Radiohead

Amnesiac

(Capitol/EMI)

Radiohead’s new album “Amnesiac,” released eight short months after its critically acclaimed effort “Kid A,” is an eclectic mix of musical styles that falls in line with past Radiohead albums, in that each new CD sounds different than the last.

A lyric in the opening tune, “Packt Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box,” sets a way of thinking for the CD right off the bat. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Thom Yorke sings, “I’m a reasonable man, get off my case.” The line, combined with a head-bobbing, synthesized drum beat and the telephonic melody, erases all skepticism and lets the listener know this will be a good CD.

The first four songs seem to alternate between a drum-and-bass or hip-hop type of song structure, found in the opener and “Pulf/Pull Revolving Doors,” and mellow, laid-back sounds that resonate in “Pyramid Song” and “You and Whose Army?”

The album’s fifth track, “I Might Be Wrong,” melds a skipping guitar line with a hip-hoppy drum beat to create a nice transition into the heart of the disc. Yorke’s vocals in the song are quite reminiscent of former Primus voicemaster Les Claypool.

“Knives Out” seems like Radiohead’s version of surf-rock. Again, it’s yet another change in musical style that keeps the listener attentive.

“Dollars & Cents” is a dark, floaty, wavelike song in terms of its volume and emotion. It’s made more powerful by the string section that, for the most part, matches Yorke’s voice throughout the track.

An acoustic guitar kicks off “Like Spinning Plates,” which glaringly brings the instrument’s absence to the forefront of the listener’s mind. Aptly present in past Radiohead efforts, the acoustic sound isn’t used very often in “Amnesiac.” This song is also the most straightforward rock effort on the disc. Maybe Radiohead realized it hadn’t played this style yet and decided to drag the listener farther into its musical web.

Regardless of the reasoning, the song is another welcome change that is followed by “Life in a Glass House.” This song incorporates horns and a clarinet, which add a 1920s kind of vibe to the quasi-epic-sounding tune. It is a fitting and satisfying end to the musical journey Radiohead takes on “Amnesiac,” both sonically and stylistically.