that we are used to from Radiohead, but more life and death as the natural flow of life. I think that's probably why they chose the album to be represented by a tree. I think it's Radiohead at their most ethereal.
@Kidfried Wow, I'd definitely not thought about it to that level of detail so it's great to read the breakdown of what you think about each of the albums.
While it wouldn't be my favourite album I liked that it was taking the band further into the realms of electronica using more ambient sounds and away from their traditional guitar based music. There were a few bands around that time that had a similar sound like Muse, and it felt that this was Radiohead trying to differentiate themselves. I also remember hearing an interview with them at the time where they said their influences were moving towards the likes of Burial and that sort of dubstep sound which definitely comes out in some of the earlier tracks on the album.
In Rainbows is my personal favourite Radiohead album, that record brings back great memories. OK Computer and Hail to the Thief would be tied for my second favourite.
All this Radiohead talk has made me want to listen to their albums again, so this may change very soon!
@Jimmer-jammer I saw Sco in his duo setup with double-bassist Dave Holland in London, here in the UK last night, it was good, although not as good as when I saw him a couple of years ago, they both seemed pretty tired as it was the last night of their tour and Sco kept sitting down, but, hey, he is almost 70, you can't expect him to be on his feet all the way through every gig he does any more I spose. Also, there were many exceptional moments of guitar-playing during the gig, but he just had a lot more energy when I saw him, also in London, a couple of years ago. Anyway, here are Charles LLoyd and the Marvels (jazz) let me know what you think.
@TheBrandedSwordsman man, I’ve been super busy…finally listened to the song. I like it! I was stomping around the house with two of our girls latched on to each of my legs like little koala bears while blaring the song from my back pocket. It was really quite the perfect score. Glad to hear the concert was enjoyable, albeit slightly less energized than past shows. I suppose ‘70 years old’ is an acceptable excuse. Not everyone has the highly modified nervous system of the Rolling Stones.
“Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.” C.S. Lewis
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