History Music / KidA

->''"Everyone\\
Everyone is so near\\
Everyone has got the fear\\
It's holding on\\
It's holding on"''

** The album was made available for streaming from their website before its official release.

* FadingIntoTheNextSong: The phasing synth sound at the end of "Kid A" continues into the very beginning of "The National Anthem", "Optimistic" transitions seamlessly into "In Limbo" through a shoddy loop, and the heavily processed, screechy violin-like loop at the end of "Idioteque" leads into "Morning Bell".

* LastNoteNightmare: All of the album probably invokes this at some point.

** One line in the hidden booklet namedrops the UsefulNotes/PlayStation.

---> ''Here I'm allowed''

This change was motivated by the band's burnout following the extensive promotion of ''OK Computer'' and [[FollowTheLeader the growing number of bands following their example]], which -- combined with WritersBlock -- resulted in frontman Thom Yorke suffering a mental breakdown and [[ArtistDisillusionment becoming disenchanted]] with not only Radiohead's standard guitar-based music, but with the concepts of rock and melody as a whole. Listening to acts like Music/{{Autechre}} and Music/AphexTwin drove Yorke to the [[EurekaMoment realization]] that instrumental electronics could evoke the same emotions from him as guitars. This set the ethos of creating ''Kid A''; among the many influences the band drew from in its production, the album can be best summed up as combining the abstract and artsy electronica of ''Music/{{Homogenic}}'' with the [[WordSaladHorror disjointedly surreal and anxious lyricism]] of ''Music/RemainInLight'' and the lonesome, wintry vibe of ''Music/{{Low|DavidBowieAlbum}}''.

While the band found CreativeDifferences over the album's direction, at one point agreeing to split up if no final product could be made, over 20 songs were ultimately produced over a grueling 18-month period. One half is included on ''Kid A'', and the other is on ''Music/{{Amnesiac}}'', which came out six months later as a loose companion piece.

''Kid A'' is the fourth album by English AlternativeRock band Music/{{Radiohead}}. Released in October 2000, it marked a [[NewSoundAlbum new stage]] of the band's sonic experimentation.

* ColorMotifs: Red, black, and white prominently feature throughout the album artwork and promotional material, inspired by a 1999 photograph of bloodstained footprints in the snow during the Kosovo War.

*** Much of the artwork, especially the color scheme, was inspired by a Guardian front page photograph he saw during the Kosovo war. [[https://beingsakin.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/kosovo_1999.jpg "It was of a square metre of snow and it was full of the detritus of war, all military stuff and fag ["cigarette" for non-British readers] stains.]] I was upset by it in a way war had never upset me before. It felt like it was happening in my street."[[note]]Andrew Testa "Bloody footprints in the snow, Kosovo, 1999". He worked for The Guardian at the time Donwood would've seen it and it matches the description.[[/note]]

* SnowMeansDeath: Invoked in the album art and liner notes, which feature a combination of abstract polar landscapes and unnerving, violence-implying imagery in tandem with the songs' apocalyptic lyrics. The fact that the art was inspired by a 1999 photograph of bloody footprints in the snow during the Kosovo War aids in this.

* PostRock: The album borrows a lot of stylistic elements from this genre (namely the focus on timbre and texture over melody and lyrics), to the point where Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}, this wiki, and a number of other sources outright classify it as post-rock (alongside a myriad of other genres).

Upon release, ''Kid A'' was a commercial success despite its deliberately uncommercial direction and promotion. Utilizing unorthodox promoting tactics -- eschewing singles and music videos[[note]]though promotional singles for "How to Disappear Completely", "Idioteque", "The National Anthem", and "Optimistic" ''were'' given out to radio stations[[/note]] for a series of short televised [[{{Blipvert}} "blips"]], most of them animated -- the album debuted at the top of the ''Billboard'' 200 in the USA and went platinum in the UK during opening week, eventually getting Radiohead its second UsefulNotes/GrammyAward for Best Alternative Music Album and second Album of the Year nomination. The album also topped the charts in the UK, Canada, France, Ireland, and New Zealand, ultimately becoming the 50th best-selling album of 2000 in the UK.

[[caption-width-right:350: ''"I'm not here; this isn't happening."'']]

* DigitalDestruction: The streaming release of the album cuts up "Motion Picture Soundtrack" and the unnamed HiddenTrack at the end of it into two separate tracks, despite the band stating that the pair are supposed to be viewed as a single piece.

This change was motivated by the band's burnout following the extensive promotion of ''OK Computer'' and [[FollowTheLeader the growing number of bands following their example]], which -- combined with WritersBlock -- resulted in frontman Thom Yorke suffering a mental breakdown and [[ArtistDisillusionment becoming disenchanted]] with not only Radiohead's standard guitar-based music, but with the entire concept of rock as a whole. Listening to acts like Music/{{Autechre}} and Music/AphexTwin drove Yorke to the [[EurekaMoment realization]] that instrumental electronics could evoke the same emotions from him as guitars. This set the ethos of creating ''Kid A''; among the many influences the band drew from in its production, the album can be best summed up as combining the abstract and artsy electronica of ''Music/{{Homogenic}}'' with the [[WordSaladHorror disjointedly surreal and anxious lyricism]] of ''Music/RemainInLight'' and the lonesome, wintry vibe of ''Music/{{Low|DavidBowieAlbum}}''.

Upon release, ''Kid A'' was a commercial success despite its deliberately uncommercial direction and promotion. Utilizing unorthodox promoting tactics -- eschewing singles and music videos[[note]]though promotional singles for "How to Disappear Completely", "Idioteque", "The National Anthem", and "Optimistic" ''were'' given out to radio stations[[/note]] for a series of short televised [[{{Blipvert}} "blips,"]] most of them animated -- the album debuted at the top of the ''Billboard'' 200 in the USA and went platinum in the UK during opening week, eventually getting Radiohead its second UsefulNotes/GrammyAward for Best Alternative Music Album and second Album of the Year nomination. The album also topped the charts in the UK, Canada, France, Ireland, and New Zealand, ultimately becoming the 50th best-selling album of 2000 in the UK.

** The harp glissandos and double bass sounds from "Motion Picture Soundtrack" were sampled and added by the other band members, though where they got them from is unclear. Jonny [[http://radiohead1.tripod.com/songs/album/motionpic.htm compared]] the moment they appear into the song with a moment in a 1950s Disney film where the colour fades slightly.
** Other samples floating through the album include the echo-laden snippet of an orchestral performance that appears after the noisy conclusion of "The National Anthem", all of "Treefingers", (which was created by Thom sampling Ed's guitar improvisations and processing them until they didn't sound like a guitar) and the looped jam at the end of "Optimistic".

* VariantCover: CD re-pressings on Creator/XLRecordings use the first page of the hidden booklet as the tray art, in place of the CGI mountain range from the original release.

This change was motivated by the band's burnout following the extensive promotion of ''OK Computer'' and [[FollowTheLeader the growing number of bands following their example]], which -- combined with WritersBlock -- resulted in frontman Thom Yorke [[CreatorBreakdown suffering a mental breakdown]] and [[ArtistDisillusionment becoming disenchanted]] with not only Radiohead's standard guitar-based music, but with the entire concept of rock as a whole. Listening to acts like Music/{{Autechre}} and Music/AphexTwin drove Yorke to the [[EurekaMoment realization]] that instrumental electronics could evoke the same emotions from him as guitars. This set the ethos of creating ''Kid A'', which can be best summed up as combining the abstract and artsy electronica of ''Music/{{Homogenic}}'' with the [[WordSaladHorror disjointedly surreal and anxious lyricism]] of ''Music/RemainInLight'' and the generally lonesome, wintry vibe of ''Music/{{Low|DavidBowieAlbum}}''.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The album travels further down the experimental route the band had explored on ''OK Computer'', and even incorporates ElectronicMusic on some of its songs.

[[caption-width-right:350: ''"I'm not here, this isn't happening."'']]

''Kid A'' is the fourth album by English AlternativeRock band Music/{{Radiohead}}. Released in October 2000, it marked a [[NewSoundAlbum new stage]] of the band's sonic experimentation. The group had been dabbling in ElectronicMusic as early as "Planet Telex", the opening track from ''Music/TheBends'', and by their next album ''Music/OKComputer'', its influence on their sound had grown more prominent. ''Kid A'', on the other hand, saw the band dive headfirst into electronica, using it as the structure of certain songs rather than purely for texture.

* DigitalPiracyIsOkay: This album was available for streaming from their website before its official release.
** When bootlegs of early live performances of ''Kid A'' songs made their way to the internet, the members of the band were both surprised and pleased when fans at concerts already knew the words to these new songs that had only been played once or twice previous. Colin Greenwood told a [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] reporter:
--> "We played in Barcelona and the next day the entire performance was up on Napster. Three weeks later when we got to play in UsefulNotes/{{Israel}} the audience knew the words to all the new songs and it was wonderful."

* DrivenToSuicide: "Motion Picture Soundtrack" (maybe). [[BookEnds The first and last lines sort of intertwine;]] the first line ("red wine and sleeping pills") could mean that the narrator is trying to kill themselves [[note]] the combination of these drugs can be lethal when enough is consumed [[/note]]. The last line ("I will see you in the next life") could mean that the narrator is dying and will finally find his lover in the afterlife. Furthermore, the song's HiddenTrack is {{bookend|s}}ed by [[MomentOfSilence a minute of silence]], as if in mourning.

* MomentOfSilence: "Motion Picture Soundtrack" features a minute of silence between the main song and the HiddenTrack, with an additional minute of silence following that, both times tying into the lyrics that allude to being DrivenToSuicide.

-> ''"[[TheStinger I will see you... In the next life]]."''

This change was motivated by the band's burnout following the extensive promotion of ''OK Computer'' and [[FollowTheLeader the growing number of bands following their example]], which -- combined with WritersBlock -- resulted in frontman Thom Yorke [[CreatorBreakdown suffering a mental breakdown]] and [[ArtistDisillusionment becoming disenchanted]] with not only Radiohead's standard guitar-based music, but with the entire concept of rock as a whole.

Listening to acts like Music/{{Autechre}} and Music/AphexTwin drove Yorke to the [[EurekaMoment realization]] that instrumental electronics could evoke the same emotions from him as guitars. This set the ethos of creating ''Kid A'', which can be best summed up as combining the abstract and artsy electronica of ''Music/{{Homogenic}}'' with the [[WordSaladHorror disjointedly surreal and anxious lyricism]] of ''Music/RemainInLight'' and the generally lonesome, wintry vibe of ''Music/{{Low|DavidBowieAlbum}}''.

Listening to acts like Music/{{Autechre}} and Music/AphexTwin drove Yorke to the [[EurekaMoment realization]] that instrumental electronics could evoke the same emotions from him as guitars. This set the ethos of creating ''Kid A'', which can be best summed up as combining the abstract and artsy electronica of ''Music/{{Homogenic}}'' with the [[WordSaladHorror disjointedly surreal and anxious lyricism]] of ''Music/RemainInLight'' and the generally lonesome, wintry vibe of ''Music/LowDavidBowieAlbum''.

* NewSoundAlbum: After the more straightforward rock of their previous albums, this album is a PostRock piece with more simplified instrumentation and little use of guitar solos, choosing to emphasize sonic texture and soundscapes over conventional melody. It even dabbles in ElectronicMusic as well ("Everything In Its Right Place", the title track, "Treefingers", and "Idioteque").

* OminousMusicBoxTune: The title track has this, which gives it a really cold atmosphere.

* VariantCover: CD repressings on Creator/XLRecordings use the first page of the hidden booklet as the tray art, in place of the CGI mountain range from the original release.

''Kid A'' is the fourth album by English AlternativeRock band Music/{{Radiohead}}. Released in October 2000, it marked a [[NewSoundAlbum new stage]] of the band's sonic experimentation. The group had been dabbling in ElectronicMusic as early as "Planet Telex", the opening track from ''Music/TheBends'', and by their next album ''Music/OKComputer'', its influence on their sound had grown more prominent. ''Kid A'', on the other hand, saw the band dive headfirst into electronica, using it as the structure of their songs rather than purely for texture.

* AlternativeDance: Has light shades of this here and there with its mix of electronica and PostRock, though only on a small number of songs. "Idioteque" meanwhile displays it so prominently that Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} outright classifies the song as IDM (among other genres).

** Interestingly enough, the lyrics for most tracks on this album as well as ''Music/{{Amnesiac}}'' and ''Music/HailToTheThief'' became this. Lyrics from all three albums appeared cryptically (and usually slightly altered) in the Radiohead website's "maze" section.
** Phrases that would appear in ''Amnesiac'' and ''Hail to the Thief'' appeared in this album's hidden booklet. For example, you can see the phrase "You and your cronies", which later became a lyric in "You and Whose Army?".

* EasterEgg: Early pressings of this album had an extra booklet of art and text hidden under the CD tray, with much of this text consisting of lyrics that would later appear on ''Music/{{Amnesiac}}'' (which was recorded at the same time as ''Kid A''; both albums were in fact planned to be released as a double album at one point). Pressings with the hidden booklet usually use a black tray to more thoroughly hide it, though it's possible to see it through the spindle holes and in the sides of the case.

Just over 20 years later, the pair will be re-released together as part of the anniversary release ''Kid A Mnesia'', consisting of both albums and a third disc of outtakes in the vein of the ''OKNOTOK'' reissue of ''OK Computer''.

While the band found CreativeDifferences over the album's direction, at one point agreeing to split up if no final product could be made, over 20 songs were ultimately produced over a grueling 18-month period. One half is included on ''Kid A'', and the other is on ''Music/{{Amnesiac}}'', which came out six months later as a loose companion piece. Just over 20 years later, the pair were re-released together as part of the anniversary release ''Kid A Mnesia'', consisting of both albums and a third disc of outtakes in the vein of the ''OKNOTOK'' reissue of ''OK Computer''.

* DrivenToSuicide: "Motion Picture Soundtrack" (maybe). [[BookEnds The first and last lines sort of intertwine;]] the first line ("red wine and sleeping pills") could mean that the narrator is trying to kill themselves [[note]] the combination of these drugs can be lethal when enough is consumed [[/note]]. The last line ("I will see you in the next life") could mean that the narrator is dying and will finally find his lover in the afterlife.

* EpicRocking: "Idioteque" is over five minutes, "How to Disappear Completely" and "The National Anthem" are almost 6 minutes long, and "Motion Picture Soundtrack" is 7 minutes long (although most of the runtime is silence).

*** Much of the artwork, especially the color scheme, was inspired by a Guardian front page photograph he saw during the Kosovo war. [[https://beingsakin.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/kosovo_1999.jpg "It was of a square metre of snow and it was full of the detritus of war, all military stuff and fag ["cigarette" for non-British readers] stains. I was upset by it in a way war had never upset me before. It felt like it was happening in my street."]][[note]]Andrew Testa "Bloody footprints in the snow, Kosovo, 1999". He worked for The Guardian at the time Donwood would've seen it and it matches the description.[[/note]]

''Kid A'' is the fourth album by English AlternativeRock band Music/{{Radiohead}}. Released in October 2000, it notably marked a [[NewSoundAlbum new stage]] of the band's sonic experimentation. The group had been dabbling in ElectronicMusic as early as "Planet Telex", the opening track from ''Music/TheBends'', and by their next album ''Music/OKComputer'', its influence on their sound had grown more prominent. ''Kid A'', on the other hand, saw the band dive headfirst into electronica, using it as the structure of their songs rather than purely for texture.