Though Atoms for Peace might sound like some kind of Bono-spearheaded campaign to help war-torn countries, it's actually the name of a band, one of the latest in a string of side projects put together by Radiohead's Thom Yorke.
Amok is their first album together, and although it's not quite a concept album, it does have a sort of running theme.
One of the primary concepts of the album is the marriage and blending of human elements with electronic sounds and reproductions.
Partly, this combination comes from the assembly of band members.
Each comes from a different but (mostly) well-known group.
Here we have Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Nigel Godrich (Radiohead's producer), Joey Waronker (Beck and R.
E.
M.
), and Mauro Refosco (Forro in the Dark).
On a more technical level, in recording these songs, the band aimed to reproduce in the studio the entirely electronic songs Yorke had put together on his laptop.
You can hear that human-electronic crossing in a song like "Ingenue," which carries the theme forward by its interesting use of Yorke's voice.
The track has an undercurrent of playful, electronic rhythms, but Yorke sings (almost coos) lyrics above it.
The feeling it evokes is sort of like floating above a turbulent sea.
It's actually a very beautiful pairing.
"Unless" has a very similar feel to it.
And you get a sort of tribal chant of voices, too.
Having said that, there's not a lot of differentiation between the songs on Amok.
At first, I wasn't keen on the difficulty of figuring out which song was which without glancing at my computer.
Each track consists of Yorke's distinctive voice against a roiling body of beats, and he doesn't do much to vary his style.
Of course, as a vocalist, Yorke isn't as dynamic as some people, so (understandably) there are limitations to what he can do.
Part of me likes his consistency throughout the album, but then again, another part of me kept hoping for something to really shake up the status quo.
Going back to the sort of hybrid nature of the music here, I think a lot of what holds this album together is the way that Yorke keeps that human element in play.
For all of the technical prowess here, the album never lets go of your hand, stranding you in a jumble of bleeps, bloops, and computerized sound.
Instead, you have Yorke's voice to carry you along.
The biggest drawback to the album is that, in terms of substance, it sets off but never really finds itself anywhere new.
Despite nine tracks (approximately four or five minutes each), the album is sort of sand-boxed.
That may be good news for some fans of more recent Radiohead releases, but to people looking for something drastic and different, it could come off a bit repetitive.
Maybe, down the road, Atoms for Peace will push into more unexplored territory and add a bit more to let their music really stretch.
Regardless, Amok is a great album to check out.
You can find it at your local Slackers.
Amok is their first album together, and although it's not quite a concept album, it does have a sort of running theme.
One of the primary concepts of the album is the marriage and blending of human elements with electronic sounds and reproductions.
Partly, this combination comes from the assembly of band members.
Each comes from a different but (mostly) well-known group.
Here we have Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Nigel Godrich (Radiohead's producer), Joey Waronker (Beck and R.
E.
M.
), and Mauro Refosco (Forro in the Dark).
On a more technical level, in recording these songs, the band aimed to reproduce in the studio the entirely electronic songs Yorke had put together on his laptop.
You can hear that human-electronic crossing in a song like "Ingenue," which carries the theme forward by its interesting use of Yorke's voice.
The track has an undercurrent of playful, electronic rhythms, but Yorke sings (almost coos) lyrics above it.
The feeling it evokes is sort of like floating above a turbulent sea.
It's actually a very beautiful pairing.
"Unless" has a very similar feel to it.
And you get a sort of tribal chant of voices, too.
Having said that, there's not a lot of differentiation between the songs on Amok.
At first, I wasn't keen on the difficulty of figuring out which song was which without glancing at my computer.
Each track consists of Yorke's distinctive voice against a roiling body of beats, and he doesn't do much to vary his style.
Of course, as a vocalist, Yorke isn't as dynamic as some people, so (understandably) there are limitations to what he can do.
Part of me likes his consistency throughout the album, but then again, another part of me kept hoping for something to really shake up the status quo.
Going back to the sort of hybrid nature of the music here, I think a lot of what holds this album together is the way that Yorke keeps that human element in play.
For all of the technical prowess here, the album never lets go of your hand, stranding you in a jumble of bleeps, bloops, and computerized sound.
Instead, you have Yorke's voice to carry you along.
The biggest drawback to the album is that, in terms of substance, it sets off but never really finds itself anywhere new.
Despite nine tracks (approximately four or five minutes each), the album is sort of sand-boxed.
That may be good news for some fans of more recent Radiohead releases, but to people looking for something drastic and different, it could come off a bit repetitive.
Maybe, down the road, Atoms for Peace will push into more unexplored territory and add a bit more to let their music really stretch.
Regardless, Amok is a great album to check out.
You can find it at your local Slackers.
Source...