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Laser show operators, rejoice: This generation's weightiest purveyors of prog-pop have returned to action -- and rest assured, they haven't moved an inch closer to the middle of the road on this outing. If anything, Thom Yorke and company seem intent on seeing how far they can push the envelope -- a tone that's set with the paranoiac, piano-driven opener "Everything in Its Right Place." The undulating layers of sound that swell through that song give way to the title cut's dizzying thicket of chattering voices, which in turn drift into a noisy reed duel that dominates "The National Anthem" (most assuredly not the tune you hear before sporting events). Although not as conceptually unified as OK Computer, Kid A is every bit as distanced from standard rock structure. This time around, the band have shed even more of their guitar orientation, replacing Jonny Greenwood's angular riffs with equally bristly piano lines and dense rhythm beds that split the difference between the tribal and the industrial. The decision to treat Yorke's voice as just another element in the instrumental mix is an interesting one, albeit one that makes it difficult to discern precisely what it is he's going on about in some songs. There's no mistaking the mood, however: Virtually every song is clad in dark hues, minor chords, and oppressive rhythms. On occasion, that bubbles over into wild-eyed aggression, as on the deceptively titled "Optimistic," but there are far more whispers than cries in the grooves of these ten songs. While it's not the easiest album in the world to get inside, Kid A's obsessiveness and complexity make it even more difficult to escape once you've found a way in.
Condition:NEW. Slashed case
TRACK LISTINGS
Disc 1
1 Everything in Its Right Place 4:11
2 Kid A
3 The National Anthem 5:51
4 How to Disappear Completely 5:56
5 Treefingers 3:42
6 Optimistic 5:15
7 In Limbo 3:30
8 Idioteque 5:09
9 Morning Bell 4:35
10 Motion Picture Soundtrack 7:01
Disc 2
1 Everything in Its Right Place 6:04
2 How to Disappear Completely 6:37
3 Idioteque 4:12
4 The National Anthem 4:43
5 Optimistic Live 4:39
6 Morning Bell Live 4:25
7 The National Anthem Live 5:01
8 How to Disappear Completely Live 5:56
9 In Limbo Live 4:42
10 Idioteque Live 4:12
11 Everything in Its Right Place Live 6:42
12 Motion Picture Soundtrack Live 3:55
13 True Love Waits Live 5:04
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