Review: Atoms For Peace, Amok

Ever since Thom Yorke announced the Atoms For Peace record, I've been anticipating the resulting album and hoping that it would be a continuation of Eraser, Yorke's previous solo album. While AFP isn't truly a solo album for him, what with including members of Beck, R.E.M and Red Hot Chili Peppers, it still has an undeniable feel of Yorke's signature sound. And because it features that, it definitely fits right in with Yorke's previous effort, and possibly surpasses it.

While some might find it blasphemous, I've always enjoyed more of Radiohead's later material, and particularly In Rainbows. Amok has a certain sound to it that incorporates a lot of those electronic elements, similarly to In Rainbows and even King of Limbs. The deep production compliments Yorke's intricate vocals over simple beats, such as on "Default". Synths abound on "Ingenue", a deeply moving track about the ease of life being fleeting, while "Dropped" has a driving bass line that leads into an equally stunning percussion piece.

Producer Nigel Godrich has some heavy influence on Amok.

The entire album flows together like a well-oiled machine, and at times, that's almost what it sounds like for Yorke and company: the soundtrack of a machine. It has this certain sense of a machine coming to life. The percussion is where Amok shines the most, on tracks like the opener "Before Your Very Eyes" and "Unless", the latter of which sounds like a semi-constructed mess of bass, guitar, electronic noise and a heavy drum beat. And it's brilliant. Yorke brings the entire thing together with his soft vocal style, similar to "Stuck Together Pieces", a later track featuring a good bit of fuzz and harmonies from Yorke.

The most interesting thing about AFP and Amok might be how Yorke has stated that during sessions, he would bring electronic music he made and get the band to recreate it with instruments. "Judge, Jury and Executioner" fits right into this mold, with heavy claps and an eerily haunting vocal display from Yorke. The track also features some great guitar work, which isn't as heavy on the other tracks, making it a definite standout. I've not heard anything this sprawling of a record in a long time, and that fact alone makes me think Amok will be part of my collection for years to come.

What are your thoughts on Amok? Sound off in the comments!
*Also wanted to apologize for only having a couple of links to the music, it appears that none of the music is available through either YouTube or Spotify. I'd highly suggest going out and picking up a copy, but feel free to listen to the few I was able to get.*