10 Rock Music Albums That Divided Critics
4. Radiohead: Kid A (2000)
It's no surprise that Kid A caused something of a stir, both among fans and critics. Radiohead had fast become the rising stars of alternative rock. Ok Computer solidified them as the best thing since sliced bread. But Thom Yorke become disenfranchised with his own prowess as a song writer. He found he no longer connected with the sounds that had made his group popular. In his eyes, rock was dead.
Kid A saw the evolution of Radiohead, from an alt rock group to an experimental force of ambient sound. To the critics of the day, it was pretentious, too experimental, lacking in focus and altogether a sorry follow up to the record that had made Radiohead a household name.
Can they be blamed? Even today Radiohead exists in a realm of musicians that do require a certain degree of patience to get into. Along with Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds, their music is far from commercial. It is the embodiment of music as an art form. And that was the issue with Kid A, people wanted a follow up to Ok Computer but got something from another realm entirely.