Aveenvp

Ok, I guess I'll try to tackle this one.


I think we all had the same reaction when we heard about a superband that combines the minds of Thom Yorke and Flea. Mine was "Damn, now all they need is Mozart", and I'm sure I was in good company. So the other week, when AMOK dropped, I sat in my chair, in front of my stereo, and gave it a good 3 listens back to back. And man, am I impressed.

I think the most obvious comparison to AMOK is Thom Yorke's "The Eraser". And it's a good comparison too: they both follow similar structures of looped instrumentals over busy drum machine work. I liked "The Eraser", but found it lacked a bit of.... soul. And sadly, AMOK is not completely cured of those. It can still be a somewhat numbing first listen through.

That's not to say that AMOK isn't a sweeping improvement, though. I hear SO much more energy in these tracks: more life. There's more dynamic range, fuller bass sounds, and richer production overall that gives these tracks the groove that they deserve.

And man, do they GROOVE. The whole album is densely rhythmic, and I find it hard to not at least bob my head to every single track; it's glitchy, with heavy breakbeat characteristics, and the looping software leaves little pockets of negative space that make the beat all the more hypnotic.

It's more melodic than "The Eraser" as well. There's a good chance you'll leave this album with bits of "Ingenue" or "Default" stuck in your head, as I did. Considering the improvement, I think that this element is what really makes it obvious; It isn't just Thom Yorke making these tracks, it's a team of geniuses.

While I'm on the subject, let's talk about the main member (that isn't Thom Yorke), Flea. His contributions to most of the tracks are modest: I feel like a lot of these melodies come from him, but don't end up being a true bass guitar line in the production. Take "Judge, Jury, and Executioner", for example. It occurred to me that the throaty main verse movement was probably originally a bassline by Flea, which was then manipulated in production. Still, Flea has his moments on the bass guitar: driving basslines on "Dropped" and "Amok" leave you thinking "yeah, ok. The bass is the coolest instrument that exists."

And on top of that, of course Thom Yorke's vocals are spot on. He's emotive, he's haunting, he's vulnerable, he's atmospheric. This is as good of a performance as I've ever heard from Thom Yorke. And it's staggeringly good.

That brings me to my main problem, actually. This doesn't sound like a band: it sounds like a Thom Yorke solo project, with the occasional input of a few other artists (the other members of the band). I think that pissed off a lot of people.

But hey, I'll take it. I've found that it's best not to think of who made the music, but just lay back, zone out, and experience what this album is. And when you do that, and you experience what AMOK has to offer, trust me: it REALLY delivers.

8.5/10

Aveenvp

but what did you guys think? Any other feedback?

Scarlett O'Hara

Take a look at this thread to find out. http://www.musicbanter.com/new-relea...eace-amok.html

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the MELOPHOBIA project

Great, great, absolutely great album.....can't wait for the next radiohead album.....government should force radiohead and / or thom yorke to do an album in every 3 months

Khrompot

Its a good album, I wouldn't say its a great album. The melodies aren't as strong as they could be in places. Better than TKOL, but not as good as The Eraser