Jill, I suspect Kid A songs were what Andrew told you to download. Probably a song like Idiotheque. Don't judge radiohead on any one or two songs, because they cover a lot of ground in how they sound, and some songs are (waaay) better than others. Also, sorry about not coming through for you on the hyphens post. I thought that had my brand of irreverent silliness all over it, just because of how in-depth (and real) my answer was. Now, this post isn't silly either. Except for the wigger part.

I have a few things to say about radiohead and how awesome they are. If you don't care, skip it. Sorry it's so long.

No matter how good they are, they will probably remian overrated at this point, because tons of people have started to aimlessly agree that they are the best band ever, even though the evidence to back this up is meager. I'm not trying to say that they haven't made any good records: the bends and ok computer are both fantastic records. I'd reccommend them to anyone with taste. No Surprises is actually one of my favorite songs by anyone. But the bottom line (for me) is that Kid A was possibly the most overrated album ever, and amnesiac was a step up but still not back on the mark. Obviously these are just opinions, but trust me on this one, I'm right.

A kid here at school last year asked me what I thought of the 'newer radiohead stuff.' I told him I didn't like it, and he asked why. I said these techno-y albums sounded like the band was trying to be something they were not. He asked who I was to try and tell the band what they were supposed to sound like. I said "you know what a wigger is?" He looked puzzled, but admitted he knew what a wigger was. "Those guys look and sound funny because you see them and hear them, and even if they might be wearing the clothes or using the slang, there's something off about it. They're just not supposed to sound like that. I feel the same way about Radiohead's techno stuff. They're good songwriters and great guitarists and for some reason they got distracted by crazy technology, put down their guitars and abandoned writing the normal songs." The guy actually told me I had a good point, but he caves in all the time in arguments.

The songs aren't terrible by any means, when they get played live with real instruments they're a ton better (pack like sardines, like spinning plates and a few others were really good.) Also, I'm not just crapping on techno. I used to listen to techno, and there's (IMO) a lot of better techno out there. And listen to Kid A (the song), then "to cure a weakling child" by Aphex Twin (I think that's the right song, I'll check and correct myself if it's not, but the tape's out in my car). RH sound less original after that one. They may have been taking a good, developmental creative step for themselves, but I don't listen to it much. I hope they go back to rock'n'roll, as archaic as that makes me sound. Also, from the sound of things their new record (Hail to the Thief) is looking like it'll be a more 'guitars-and-songs' type record.

That's pretty cool about the HR guys, but it makes sense to me that they'd have good taste, or at least that they listen to indie stuff (...I saw them twice...last night...)

Where do we go from here? The words are coming out all wierd. Where are you now that I need you?