Editor’s Choice – Album: Amok | Jack Broughan

Deputy Entertainment editor Jack Broughan rates Atoms For Peace’s new album.It’s been a long time since Radiohead’s music has had any sort of relevance to me. The band’s music always seemed to be a third rate mix of each individual member’s influences and favourite groups. Once I had dipped into the back catalogues of the bands that Radiohead referenced on their releases Radiohead’s own efforts always paled in comparison. For a band championed as progressive and innovative Radiohead always struck me as the direct opposite.However, with the release of The King of Limbs Thom Yorke’s immersion into club music seems to have taken hold. Dense rhythmic patterns featured throughout, and synthetic sounds and loops blended into Radiohead’s more traditional pallet. While to many this territory may have been adequately covered by Kid A, King Of Limbs made the introduction of these non-traditional influences blend seamlessly into Radiohead’s music. “Lotus Flower” for example, is driven by a warm melodic line from a minimoog and underpinned by tasteful mix of acoustic and sampled drum rhythms.Atoms for Peace in this light seem more like a logical progression. Bonding initially it seems after a drunken night of pool and Fela Kuti Records, initial details and interviews with Yorke seemed to imply that Atoms for Peace were most certainly not “Thom Yorke and friends” playing limp solo tracks that didn’t make the cut for a Radiohead record. Better yet, the record seemed to be shaping up to be an extension of Yorke’s forays into club music with a mix of afro beat records. The reality is unfortunately not quite the bizarre dance record that many perhaps were hoping for.From the outset, Amok sounds cold and almost sparse. Many tracks feel underdeveloped or worse yet show skeletal signs of promise. The album’s opener “Default” begins with skittering percussion, tense synth arpeggios and Yorke’s hushed reverb laden croons. The track’s chorus is particularly stunning, comprising of a simple synth progression and Yorke repeating “The will is strong but the flesh is weak….” is enough to raise hairs on the back of the listener’s neck. However the track still just feels skeletal, leading me to believe at one point that I’d somehow gotten hold of a leaked demo version.“Dropped” is another of the records standout tracks. Driven by a staccato synth line, it sounds like a stripped down jungle record. “Dropped” also showcases perhaps a more restrained vision of Flea’s bass playing. Melodic and in check, it’s worlds away from the frenetic show boating that’s all over Red Hot Chilli Pepper records. At times it leaves me feeling like a burst of some of his more extravagant rhythms would do the album a world of good. Amok was reportedly built up from a number of loops and demos passed between Nigel Godrich and Thom Yorke, then handed to the rest of the group for embellishment. Perhaps it’s too subtle, perhaps it’s that the rhythm section is too “in the pocket” on Amok but the groups live drummer and percussionist almost seem non-existent on the record.     Amok all round is a disappointment. A record that should and most definitely has the potential to be great, sounds almost skeletal and restrained. Boasting a rhythm section that most artists would cut their right arm off to play with, Amok should sound as raw and engaging as the Fela Kuti records that Thom Yorke apparently bonded the band over. Instead it sounds more like a collection of highly polished demos recorded in the isolation of a studio without the interaction of other band members. All this is further frustrated by the records brief and visceral glimpses of greatness.