The opening track "Everything In It's Right Place" perfectly introduces you to the album with the 10/4 time signature and glossy synth that just makes you feel peaceful. It's not a happy riff, or a sad riff, it's just solitary. Then Thom's vocals come in, and you can tell something's different. He sounds confused, monotonous and glitchy, almost as if he's not exactly human, and the song keeps building and removing elements to form a true musical journey.
The second track "Kid A" has this beautifully weird synth line and these tribal, rolling drums that make me think of some sort of glitched out digital jungle. We hear Thom now with a very inhuman voice, but this time he sounds anxious and in pain. My favourite part is when the synth pad comes in, and fills my ears with happiness.
The third track "The National Anthem" opens with this crazy modal bass line that sounds menacing and friendly at the same time, almost like chaos is coming, but you're excited for it. That is only magnified when the horns come in and create this wall of sound that is literally the best thing ever. Eventually, all instruments except the horns have disappeared and you're left in the wake of the destruction the horns have caused.
The fourth track "How To Disappear Completely" wmakes me cry almost every time. The guitars are playing in 6/8, but the bass is playing in 4/4 which gives it this comforting feeling. Once again you have that contrast of major and minor that makes the song sound neutral and peaceful. Thom's lyrics are incredible, and every time I listen I feel something new. The strings come in and do their thing, but slowly Thom loses control over them and they overthrow the song, before the bass comes back in and they obey Thom as he croons his last note for this beautiful crescendo.
The fifth track "Treefingers" is my favourite ambient song of all time, and it makes me feel like I'm at the bottom of the ocean, but I can breathe, and see all of the crazy creatures pass by me. The guitar textures are insane, and the amount of detail put into this one track is extraordinary.
The sixth track "Optimistic" is the first time we hear a rock song on this whole album. It's this awesome, atmospheric Post-Rock banger, with some modal guitars, and amazing chorus from Thom, and this crazy crescendo with Phil Selway's best performance on the album. The lyrics are a standout too. Thom switches between this oddly comforting chorus, and these anxious verses filled with some truly bizarre, liminal imagery.
The seventh track "In Limbo" has some syncopated guitars playing yet again A MODAL RIFF which sounds amazing. This track feels weirdly urban. Almost like you're alone in a shopping centre. It has this really cool hushed vibe, that I love. Thom's lyrics are also filled with anxiety and liminal imagery, like the last track, but this time it's genuinely getting creepier.
The eighth track "Idioteque" has some crazy Aphex Twin style drums and a sleepy synth line that fills your head with frequencies. This is also my favourite lyrical performance on this album, with Thom wallowing in the hysteria and panic of the apocalypse. He's really going through it on this song, and he has no idea why no one else cares. It's this tragic foretelling of the manmade apocalypse and I love it a lot.
The ninth track "Morning Bell" is also awesome lyrically. Everyone says it's about a ghost, but I still believe it's about a divorce. It's also in 5/4 which adds to the uncomfortable of the song. The bass really sounds awesome on this track too with the chord progression constantly switching between minor and major.
The tenth track "Motion Picture Soundtrack" is probably my favourite. The lyrics describe depression and suicidalism in a very honest and heartbreaking way. The pump organ only adds to the sadness as it's the first time a song on this album has been completely non-electronic. It's Thom saying this is how I feel. No synths or electric guitars to hide behind, this is me. When the harps come in, I imagine it's Thom fantasizing about going to heaven and seeing the face of God, that's why he says "I will see you in the next life". Perfect words to end this masterpiece of an album.
This might be my favourite album of all time. If you put all the pieces together, it's the story of an inhuman child who awakens to find a world destroyed by nuclear war. They don't realize this, and so they travel this new world marvelling at the beauty of the eternal winter, but still feel some element of melancholia in the air for a genocide they never knew existed. They eventually kill themselves after realising the world they inhabit doesn't belong to them even though they're the only person alive.
10/10