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| Amnesiac | |
|---|---|
| Name | Amnesiac |
| Type | studio |
| Artist | Radiohead |
| Released | 2001 |
| Recorded | 1999–2000 |
| Studio | Oxfordshire, England; various |
| Length | 41:37 |
| Label | Parlophone, EMI, Capitol |
| Producer | Nigel Godrich, Radiohead |
Amnesiac
Amnesiac is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in 2001. Recorded during sessions that produced Kid A and influenced by experimental, electronic, and jazz traditions, the album features contributions from collaborators associated with Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Thom Yorke, Ed O’Brien, and Philip Selway and includes string arrangements linked to performers from the London Contemporary Orchestra. Amnesiac garnered critical attention across publications such as NME, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and institutions like the Brit Awards while influencing artists associated with labels including Parlophone and movements related to post-rock and electronic music.
Amnesiac, as an album, occupies multiple classifications within contemporary music. It is commonly categorized as alternative rock, art rock, electronic, and experimental, overlapping with genres represented by Post-rock artists such as Sigur Rós and Tortoise, and with electronic figures like Aphex Twin and Autechre. Critics and catalogers sometimes index Amnesiac under subtypes including experimental pop and avant-garde rock, alongside albums by Bjork, Can, and Talking Heads that blend acoustic instrumentation with studio manipulation. The record’s tracks range from piano-led ballads reminiscent of Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen to rhythmically complex pieces evoking influences found in works by Miles Davis and Charles Mingus.
The creation of Amnesiac resulted from the band’s evolving artistic processes and technological conditions in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Sessions at studios influenced by producers such as Nigel Godrich and engineers who had worked with artists like U2 and Bjork produced a synthesis of analog performance and digital editing techniques, paralleling methods used by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The mechanisms shaping the album included improvisation, multitrack tape manipulation, sampling comparable to practices by DJ Shadow and Public Enemy, and orchestration processes akin to collaborations involving the London Symphony Orchestra or chamber ensembles featured on records by Radiohead contemporaries. Industry conditions—contracts with labels such as EMI and licensing frameworks involving entities like Capitol Records—also affected release strategies and marketing mechanisms.
Assessment of Amnesiac in critical and academic contexts employs musicological, cultural, and commercial metrics. Musicologists compare track structures to models used in analyses of works by Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and John Cage, examining repetition, tempo, and harmonic language. Commercially, chart positions are compared across national charts such as the UK Albums Chart and the Billboard 200, while awards recognition is considered in relation to accolades from institutions like the Mercury Prize and the Grammy Awards. Scholarly assessment situates Amnesiac within trajectories mapped by texts concerning Rock music, media studies referencing MTV, and cultural criticism published in outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times, and academic journals.
The management of Amnesiac as an artistic object involves archival, remastering, and licensing practices handled by rights holders and cultural institutions. Remastering efforts draw on technologies developed by manufacturers like Sony Music Entertainment and specialists associated with mastering studios used by artists such as The Beatles and Pink Floyd. Treatment of the album in reissues includes liner note curation, contributions from designers influenced by Stanley Donwood and labels like XL Recordings, and negotiation with collecting institutions such as the British Library for preservation. Live management—touring, setlist inclusion, and arrangement adaptations—engages booking agencies and venues ranging from the Royal Albert Hall to festival stages like Glastonbury and Coachella.
The long-term outcomes associated with Amnesiac include sustained critical recognition, influence on subsequent musicians, and continued commercial availability. The album’s influence is traceable in the work of artists linked to Interpol, The National, Arcade Fire, and electronic producers influenced by the era’s cross-genre experimentation like Four Tet and Caribou. Academic citations, retrospective rankings in publications such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, and inclusion in curricula at institutions like Berklee College of Music and University of Oxford demonstrate cultural persistence. Rights management through corporations such as Warner Music Group or legacy catalog stewards ensures ongoing distribution across streaming platforms operated by companies like Spotify and Apple Music.
Culturally, Amnesiac is framed within the post-millennium anxieties and technological shifts that also contextualize works by Coldplay, Muse, and Trent Reznor. Historically, the album sits between landmark releases such as OK Computer and projects by contemporaries in the early 2000s indie and electronic scenes. Its artwork and promotion involved visual collaborators associated with movements in contemporary graphic design and fine art tied to practitioners who have worked for institutions like the Tate Modern and publications including The Wire. The album’s reception intertwined with critical debates in outlets such as The Independent and scholarly work concerning late 20th- and early 21st-century popular music, solidifying Amnesiac’s role in discussions alongside canonical records by Radiohead peers and predecessors.
Category:Radiohead albums