THE DEATH OF THE MIX TAPE
​
Picture
  • Blog
    • Wordpress Feed
  • REACHING OUT:
  • SHOW PICS
  • MY TOP 100 SONGS OF ALL TIME

ALBUMS OF MY LIFE: RADIOHEAD, AMNESIAC

9/30/2014

2 Comments

 
So first off, let me thank you for coming to the new and hopefully improved The Death of the Mix Tape. Here you'll find more content, better surroundings, and also things to accompany your reading.

A while ago on my former space, I concluded my countdown of my top twenty favorite all time albums with #1, Radiohead's “Kid A.” For all the hardcore fans, you likely know that during the recording for the album, a wealth of great material was created and recorded. Sadly, they didn't release the albums together, but thankfully most of the material saw the light of day in terms of a traditional release. Released a mere eight months after “Kid A,” “Amnesiac” not only bridges the gap between the old and new Radiohead, but it's a suitable continuation of the experimental tendencies the band began to display around this time.

The cowbells open up on us, in the same way a sun would rise to start the day. Soon enough though, the humming of electronic motions are whizzing by like people trying to get to work on time. After that. Thom Yorke's familiar voice breaks open. One of the most random names of a song, “Packt like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box,” is the first welcome to this extended world we thought was only held on the previous album. Honestly, I can't even imagine what the reception would have been if these two albums had been released as one. They both fit together and don't. You can hear the growth among the songs, but it's not alike in a traditional way. “Kid A” is more electronic and ambient, while in parts, “Amnesiac” is a more familiar Radiohead record.

Song two, “Pyramid Song,” is probably my favorite song by this band, so far. It's simply perfect. The first time I heard about it was in an NME magazine. During this period, the band had been touring around in a circus tent. You see, they didn't want to go the normal route and play arenas. They wanted their own space, and a circus tent it was. At the time, the song was listed as Egyptian song, and only the crowd of the tour had seen it. What showed up on the album however, was the equivalent to seeing a the wizard for the first time. It's depth, beauty, and sullen sadness are still part of my emotional core, and the crisp whimsy of the excellent video still hold images of beauty and nostalgia in my mind. It's a dynamic song, and while the other songs presented here are amazing, putting this song at number 2 does all the remaining songs a major disservice.

Like I mentioned earlier, many of these songs are reminiscent of the soundscapes heard on the previous album. The ever throbbing and strangely pulsating “Pulk Pull Revolving Doors,” and “Amnesiac/Morning Bell” are the two best examples. Both have the electronic element happening, and both are in line with the often cold feeling showcased on “Kid A.”

One of the prettiest, yet most menacing songs on the album is “You and Whose Army.” I use those two words because as weird as it sounds, this song is both of those things. The tonal sound and landscape is quite disarming and gorgeous, but the under tone is full of malicious lyrics. It's basically a fuck you to whoever the author is singing to, but it's one of the stand out tracks on the record. Like much of Radiohead's catalogue, it's a vision to see performed live. The first time I witnessed it, Thom Yorke was facing away from the crowd, but his face was showing up crystal clear on the screens on each side of the stage. It was a great moment, and one that I think of often.

Many of the songs have a layered, etheral quality to them. If you take all of the albums by this band, you quickly see a pattern. They constantly reinvent their sound, but also remain the same with some sort of voodoo magic. It's a testament to a band when they can grow in leaps and bounds, but the common fan can still sense the same fibers running through the music. This is especially apparent on tracks like “Knives Out”(the video that's based on the board game “Operation” and also “Dollars and Cents.”These two songs are some of the best parts of the record, and yet I rarely hear big fans single out these songs as stand out tracks. That's completely fine though. The band has so many different tricks under it's sleeve, that it's unlikely that everyone cares about all the songs in the same ways. “Dollars and Cents” especially is a seven minute plus journey into areas the band hadn't fully uncovered. Selways drumming is spot on here, and the rest of the band remain in excellent form also. It has almost a psychological thriller feel to it. I can imagine it in the dark world of Kubrick or Polanski. The main character, near the end of the story, is uncovering things that are both terrifying and captivating. To me it's always been a creepier song that the band normally creates. Maybe it's just my crazy head, who knows.

Next we're treated to one of the best instrumentals I've ever heard. This song changed my life the first time I heard it. Years earlier, I had become a big fan of the modern “Romeo + Juliet,” directed by Baz Luhrmann. I mention it only because there's a scene in the movie where Romeo, played by Leo Dicaprio, is on a beach in the early morning, feeling the sting of love. The song playing is in fact “Talk Show Host” by Radiohead. It has a sad, quiet early morning feel to it. Now back to the song I was initially talking about though. It's called “Hunting Bears,” and during this time in my life I was lonely, and unsure of what would come next. I've always thought of myself as a Romantic to a certain degree, and even though I know think “Romeo and Juliet” are dumb kids, “Hunting Bears” had the same type of sound to it as the music in the film did. It really struck a cord with me. “Hunting Bears” is still a perfect song to watch a sunrise to, and for years it was my goal to film the sunrise and speed it up and set the visuals to this music. I'm sorry if I lost you there, but hearing this song again after awhile away brought back all these old thoughts and plans I had.

The last two songs, “Like Spinning Plates” and “Life in a Glass House,” are both great tracks, and they each bring different soundscapes to the table. “Plates” opens with a whirling array of effects, and although it initially comes across of unfocused and slightly a mess, by the two minute mark they've somehow managed to add on even more things that shouldn't work, but do. Yorke's voice over the programming is high pitched and somewhat forced, like he has no say in the words coming out of his body. The orchestral elements are really fluid here too. The overall concept of the song and the seemingly simplistic nature of it help you to get drawn into it in some sort of ultra ambient vortex, but before you know it the song quickly disintegrates and vanishes and gives way to the concluding track of the album.

That last track, called “Life in a Glass House,” is a monster of a song. It's powerful, focused and for my money I can't think of any other song that could have ended the album. Much like the ending of companion “Kid A,” the band nails the ending brilliantly here. It has a depressing narrative going, and the horns, quiet drums and piano only add to the feeling of being in a dingy bar in the afternoon watching your life pass you by. It's also a favorite of mine because it reeks so much to me of the mindset of New Orleans. We are city full of spirit, and honesty, and sometimes that combination isn't the best trait to have. The song to me is a story of what happens when dreams are crushed, and the honesty of the harshness of the world becomes too much to bear. Which is why in this case, we meander to a quiet, dark bar to be left alone with our thoughts, and to try out the life spent living “In a Glass House.”

Thank you for reading! Welcome to the new site!!




2 Comments
Chad
10/1/2014 02:51:40 pm

Great start man. Enjoyed this one.

Reply
Susan
10/2/2014 01:40:34 am

Great job Landon

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Landon Murray is a music connooisseur who craves sounds of all shapes and textures. He's seen over 2000 bands and looks forward to welcoming you into his world of sound, 

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    August 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    Categories

    All
    30 Seconds To Mars
    90's Rock Bands
    ALIVE 2007
    Al Jourgensen
    ALL THESE THINGS THAT I'VE DONE
    Animal Collective
    Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavillion
    Anti-Christ Superstar
    Antics
    Arcade Fire Suburbs
    Arcade Fire Top 10
    Armenian Rock Music
    ART OF COMPOSING
    As The Palaces Burn
    Avalanches Since I Left You
    Badmotorfinger
    Beach House
    Beastie Boys Ill Communication
    Beck Odelay
    Best Albums Of 2015
    BEST ALBUMS OF 2020
    Best Albums Of The 1990's
    Best Albums Of The 2000's
    BEST ALBUMS OF THE 80'S
    Best Albums Of The 90's
    Best Bjork Songs
    Best Black Sabbath Songs
    Best Concerts Of 2015
    Best Converge Songs
    Best Driving Music
    BEST KILLERS SONGS
    Best Lamb Of God Songs
    Best Metal Albums
    Best Metal Albums Of The 2000's
    Best Slayer Songs
    BEST SONGS OF 2020
    Best System Of A Down Songs
    Bjork Homogenic
    Black Sabbath
    Bon Iver
    Bounce Music
    Canadian Music Duo
    Children Of The Grave
    Chris Cornell
    CHVRCHES
    Comeback Albums
    COURTNEY BARNETT
    Cradle Of Filth
    Daft Punk Great Album
    DAFT PUNK LIVE
    Dan Deacon Best Songs
    Dan Deacon Interview
    David Bowie
    David Bowie Guests
    Death From Above 1979
    Deftones
    Dimmu Borgir
    DISINTEGRATION ALBUM REVIEW
    EAGLES OF DEATH METAL
    FLAMING LIPS
    FOLKLORE ALBUM REVIEW
    Foo Fighters
    FOO FIGHTERS COLOUR AND THE SHAPE
    Great Albums Of The 90's
    Great Driving Records
    Great Interpol Tracks
    Great Southern Trendkill
    Halloween Weekend
    HANS ZIMMER
    Heartbroken Love Songs
    History Of Black Sabbath
    History Of Pantera
    Homogenic Songs
    Iceland Singer
    IDLES
    Interpol Best Songs
    Iron Maiden
    Jane Doe
    Jeff Buckley
    Joshua Homme Queens
    Judas Priest
    Kevin Parker Genuis
    KILLER MIKE EL-P
    Killswitch Engage
    LATERALUS ALBUM
    Liam Finn
    Loveless Great Album My Bloody Valentine
    M83
    MASSIVE ATTACK 100TH WINDOW
    Massive Attack Best Album
    Mastodon Leviathan
    MC HAMMER 2 LEGIT TO QUIT BAD VIDEO
    Mechanical Animals
    MEGAN THEE STALLION
    Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
    Meshuggah Nothing
    Michael Jackson Dangerous
    Ministry
    MUMFORD AND SONS BEST SONGS
    Muse Top 10 Songs
    Neutral Milk Hotel
    New Orleans Music Festival
    New Orleans Republic
    New Wave Of American Heavy Metal
    Nineinch Nails
    Nine Inch Nails Sad
    Nirvana In Utero
    Nothingface
    Nothingface Violence Review
    Outkast
    Ozzfest
    Ozzy Osbourne Vocals
    Panda Bear
    Pantera History
    Paranoid
    POLITICAL RAP
    Portishead
    PORTISHEAD DUMMY
    Post Rock New York
    Queens Of The Stone Age Great Albums
    Queens Of The Stone Age Top Ten
    Queen Triumphant Songs
    RADIOHEAD Best Songs
    Radiohead Ok Computer
    RADIOHEADS BEST ALBUM
    Radiohead Top Ten
    Rage Against The Machine Debut
    RAMING DJAWADI
    Randy Blythe
    Reign In Blood
    ROBERT SMITH
    RUN THE JEWELS
    RYAN ADAMS
    Salem Metal Converge
    Shaky Knees Festival
    Shaky Knees Music Festival
    Shameless Love Of Taylor Swift
    Slayer
    Smashing Pumpkins Best Songs
    Songs For The Deaf
    Songs For The Deaf Queens Of The Stone Age
    Soulfly
    Soundgarden
    STORY OF NINE INCH NAILS
    Superunknown Album
    Tame Impala
    TAME IMPALA LONERISM
    TAYLOR SWIFT
    The Beatles Driving
    THE CURE
    THE CURE BEST SONGS
    The Downward Spiral Great Album
    THE KILLERS TOP TEN
    The Physical World
    The Strokes
    THE WEEKND
    Thrash Metal
    Tony Iommi Guitar
    TOOL
    TOOL GREAT ALBUMS
    TOOL TOP TEN
    Top 10
    TOP 40 ALBUMS OF THE 2010's
    TOP SONGS OF 2015
    Top Ten Bjork Songs
    Top Ten Black Sabbath Songs
    Top Ten Interpol Songs
    Top Ten Lamb Of God Songs
    Top Ten Ministry Songs
    Top Ten Slayer Songs
    Top Ten System Of A Down Songs
    Toxicity
    TRENT REZNOR
    Triumphant Songs
    Turn On The Bright Lights
    Tv On The Radio
    Type O Negative
    Valentines Day Songs
    Vinnie Paul Drumming
    Voodoo Music Experience
    Warpaint
    Watch The Throne
    Weezer Blue Album
    Yeah Yeah Yeahs Best Songs
    Yeah Yeah Yeahs Top Ten Songs
    YOSHIMI

    RSS Feed


    Are you looking for the old Wordpress blog posts?
    Wordpress Feed

Background Image
Site by Shake&Blur
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.