5 Comments
User's avatar
El Puto Guiri's avatar

Nice piece. “The National Anthem” still sounds so ambitious. Looking back, it was the album they had to make, and the album none of the imitators could ever have made.

Expand full comment
Jon (Animated)'s avatar

Superb reflection, Matt. This captures Kid A’s haunting strangeness and the courage behind it. Love Radiohead and always feel that 'bigger' bands have a lot that they owe Thom Yorke and the gang.

Expand full comment
Matt Fish's avatar

Thank you Jon!

Expand full comment
Jim C's avatar

Goddamn! I’m putting on The National Anthem right now! Love it!

Expand full comment
Decarceration's avatar

As a kid, I was a Bleep Bloop kinda music guy who got into Radiohead through OK Computer, and was blown away by it. And when Kid A arrived on the stands, I was like, "They're Blooping and Bleeping!!" It was that feeling you get when you step into a place for the first time and realize it'll be your home for a long time.

I was freaking out over the coming Tuesday release of "Amnesiac" when I was out and about in NYC the weekend prior. Some record store decided to stock it early -- I immediately picked it up and slipped it into my CD player. The first track on, of course, sounds like Bleep Bloops from a CAVE. Holy COW. I brought it into school on Monday and was a LEGEND.

Thanks for this piece, I've already read it a few times. I was not at all let down and hanging around, because this thing had me climbing up the wal- oops wrong album.

Expand full comment