The English alternative rock band Radiohead has released 9 studio albums since their formation in 1985. From their 1993 debut album, Pablo Honey to their latest album in 2016, A Moon Shaped Pool, the band has been largely successful with their fair share of experimental hits. Three years after releasing their most critically acclaimed and successfully experimental album, OK Computer, Radiohead followed it up with Kid A, their album they released on October 2, 2000. Seeing as how Kid A just recently turned 20 years old, it would only be fitting to revisit the album with a review and track analysis.

Radiohead’s OK Computer slowly progresses towards a more electronic rock style as the album goes on. That final electronic style of the album is really expressed in Kid A. Right from the start, that style is evoked with the album’s opener, “Everything In Its Right Place.” This track is a great reminder of what came from OK Computer and signifies what is to come with the rest of the album. While the lyrics are rather unusual, the song is iconic, and rightfully so.

Kid A’s second track, also titled “Kid A”, is definitely a dip in quality given what came before. The song is nearly 5 minutes long, yet it’s hard to understand a single lyric. The filters used on lead singer Thom Yorke’s voice make it challenging to sing along to. The music is mildly fun, but nothing special. Following “Kid A”, the third track, “The National Anthem,” raises the quality of the album. The simple bassline plays for a minute and a half before any lyrics are sung, but the wait is worth it. The filters on Yorke’s voice are tolerable on this track since he only sings for a short time. The mix of brass instruments within the long instrumental really brings the song together in a fun and amusing way.

Radiohead’s somber tone from OK Computer is revived with the fourth track of Kid A, “How To Disappear Completely”. While the instruments aren’t nearly as expressed in this track as the typical OK Computer song, Yorke’s great vocals are on par with that of a track on OK Computer. “How To Disappear Completely” is definitely one of Kid A’s strongest songs. Next, Kid A has a purely instrumental track, “Treefingers”, spanning nearly four minutes. This instrumental is calming and clean, and it’s a nice break before the rest of the album.

“Optimistic” is an adequate return after the instrumental. The song isn’t the strongest on the album, but it fits the musical theme of Kid A. “In Limbo” is another OK Computer-esque track, with the instruments being expressed more than in “How To Disappear Completely”. Yorke’s vocals are definitely held back in this track, but it works past the progressively chaotic track. Another high point of Kid A is “Idioteque”, with amazing vocals from Thom Yorke and an electronic instrumental.

Kid A’s “Morning Bell” is a much less chaotic version of the track than the version on the band’s 2001 album, Amnesiac, but they are very similar otherwise. “Motion Picture Soundtrack” is another great track from Kid A, with its instrumental reminiscent of a church scene in a film, which is fitting for the song’s title. The song is somber, but calming at the same time. Finally, “Untitled” is the calming instrumental epilogue of Kid A. This closing track brings back the feel of “Treefingers”, but in a much shorter span of time.

After analyzing Radiohead’s Kid A, it’s clear that it remains a great album, even 20 years later. The album might not be on par with the masterful OK Computer, but maybe is on par with Amnesiac or Hail To the Thief, some other great albums by Radiohead. Kid A definitely a satisfying album to listen to. It has its low points, but those are surey overcome by its high points.