KID A MNESIA

Three years after conquering the alternative rock world with the landmark OK Computer, Radiohead followed with one of the most anticipated albums of the era. And everything changed. 2000's course-shifting Kid A was a jarring transformation: icy atmospherics, digitized beats, meandering soundscapes, and enough gloom and anxiety to make their previous output almost cheerful in comparison. With their crunchy guitars and snarling attitude seemingly left behind in 1997, the response was swift and divisive: critics either hailed it for its artistry or mourned the loss of their beloved art-rock misfits. Nonetheless, the album hit number one around the world and became widely recognized as one of the most influential and iconic albums of the decade. Eight months later, Radiohead delivered another dose of existential dread and experimental wizardry with 2001's weirdo sibling, Amnesiac. Even though listeners had been primed for what was to come, the public still wasn't ready. Recorded during the same sessions (and fully intended as its own entity, not just a B-sides cast-off), the set delved even deeper into the extremes of this new sonic aesthetic, pushing the limits of the average fan's patience with complex time signatures and song structures, stretching themselves even further away from The Bends. In some respects, the complex Amnesiac was less harsh and robotic than Kid A, injecting warmth into the machine with layered production, hypnotic programming, and very human touches like piano, strings, and even a brass band.