Feb. 20, 2013 - Issue #905: DOA No more - Trading in punk for politics
Amok
Atoms for Peace {recordings_bands_mg} Amok {/recordings_bands_mg}
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Imagine the waves of an electronic tide going in and out; visualize the multiple elements of Thom Yorke's rickety career; picture a supergroup of musicians whose only real need to perform is to fulfil a passion to have an impromptu experiment. Somewhere in that mix comes this new mindmelt. Taking many cues from many places—including Flea's ability to morph into robot, showing off his best Burial basslines, the wired-and-glitched-out pace of a Flying Lotus brought on by longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, and the layer-upon-layer of drumming pulsation inspired by what can only be described as Fela Kuti hammering out a Four Tet single—Amok might be the most expressive and untamed thing the Radiohead frontman has touched. Yorke's slickest version of himself is a calm voice over a hysterical sea at its most glorious moments.
By no means a rock album, lesser than an electronic thaw, Amok frantically lands—for those who require the Radiohead comparison—somewhere between the electro trials of a sped-up Amnesiac and Kid A, and perhaps the most-agreeable-to-the-most-people of Yorke's ever-changing list, The Eraser.
Amok is an incredibly atmospheric creature: incredibly dark in sound, yet vibrant in character, especially as the levels reveal themselves. As spontaneous as can be imagined, as organic and unarranged as can be expected, Atoms for Peace has created a feral dance of an album. vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus
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