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33⅓ Main Series #76
Radiohead's Kid A (33 1/3) by Lin, Marvin (2010) Paperback
It was virtually impossible to ignore Radiohead's Kid A when it was released in early October 2000. But the Album was more than just a ten-track collection of songs written by five musicians from Oxfordshire, more than the weird follow-up to the critics' fashionable go-to record of choice OK Computer, more than what the Village Voice described as the biggest, warmest recorded go-fuck-yourself in recent memory. Kid A was an event. By pulling Kid A from its canonical status and grounding the album in various contexts, Marvin Lin explains not only why Radiohead suddenly adopted a new songwriting methodology, but also how properties like genre and authenticity distracted us from understanding our reactions to it. From bovine growth hormones and neurological impulses to Dada poetry and bandwidth throttling, the book articulated the politics behind both Radiohead's music and our listening experiences. But in a period of socio-political unrest, is listening to Kid A a waste of time? In and through the album, Lin seeks to answer this question by examining what Kid A does to us over time, what Kid A tells us about the future, and whether it's possible (or even desirable) to use Kid A to transcend time altogether.
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First published November 25, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
November 13, 2014
Subtitle: See How Many Big Words And Obscure Theories I Know
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July 29, 2019I think there’s a good book in here, somewhere. I think this guy’s smart. I still don’t think much of Kid A (I listened again, to fragments, while I read this, made curious by Marvin Lin’s descriptions, which are inspired), but I don’t need to. It’s irrelevant to Lin’s thesis whether I like it or not, nor is he entering into argument re its “worth”; he wants to discuss time, and music’s relation to it, and to place Kid A in its time (helpful to me, to give it context – which is really all I picked this book up for, since years later, though in fact I lived through and remember its release, I’m still puzzled by its, and Radiohead’s, critical caché), and to suggest how Kid A, and by extension music, might rupture time (a theory which I’ll admit has grown on me).
So there’s this:
Or this:
And this:
Now, I’m not quite buying into these arguments, but I appreciate having them elucidated. I find Lin knowledgeable and I believe he comprehends his mission, even if I don’t. I mean, I like the idea that Kid A “stretched” if not “our” ears then its listeners’ ears, and that music (or for that matter any artform) can predict the future above and beyond its author’s/authors’ knowledge of said future. On the other hand, when he starts paraphrasing Einstein and claiming “the standardised, linear time [...] upon which we’ve structured modern society is in fact just one way to perceive time, if not an entirely false way altogether” I just think of Borges (“A New Refutation of Time”) and wonder how such abstract theorising could possibly relate to everyday life. Okay, I get it: transcendence, the eternal. On a metaphorical level, I totally agree. And maybe if Lin had a bit more follow-through here I’d be applauding, but this part, for me, fails to coalesce.
Oh, and while I’m critiquing: where the hell was the copy-editor? I didn’t count, but I estimate at least five fully-fledged bloopers, plus ten or twenty cringeworthy grammatical contortions. Unfortunately, the book gives the impression of a one-man show – a thesis for a university course, printed as handed in.
Not bad, not brilliant, but Marvin Lin, I think, knows his stuff. I only wish he hadn’t been racing for a deadline. Still, illuminating.
So there’s this:
The temporal art par excellence thrives on its confrontation of the very thing which makes it art.
(Richard Klein)
Or this:
Music, therefore, acts as both a mirror and a prophecy of society: we can see where society is headed if we can hear where music is headed.
(Marvin Lyn)
And this:
There’s no such thing as music. Music is not a thing but an activity, something that people do.
(Christopher Small)
Now, I’m not quite buying into these arguments, but I appreciate having them elucidated. I find Lin knowledgeable and I believe he comprehends his mission, even if I don’t. I mean, I like the idea that Kid A “stretched” if not “our” ears then its listeners’ ears, and that music (or for that matter any artform) can predict the future above and beyond its author’s/authors’ knowledge of said future. On the other hand, when he starts paraphrasing Einstein and claiming “the standardised, linear time [...] upon which we’ve structured modern society is in fact just one way to perceive time, if not an entirely false way altogether” I just think of Borges (“A New Refutation of Time”) and wonder how such abstract theorising could possibly relate to everyday life. Okay, I get it: transcendence, the eternal. On a metaphorical level, I totally agree. And maybe if Lin had a bit more follow-through here I’d be applauding, but this part, for me, fails to coalesce.
Oh, and while I’m critiquing: where the hell was the copy-editor? I didn’t count, but I estimate at least five fully-fledged bloopers, plus ten or twenty cringeworthy grammatical contortions. Unfortunately, the book gives the impression of a one-man show – a thesis for a university course, printed as handed in.
Not bad, not brilliant, but Marvin Lin, I think, knows his stuff. I only wish he hadn’t been racing for a deadline. Still, illuminating.
June 25, 2012
Continuum's 33 1/3 series has always been hit or miss...having suffered through the best and worst of them over the years...yet this latest one is a real doozy...a cerebral bore that actually makes you think less of the album you're reading about...
Kid A is a pretty good album, or CD, or whatever you want to call it. There's some good tunes on there like "Everything In Its Right Place", "The National Anthem", "Optimistic" and more...yet Marvin Lin's book isn't about that. In fact, I have no idea what the book was about....even though I read every stinkin' word of it. It's not about the songwriting, nor is about the making of the album. Instead Lin circles around the album, yet never really faces it head on. He quotes a lot of people...band members for sure, yet also folks who have nothing to do with Kid A...people like media scholar Marshall McLuhan, and French philospher Michel Foucault...then Lin discusses the nature of music, music listening, music distribution as well as sociopolitical and ecological concerns in relation to Radiohead's music and general philosophy....In other words...snore. Here's a sample:
"What's interesting to me is not when someone decides to "identify" with country or Tropicalia, but how one goes about understanding musics whose traditions and signifiers either lack basic ties to geography/social identity or function as intentional subversions of them."
Fantastic...thanks Marvin Lin, except the book is called Kid A, not What Interests Marvin Lin. I don't give a damn what interests you. You know what interests me? Staying on topic. You should try it sometime. Here's another sample of rhetoric that put me to sleep:
"While the industry has since made tentative steps to embrace digital music - licensing music to online companies, promoting digitally, streaming music, etc. - it's still hedging its bets on the use of power to control the digital revolution. In fact, the industry is now desiring to curtail piracy bu working with internet service providers (ISP) to explore the possibility of protocol blocking..."
Hey! What the bloody hell does that have to do with Radiohead's cool album Kid A? The answer is simple...it doesn't. Ugh, I was afraid this would happen. A while back I read Dai Griffiths 33 1/3 book on Radiohead's OK Computer, and it was also awful, just a bunch of techno-intellectual B.S. I suppose I no longer have the patience for books like these...especially when they don't provide any new nor interesting information, and do nothing to enhance the listening experience...
Usually, after I finish reading a good 33 1/3 book, I sit back and listen to the album that the book is about. When the book is good, the album-listening experience afterward can be wonderful...almost as if you're hearing the music for the first time. Well, I listened to Kid A once again, after having experienced the 147 painfully slow pages of Marvin Lin. I listened to the entire album, and yes...some lyrics stood out, because they were mentioned in the book. Yet for the most part, I thought to myself..."Nope, this Kid A book has nothing to do with the Kid A album...it completely missed the mark." Thank you Marvin Lin, yet I would like my time back now...as well as my album. I will simply enjoy it on my own, without any of your intellectual filler getting in the way...
Kid A is a pretty good album, or CD, or whatever you want to call it. There's some good tunes on there like "Everything In Its Right Place", "The National Anthem", "Optimistic" and more...yet Marvin Lin's book isn't about that. In fact, I have no idea what the book was about....even though I read every stinkin' word of it. It's not about the songwriting, nor is about the making of the album. Instead Lin circles around the album, yet never really faces it head on. He quotes a lot of people...band members for sure, yet also folks who have nothing to do with Kid A...people like media scholar Marshall McLuhan, and French philospher Michel Foucault...then Lin discusses the nature of music, music listening, music distribution as well as sociopolitical and ecological concerns in relation to Radiohead's music and general philosophy....In other words...snore. Here's a sample:
"What's interesting to me is not when someone decides to "identify" with country or Tropicalia, but how one goes about understanding musics whose traditions and signifiers either lack basic ties to geography/social identity or function as intentional subversions of them."
Fantastic...thanks Marvin Lin, except the book is called Kid A, not What Interests Marvin Lin. I don't give a damn what interests you. You know what interests me? Staying on topic. You should try it sometime. Here's another sample of rhetoric that put me to sleep:
"While the industry has since made tentative steps to embrace digital music - licensing music to online companies, promoting digitally, streaming music, etc. - it's still hedging its bets on the use of power to control the digital revolution. In fact, the industry is now desiring to curtail piracy bu working with internet service providers (ISP) to explore the possibility of protocol blocking..."
Hey! What the bloody hell does that have to do with Radiohead's cool album Kid A? The answer is simple...it doesn't. Ugh, I was afraid this would happen. A while back I read Dai Griffiths 33 1/3 book on Radiohead's OK Computer, and it was also awful, just a bunch of techno-intellectual B.S. I suppose I no longer have the patience for books like these...especially when they don't provide any new nor interesting information, and do nothing to enhance the listening experience...
Usually, after I finish reading a good 33 1/3 book, I sit back and listen to the album that the book is about. When the book is good, the album-listening experience afterward can be wonderful...almost as if you're hearing the music for the first time. Well, I listened to Kid A once again, after having experienced the 147 painfully slow pages of Marvin Lin. I listened to the entire album, and yes...some lyrics stood out, because they were mentioned in the book. Yet for the most part, I thought to myself..."Nope, this Kid A book has nothing to do with the Kid A album...it completely missed the mark." Thank you Marvin Lin, yet I would like my time back now...as well as my album. I will simply enjoy it on my own, without any of your intellectual filler getting in the way...
June 26, 2021
This is a much more valiant effort to write something meaningful about Radiohead than the book on OK Computer from the same series, but you should believe the hype: it's really hard to write something meaningful about Radiohead. In fact, it's really have to write something meaningful about something that is meaningful to you.
I mean, there is some great insight in this book on how Kid A was received and how it changed the landscape of music, but I feel like the band's insight on how the album was received really was the most enlightening part to me. Namely Tom and Johnny being like: YOU GUYS ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND WITH YOUR OVERANALYSIS. THESE SONGS AREN'T THAT MEANINGFUL OF COMPLICATED, THEY'RE JUST DIFFERENT.
Lin makes another good point saying that the best music kind of evolves with you from one point of your life to another, but there's a lot of thought, energy and desire to be meaningful that went into this and very little effort put about discussing the songs or the work itself. You can write around Radiohead, but it seems that no one can write directly about them. At least not in a satisfying way.
I mean, there is some great insight in this book on how Kid A was received and how it changed the landscape of music, but I feel like the band's insight on how the album was received really was the most enlightening part to me. Namely Tom and Johnny being like: YOU GUYS ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND WITH YOUR OVERANALYSIS. THESE SONGS AREN'T THAT MEANINGFUL OF COMPLICATED, THEY'RE JUST DIFFERENT.
Lin makes another good point saying that the best music kind of evolves with you from one point of your life to another, but there's a lot of thought, energy and desire to be meaningful that went into this and very little effort put about discussing the songs or the work itself. You can write around Radiohead, but it seems that no one can write directly about them. At least not in a satisfying way.
July 6, 2016
This is absolutely fantastic! This is what these 33&1/3 books are for, in my opinion. Lin wrestles with the content and the intent on one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite bands. He discusses how music can bring us transcendence! He even discusses time!
Yes, this book is excellent.
Yes, this book is excellent.
December 13, 2021
You never know what you are going to get with the 33 1/3 series. Some of them are great, and others are awful.
This one is an example of the latter. Self-indulgent and pretentious to the extreme, this does it’s best to reinforce every negative stereotype that might be thrown at the band and it’s fans.
I love Radiohead, and think Kid A is a masterpiece. But I found little to like about this book.
This one is an example of the latter. Self-indulgent and pretentious to the extreme, this does it’s best to reinforce every negative stereotype that might be thrown at the band and it’s fans.
I love Radiohead, and think Kid A is a masterpiece. But I found little to like about this book.
June 6, 2025
3/5
Got clickbaited into reading a book on music theory and socio-politics. Was hoping for more on Radiohead and Kid A--didn't get much. Thought this was going to be more of a coffee-table book, and not an academic. Unfortunate. But read it quick.
I think I would've cut 40-50 pages of this. Without losing any of the meaning/lessons.
Wish it was written for a non-academic audience. A lot of Lin's references seemed like irrelevant intellectual flexes that he never returned to or tied in after name dropping. A lot of the book felt aimless.
But I still learned a handful of things. And, to be honest, his prose was pretty good. Albeit cringe at times.
--
It's a biking summer. Last night I rode for hours. More like this morning. 12-2am. Riding alongside the arriving train in the dilapidated, cold yard. Riding with no hands, my arms at my sides so relaxed. Listening to music. Classical. The air warm. Streets empty. Coasting between lanes on wide intersections. Green and yellow lights.
There is nowhere to go there is only here.
Got clickbaited into reading a book on music theory and socio-politics. Was hoping for more on Radiohead and Kid A--didn't get much. Thought this was going to be more of a coffee-table book, and not an academic. Unfortunate. But read it quick.
I think I would've cut 40-50 pages of this. Without losing any of the meaning/lessons.
Wish it was written for a non-academic audience. A lot of Lin's references seemed like irrelevant intellectual flexes that he never returned to or tied in after name dropping. A lot of the book felt aimless.
But I still learned a handful of things. And, to be honest, his prose was pretty good. Albeit cringe at times.
--
It's a biking summer. Last night I rode for hours. More like this morning. 12-2am. Riding alongside the arriving train in the dilapidated, cold yard. Riding with no hands, my arms at my sides so relaxed. Listening to music. Classical. The air warm. Streets empty. Coasting between lanes on wide intersections. Green and yellow lights.
There is nowhere to go there is only here.
March 25, 2022
There’s some really fantastic research into the making of Kid A and some fascinating behind-the-scenes stuff here. The insight into some of the philosophy and politics behind Radiohead’s approach to music-making at this point in their career is also impressive at times.
Unfortunately, halfway or two-third’s through, it mostly devolves into critical-theory pontificating about *big* philosophical ideas which are sometimes interesting, but often lose sight of the actual album the book is about. Still worth the read though!
Unfortunately, halfway or two-third’s through, it mostly devolves into critical-theory pontificating about *big* philosophical ideas which are sometimes interesting, but often lose sight of the actual album the book is about. Still worth the read though!
February 27, 2022
Read this thinking it would be about the making of the album, instead was very abstract and conceptual. Still debating as to whether or not that enhances or detracts from the experience. Still a book about Radiohead, so of course I loved it.
October 22, 2020
No vale la pena. La traducción es mala.
July 31, 2021
Just an ok read. Not sure the author of this one really captured the album and its hidden jewels.
January 15, 2024
Really interesting take on an album essay. If you liked Tiny Mix Tapes you'll like this one.
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March 29, 2020i really like the angle this book took!
October 29, 2019
I really wish these books were about the albums they purport to be about, or at least explore the music and lyrics in some sort of cultural context, or from the remove of time, or something. This book is not about Kid A.
July 29, 2011
Marvin Lin's "Kid A" follows the author's personal relationship with music from transcendence to academia and back again. As he states early in the book, it is not his intention to propose one thesis and then follow it through to the end. Rather, each chapter ruminates on a different theme while progressing in a roughly linear (and roughly academic--though I don't think he is currently an academic) fashion. The journey contains some interesting stops along the way. Some of the ruminations include:
Viewing music as an object makes it more naturally commodifiable
Music is not an object, it's an activity (it's a 'script' not a 'text')
Music physically changes the brain
Music could be a subtle kind of future prediction because it "'explores much faster than material reality can, the entire range of possibilities'" (a quote from Attali)
& etc.
As someone who loves to listen to music, but isn't versed in the discussions of that world, I enjoyed this book, and that's why I'm giving it 4 stars. If I wanted heavy theory, I'd go straight to the Attali myself. But as a lover of Radiohead and music in general, I definitely enjoyed the ride.
Viewing music as an object makes it more naturally commodifiable
Music is not an object, it's an activity (it's a 'script' not a 'text')
Music physically changes the brain
Music could be a subtle kind of future prediction because it "'explores much faster than material reality can, the entire range of possibilities'" (a quote from Attali)
& etc.
As someone who loves to listen to music, but isn't versed in the discussions of that world, I enjoyed this book, and that's why I'm giving it 4 stars. If I wanted heavy theory, I'd go straight to the Attali myself. But as a lover of Radiohead and music in general, I definitely enjoyed the ride.
December 10, 2017
It's a nice take on Kid A, quite far from what I have in mind when listening to the album, and of course, it's mostly an academic argument meant to be served to some professor out there. Even so, it's still interesting and worth a while for Radiohead's fans and people who like philosophical books about rock and roll and serious discussions about music and its meaning.
If you liked this book you would love "Radiohead and philosophy", which is about the same in style, but much richer and discuss more albums and contains some real gems.
If you liked this book you would love "Radiohead and philosophy", which is about the same in style, but much richer and discuss more albums and contains some real gems.
January 17, 2022
This book isn’t about Kid A (it’s admitted at the beginning of the book). The author goes off on so many different tangents and seems more interested in being faux clever, than actually giving the reader anything interesting on the subject they have picked the book up for.
Self indulgent nonsense, like a Pitchfork review that just wouldn’t end.
Self indulgent nonsense, like a Pitchfork review that just wouldn’t end.
August 8, 2016
I didn't always agree with the author, in fact I didn't always understand the author, but this book is well researched, beautifully written and structured and is thought provoking in the extreme.
September 21, 2021
The book I just finished reading was 33 1/3: Kid A written by Marvin Lin. I got the book, along with a handful of other books in the 33 1/3 series, for $2-$3 each at Ed Mckays. Considering that these usually retail for $13 each, this was a fantastic deal. If you’re unfamiliar with the 33 1/3 series, its a series of books which focus on the topic of an individual album. Typically, they tell the history of the band and recording of the album, but some are more experimental in format. The book on Kid A that I am reviewing is one of the more experimental books in the series. Rather than focusing exclusively on Radiohead’s Kid A, the book analyzes the relationship of music as a whole with time, consumerism, the environment, and other philosophical musings while using Kid A as a model for this analysis. It borders on either being engaging or pretentious, but I have to admit that I was quite interested in a handful of chapters, especially the chapter on activism that exposes some of the hypocritical elements of Radiohead’s ethos. I partly wish that this was a standard 33 1/3 book, since a lot of the parts that I found interesting revolved around the cultural impact that this album had at the time of release, something that I had no idea about prior to reading (the marketing of this album was so cool!) I’m not a huge Radiohead fanatic, but the book helped me appreciate Kid A a little bit more. While it isn’t my favorite book in the 33 1/3 series, I think if you’re a huge Kid A fan or someone who is interested in reading about the more philosophical implications of popular music, you might get a kick out of this one.
March 8, 2021
I loved the majority of this book - it wasn’t what I expected at all going into it. Marvin doesn’t aim to inform the reader of every step of the way which went into the creation of the album. While he does provide a lot of information and paints a very good picture as to why this was such an important album for Radiohead and why it garnered the reception that it did; Marvin also focuses mainly on the philosophical, political and conceptual ideas which stem from this album, including themes of “transcendence”, anti-capitalism, music as a “thing” and the very essence of time itself.
I must say, the bits I enjoyed most were when I was actually learning about the album, rather than (well written) subjective concepts about how Kid A acts as a precursor for modern life, or how it mirrors the act of transcending time as we know it. While I did actually enjoy a lot of these explorations, a fair chunk of it just felt very open to interpretation and rather unnecessary, especially towards the end; even though interesting points were made, I really feel like a lot of the themes could apply to many an experimental “left-field” album, not just Kid A. Nevertheless, I came away with some new perspectives and a lot more knowledge on the album - I enjoyed the book and learned a lot. Hovering between a 3 and a 4 for this.
I must say, the bits I enjoyed most were when I was actually learning about the album, rather than (well written) subjective concepts about how Kid A acts as a precursor for modern life, or how it mirrors the act of transcending time as we know it. While I did actually enjoy a lot of these explorations, a fair chunk of it just felt very open to interpretation and rather unnecessary, especially towards the end; even though interesting points were made, I really feel like a lot of the themes could apply to many an experimental “left-field” album, not just Kid A. Nevertheless, I came away with some new perspectives and a lot more knowledge on the album - I enjoyed the book and learned a lot. Hovering between a 3 and a 4 for this.
November 24, 2021
This felt like Marvin Lin wanted to write a series of personal essays that critically analyze his interconnected relationship with music, the music industry, time, and politics, and he just so happened to heavily use Radiohead and Kid A as consistent examples that embody his thoughts. This might polarize readers who simply wanted to learn more about their favorite Radiohead album, but, luckily for him and me, I was receptive to this approach.
Lin’s theses can be quite generic, and his points occasionally feel like pretentious flexes on how many obscure essays, theories, SAT vocab words, and artists he can fit in a paragraph. Nonetheless, there are enough pockets of genuine insight to maintain my interest and say something meaningful about Kid A and Radiohead’s subsequent impact and position in the sociopolitical space of the music industry. His thoughts have helped me reflect on my own relationship with music and the very act of interacting with music, especially when he discussed the sociopolitical implications that art and media industries can foreshadow and predict about us. It’s a lot to mull over and think about, especially as a musician myself, but it’s also ultimately reinforced my love and understanding of music (and Radiohead), so I suppose it did its job.
Lin’s theses can be quite generic, and his points occasionally feel like pretentious flexes on how many obscure essays, theories, SAT vocab words, and artists he can fit in a paragraph. Nonetheless, there are enough pockets of genuine insight to maintain my interest and say something meaningful about Kid A and Radiohead’s subsequent impact and position in the sociopolitical space of the music industry. His thoughts have helped me reflect on my own relationship with music and the very act of interacting with music, especially when he discussed the sociopolitical implications that art and media industries can foreshadow and predict about us. It’s a lot to mull over and think about, especially as a musician myself, but it’s also ultimately reinforced my love and understanding of music (and Radiohead), so I suppose it did its job.
February 20, 2024
The review I've written on here that's gotten the most likes from strangers is a negative one, about the 33 1/3 volume on OK Computer. I tried to be clear that my problem wasn't that the author clearly and admittedly doesn't care about the album in question, but that regardless of his feelings on it he just failed to write anything interesting. I like this one a lot more, not because Lin cares about Kid A (although he clearly does), and not because I agree with everything he says here, but because it is an interested and engaged book that I therefore found interesting and engaging. Lin brings a lot on board, clearly assumes that the reader is already familiar with the album and the band overall (honestly that should be a pretty fair assumption with this series!), and still manages a nicely paced, conversational swoop through a bunch of issues. Those issues (time, politics, technology, fandom, transcendence, etc) aren't ones necessarily localized to Kid A but I think he does a good job explaining why this is a good album to dog into them with, and the broader point that doing so with an album most of us are familiar with has its own virtues is I think also well taken. There's no one right way to write one of these, but I think of the ones that take the broad approach this one does, Kid A is one of the better ones.
September 29, 2021
Cuando un libro sobre una banda o un disco te mueve a querer escuchar ese disco y/o hacer un repaso de la banda, creo que el objetivo está logrado. Si además mueve a leer libros, bibliografía variada, el libro avanza varios casilleros entre los que recomendaré. Pero si además, luego de leerlo veo y escucho con otros ojos música que me acompañó desde hace 20 años (o más), bueno creo que deberían leerlo con cierta premura. Claro está, si ustedes son de la onda de profundizar en lo que escuchan, leen, ven, consumen y pueden ver lo que tan pomposamente llamamos el "espíritu de los tiempos".
Martin Lin organizó el libro en episodios que desmenuzan el disco desde puntos de vista varios: históricos, sociales, musicales, biográficos, filosóficos, artísticos, políticos, etc. Casi como un loop en el que repasa una y otra vez los temas y va desmenuzándolos desde distintos ángulos hasta dar una imagen tridimensional, profunda y llena de espacios donde respirar y comenzar las propias disquisiciones.
Una lectura fresca y motivadora que recomiendo mucho si gustan todo lo que acabo de escribir.
Martin Lin organizó el libro en episodios que desmenuzan el disco desde puntos de vista varios: históricos, sociales, musicales, biográficos, filosóficos, artísticos, políticos, etc. Casi como un loop en el que repasa una y otra vez los temas y va desmenuzándolos desde distintos ángulos hasta dar una imagen tridimensional, profunda y llena de espacios donde respirar y comenzar las propias disquisiciones.
Una lectura fresca y motivadora que recomiendo mucho si gustan todo lo que acabo de escribir.
October 30, 2024
It’s ironic that, on page 35 of this book, that Lin complains about other writers ‘treating (Kid A) like a blank canvas on which to project their profundity’ and yet he spends 147 pages doing exactly that himself.
There’s some interesting nuggets in here and it’s quite well contextualised, but you could sit down in the pub with a couple of Radiohead fans and learn just as much.
The part about the future of music seems woefully outdated - with references to the potential of the ‘so called “cloud”’ and Lin’s self-congratulatory statement that ‘last year I streamed Kid A for the first time’ - but then, as he is constantly at pains to point out throughout the book, time doesn’t stand still, and neither does the music industry.
It’s a great album though, and the book is a good excuse to hear it again with fresh ears.
There’s some interesting nuggets in here and it’s quite well contextualised, but you could sit down in the pub with a couple of Radiohead fans and learn just as much.
The part about the future of music seems woefully outdated - with references to the potential of the ‘so called “cloud”’ and Lin’s self-congratulatory statement that ‘last year I streamed Kid A for the first time’ - but then, as he is constantly at pains to point out throughout the book, time doesn’t stand still, and neither does the music industry.
It’s a great album though, and the book is a good excuse to hear it again with fresh ears.
January 10, 2021
Siempre me gustó la literatura que abraza y homenajea cultura, deportes o entretenimiento que disfrute durante mi vida, ni hablar de adolescente o joven.
Si bien la lectura del libro me trajo muchos recuerdos de la época, en absoluto esa, es la intención del libro.
Kid A fue el disco de Radiohead posterior al gran éxito que fue Ok Computer, pensar, grabar y promocionar ese disco, junto con un trasfondo de conceptos que a un oyente tradicional de rock se le escaparian, definen el propósito del disco.
Una lectura distinta, pero esclarecedora para conocer un poco más a la banda y lo que generó ese disco.
Si bien la lectura del libro me trajo muchos recuerdos de la época, en absoluto esa, es la intención del libro.
Kid A fue el disco de Radiohead posterior al gran éxito que fue Ok Computer, pensar, grabar y promocionar ese disco, junto con un trasfondo de conceptos que a un oyente tradicional de rock se le escaparian, definen el propósito del disco.
Una lectura distinta, pero esclarecedora para conocer un poco más a la banda y lo que generó ese disco.
January 25, 2024
This whole series can be sort of hit or miss for me, and this entry might be more of a miss. That’s not to say i don’t love this series, because you’re sure to learn something about the artists you love, it’s sometimes at the expense of seeing a guy incoherently using ten dollar words, and ramble on about transcendence and how time is to be perceived differently when listening to music. I agree, but just don’t be so insufferable about it.
To be fair, Kid A is not my absolute favorite Radiohead record either. I’ve always liked it, but thought it to be equal parts impressive and overdone. So it’s fitting that i feel the same way about Marvin Lin.
To be fair, Kid A is not my absolute favorite Radiohead record either. I’ve always liked it, but thought it to be equal parts impressive and overdone. So it’s fitting that i feel the same way about Marvin Lin.
July 4, 2022
La serie de libros 33 1/3 es garantía. El “Kid A” de Radiohead es garantía. Así que esta lectura ya estaba garantizada. El autor parte desde el álbum de Radiohead pero de ahí se mueve a un sinfín de temas sobre el nuevo siglo y cómo lo vivimos y percibimos. Me gustó sobre todo que nos habla con respeto y reconocimiento a los que somos entusiastas de la banda a la vez que incluye en la conversación a cualquier habitante del siglo XXI.
October 14, 2022
I liked that this book took on multiple theories and for that reason spread itself thin in sections. Kid A as defined as music. Kid A in the context of the times. Kid A in terms of art. Honestly to cover everything Lin would need to write a larger and more in depth book. I’ll be reading This isn’t Happening by Steven Hyden soon. Perhaps it will dwell on and more effectively answer the question. Kid A: What does it all mean?
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October 11, 2020Lin's analysis is interesting but some parts, sorry to say, are quite pretentious. The author prefers to dedicate ten, twenty pages to show off how much he knows about cultural studies yet he barely talks about "Motion Picture Soundtrack" (actually I think it's only metioned once). Not a bad book at all but Lin could chill a bit and focus on the record itself.
May 4, 2020
In which Britain's biggest rock band become Britain's biggest electronic band, alienating most of their fanbase but staying true to their art. 20 years old this year and still better than most albums that come out today.
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