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ItŠs rare when the olŠ MangyDog takes a break from plugging himself to plug something else, but I just listened to †Kid Aÿ by Radiohead, and I feel compelled to write about it . . . plus, itŠs time I write a column, and I canŠt think of anything else. 

†Kid Aÿ is one strange motherfucker, and I mean that in the best way possible.  FINALLY, some music has come out that challenges me, and, even at its worst, makes me give a damn.  The last new CD to do that, was, well, probably †OK Computer.ÿ  On that album, lead singer Thom Yorke sings, †ambition makes you look pretty ugly.ÿ  Well, if thatŠs true, then this is definitely the ugliest album of the year.

†Kid Aÿ reeks of ART, a grand statement that translates into an aural middle finger against the current music industry, and not a moment too soon.  Blips, squeaks, voice loops, and computer enhancement abound, tossing the listener into a state of confusion.  Imagine Pink Floyd if Syd Barrett wasnŠt the only acid casualty.  I shudder to think about the hundreds of people that will lose their mind because of this album.  I havenŠt heard the CD on headphones yet . . . I have a feeling my brain would explode.

In between the mind-screwing, the album also has some pretty damn good songs, too.  †The National Anthemÿ has a funky groove that ultimately gets consumed by a drunken horn band, †Kid Aÿ starts with a simple piano loop, then a stuttering bass rhythm propels it to new territory, and †How to Disappear Completelyÿ may actually have been recorded in outer space.  †Motion Picture Soundtrackÿ ends the proceedings on a subdued, plaintive note that is just as out of left field as everything else. Amazingly, it all works (except for maybe †Treefingers,ÿ although IŠve never been one for instrumentals.  I love Led Zeppelin, but if I saw them live and had to sit through a 40-minute Bonzo drum solo, I might jump off the balcony.)

YorkeŠs vocals are alternately muffled, distorted beyond repair, sequenced, and then, just as startingly, recorded normally.  He has the mark of all great singers;  for all I know, he could be singing a meatloaf recipe, but his emotion sweeps you up.  Only snatches of lyrics are heard, but the mood that Radiohead sets is so evocative and unique that you donŠt mind.

†Kid Aÿ is tremendous, but I wouldnŠt recommend it for parties.  ItŠs tough going at first, but after a few listens, it grows on you.  After years of Backstreet Sync Degrees and Britney Aguilera (or whatever their names are . . . ultimately, does it matter?), †Kid Aÿ is refreshing proof that there are people on this planet that still think.

(Okay, now the shameless plug:  If you would like to buy this CD, or others for that matter, go to my superstore . . . all kinds of great stuff at a downright swell price!)