Kid A (2000) - Radiohead

 Tracklist:

1. Everything in Its 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
11. Untitled (hidden track after final song on some editions)

Kid A isn’t just an album—it’s a fracture. A deliberate rupture from the guitar-driven anthems of OK Computer, Radiohead’s Kid A shattered expectations and reassembled them into something abstract, cold, and breathtakingly beautiful. Released at the dawn of the 21st century, it felt alien and prophetic—anxiously digital and hauntingly human.

Opening with “Everything in Its Right Place,” the album sets a surreal tone: Thom Yorke’s voice is chopped and looped over whirring synths, as if memory itself is malfunctioning. The title track follows, childlike and cryptic, with Yorke’s vocals buried under digital haze. “The National Anthem” jolts the senses with a chaotic brass section and groove-heavy bassline, like a jazz band at the end of the world.

But there’s deep emotion hidden in the static. “How to Disappear Completely” is pure melancholy, a slow spiral of strings and acoustic guitar, with Yorke repeating the mantra: “I’m not here, this isn’t happening.” It’s devastating. And then comes “Treefingers,” an ambient piece that erases all structure—Radiohead at their most un-radio-friendly.

“Idioteque” is arguably Kid A’s heartbeat. Built on a minimalist techno loop and a sample from a 1970s computer music experiment, it’s paranoid, urgent, and chillingly prophetic (“Ice age coming, ice age coming”). That same undercurrent of unease runs through “In Limbo” and “Morning Bell,” while the closing track “Motion Picture Soundtrack” feels like the end of a strange, lonely film—church organs, ghostly harps, and Yorke’s voice fading into nothing.

Kid A doesn’t ask to be understood—it asks to be felt. It’s about atmosphere, alienation, and rebirth. In 2000, it confused fans and critics alike. Today, it’s considered a landmark. Few albums have ever risked this much at the height of mainstream success. Fewer still have aged into such revered myth.