By the release of Kid A, Radiohead were full-fledged rock stars, although much to their chagrin. The OK Computer tour had worn them out; Yorke had grown sick of guitar, and especially ill of the rock industry. In a video interview (linked previously), he says, "Well, God help us if we f*ing were [the biggest rock band in 1997]. Even being called a rock band was a bit of a nightmare really... It sucks man, I hate it. I'm just so f*ing bored of it... It's not really the music...sitting on stage, playing guitar... What I'm talking about is all the mythology that goes with it. I have a real f*ing problem with that. I have a problem with the idea that you have to tour yourselves stupid..."
Thom also regretted positioning Radiohead in a way that was uninviting to electronic music, which he was increasingly being influenced by. To him, the attitude of the music was the same. In the 1990s digital audio technology was becoming cheaper and more ubiquitous, which made a lot of tricks on Kid A possible. The band's willingness to experiment and push sonic boundaries let them away from traditional rock instrumentation and in to synthesizers, samplers and computer-based composition. The possibility of digital technology was an expansion of the band's compositional palette, not, as some writers suggest, a deliberate attempt to isolate their music from the rock continuum.
As touched upon briefly, the lyrics in Idioteque are reflective of the socio-political climate of the mid-to-late 1990s.
"Who's in bunker...Women and children first..."
The mention of a bunker, and the war-time mantra of protecting women and children, conjures up a militaristic image. The song "I Will", written in the early 90s, also mentions a bunker and has been suggested to be referencing the first Iraq war. The war in Kosovo was a big issue pre-Kid A release, and was an inspiration for the cover art of the album.
"Here I'm allowed everything all of the time"
"Take the money and run"
This phrase speaks to the increasing consumerism of the last few decades. It was exacerbated in the 1990s by capitalist greed (dot-com bubble, corporate scandals i.e. Enron).
"Ice age coming... let me hear both sides"
"This is really happening, happening"
Long before Al Gore made his keynote, climate issues were becoming a major concern. Official Radiohead t-shirts in 2001 featured the ice-berg from the album cover with the warning (taken from the lyric), "Ice age coming" (wiki).
"Mobiles working, mobiles chirping"
This line refers to the growing mobile electronics industry. Cell phones, PDAs, pagers, were becoming common place; this lead to the digital lifestyle in which the modern world has finds itself in today.
"We're not scaremongering" seems very much a reference to the conventions developed by television network news casting. "If it bleeds, it leads," they say. Sensationalism and fear induction is thought to entice viewers to watch, or scare them enough so they won't leave.
Open listening
Is the synthesizer like a church organ? The singer is about to relay his thoughts on the world, to warn us of impending doom...
The sampling from Kreiger's work sound like a stomach grumbling. Is is a sonica metaphor regarding the turmoil of our world?
The vocal harmony in the chorus, as they sing of their entitlement: "Here I'm allowed everything all of the time". Maybe the multiplicity of voices suggest that there are many people that are this way... those who feel entitled, spoiled, or out of harm's way.
It's surprising how much more aggressive and faster the C section sounds. It contains the same relaxed drum looped, but the fast percussive part on the left channel, along with the alertness the voice demands gives the part a much quicker feel.
No comments:
Post a Comment