The 2000 RADIOHEAD album KID A is my #3 all-time favorite album although I hadn't heard any of its songs until ten years later when I obtained it and transferred it onto my MP3 player to listen to during my then-long distance (15 miles plus) training runs. From then on listening to one of these pieces transports me to that time and the different paths I used. Initially panned by many music critics, it has come to be considered not only as the British alternative rock band's best, but also one of the greatest albums ever. Still, I think you kind of have to be inclined toward this genre of tech rock. And, frankly, lead singer Thom Yorke has the kind of voice that can sometimes grate on your ears! Yet I've grown to love this band's music and look forward to any new release of theirs...and my all-time favorite song (These Are My Twisted Words) is from them as well. Below are Kid A's tracks listed in order of my liking, but the entire album worked for me...
1 MORNING BELL--song's lyrics are about the brutal effects of divorce, but I associate it with my 2010 ultra-long training runs, listening on my MP3...
2 IN LIMBO--the ultimate "going down the rabbit role" song, with a jazzy bent...
3 HOW TO DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY--"disappear" here has 2 meanings, one to go into hiding and the other as a symptom of social disaffection...
4 IDIOTEQUE--a robotic, dystopian kind of beauty this song has; another great running track...
5 OPTIMISTIC--I later came to appreciate this one, maybe the most "singles" worthy song on the album, more sinister than optimistic in tone...
6 EVERYTHING IN ITS RIGHT PLACE--the album's opening track, perfect for putting the listener in a receptive state of contemplation and reflection...
7 KID A--like Idioteque, a dystopian/electronic song, and with a strange, other-worldly singer...
8 THE NATIONAL ANTHEM--I wonder what words you'd add to this hip/rock/jazz tune to make it ours? Or maybe just keep it instrumental...
9 TREEFINGERS--dreamy instrumental mood piece...
10 MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK--pleasant enough song, but big gaps of silence messed it up on my MP3...
Next week: my #2 all-time favorite album (and one of the most famous)...
