1997’s OK COMPUTER turned the rock world on its ear by bringing visionary neo-prog rock touches to a Britpop format. Consequently, KID A was one of the most anticipated releases of its era, especially since Nigel Godrich, the man behind the mixing desk for the previous album, was again on hand for this outing.

On KID A, Thom Yorke’s passionate wailing is put through the aural wringer, and the band’s previous nimbly orchestrated full-frontal sonic assault is replaced by full-frontal electric piano, to iconoclastic effect. The ambient underpinnings and garbled vocals of “Everything in Its Right Place,” and the instrumental “Treefingers,” the electronic beats of “Idioteque,” and Yorke’s processed voice on the title track will come as quite a shock to diehard ’70s rockers who spent the late ’90s deifying Radiohead as heirs to the Pink Floyd throne. But these touches work brilliantly, while the more organic elements, such as the jazzy horn section on “The National Anthem,” and the comparatively conservative arrangement (though there’s some unsettlingly atonal orchestration lurking here, too) of “How to Disappear Completely” provide a counterpoint to all this incipient modernism.

Tracklisting
1. Everything’s In It’s Right Place
2. Kid A
3. The National Anthem
4. How To Disappear Completely
5. Treefingers
6. Optimistic
7. In Limbo
8. Idioteque
9. Morning Bell
10. Motion Picture Soundtrack

Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (1/4/01, p.106) – Ranked #8 in Rolling Stone’s Top 10 Albums of 2000.

Rolling Stone (10/12/00, pp.85-6) – 4 stars out of 5 – “…A clear-eyed space opera about a plausible future….this ‘is’ pop, a music of ornery, glistening guile and honest ache, and it will feel good under your skin once you let it get there…”

Spin (1/01, p.73) – Ranked #2 in Spin’s “Top 20 Albums of the Year [2000]“.

Spin (10/00, pp.171-2) – 9 out of 10 – “…The songfullness emerges from the strangeness, and a beautifully sequenced CD assumes the shape of a classic LP….KID A is not only [its] bravest album but its best one as well.”

Entertainment Weekly (10/6/00, pp.85-6) – “…A genuinely challenging work….a sonic journey…” – Rating: B+

Q (10/01, p.91) – Ranked #13 in Q’s “Best 50 Albums of Q’s Lifetime”

Q (1/01, p.93) – Included in Q’s “50 Best Albums of 2000″.

Q (11/00, p.96) – 3 stars out of 5 – “…Beautiful as it is strange….Musically, [its] best features are its keening, lapwing guitars and a thin, atonal orchestral drizzle….best enjoyed with the lights off…”

Alternative Press (11/00, p.95) – 3 out of 5 – “…Like the soundtrack to a movie that hasn’t been filmed….This is music that messes with your insides…”

Magnet (1-2/01, p.45) – Included in Magnet’s “20 Best Albums of 2000″ – “…This year’s version of R.E.M.’s UP: a genre-resistant sonic scuplture that plays wicked eardrum tricks at every turn…”

The Wire (1/01, p.34) – Included in Wire’s “50 Records Of The Year”.

Muzik (11/00, p.90) – 4 out of 5 – “…A record of experiments….This deserves your attention.”

CMJ (1/08/01, p.17) – Included in CMJ’s “Best of the Year” for 2000.

CMJ (10/2/00, p.3) – “…An epic audio experiment punctuated with raw emotion and inspiring innovation….an unquestionable masterpiece…”

Vibe (11/00, p.166) – 4 discs out of 5 – “…Richly sculpted with multi-colored chords, ebbing rhythms, and oddball time measures, KID A floats…through the galaxy in search of musical cliches to annihilate…”

Mojo (Publisher) (p.66) – Ranked #7 in Mojo’s “100 Modern Classics” — “[W]eeping icons of heartbreaking loveliness…”

Mojo (Publisher) (10/00, p.86) – “…Intriguing, eccentric, obviously a grower….It still sounds a mess, but that’s obviously the plan…”

NME (Magazine) (12/30/00, p.77) – Ranked #11 in NME’s “Top 50 Albums Of The Year” – “…Warp-style electronica, modern jazz….chill atmospherics and curdled, bitter soundscapes…”

Pitchfork (Website) – “[A] complete album, one where everything from production to arrangements to lyrics to album art were carefully crafted towards a unified purpose.”

Record Collector (magazine) (p.92) – 5 stars out of 5 — “[S]uitably liberated….These are recordings with soul…”