Expectations were unreasonably high for Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke's side band Atoms for Peace. In addition to Yorke, the group also features Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. Radiohead fans seem to be largely disappointed in Atoms' debut album Amok, but this is most likely based on an unreasonable assumption that Amok would be as groundbreaking as Radiohead classics like OK Computer or Kid A. While Amok might lack the ambition of those records, it's still a solid piece of electronics-heavy rock.
'Before Your Very Eyes...' is a catchy start to the album, and contains many of the elements that appear throughout the record included Yorke's multi-tracked vocals, repetitive basslines courtesy of Flea, drumming that could pass for human or drum machine, and thick, modulating electronic tones. The lyrics throughout the album could pass for a possessive stranger stalking an object of desire. Yorke sings, 'I'm always before you/Come what may' on 'Ingenue'. On 'Stuck Together Pieces', he says, 'You don't get away so easily/ You don't get away'. Even with the ominous lyrics, Amok feels more upbeat than most Radiohead albums and even Yorke's solo album The Eraser. The music on Amok is much looser-limbed than anything Yorke has released before, and he wears his new hat well.
Grade: B+
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