Atoms For Peace
Amok

THE REVIEW

Thom Yorke, Flea, Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker, Mauro Refosco. These five names should already be an inviting calling card. But it is the content that makes the difference. It's the songs that determine whether an album is good, great, sufficient, mediocre, or awful. And I assure you, this album is anything but mediocre or awful.

The idea to form Atoms For Peace came to Thom Yorke after he decided to perform his debut album "The Eraser" live in its entirety, with the help of the aforementioned musicians and legendary Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.

On February 25, 2013, Atoms For Peace released "Amok," the band's first work. Let it be clear from the start. Atoms For Peace is a monarchy, where Thom Yorke is the king. Radiohead is a democracy, a completely different concept. This difference has been repeatedly stated by Yorke himself in various interviews. So, it is logical to expect something completely different from Radiohead, an album that could be defined as Yorke's second solo work.

It starts with "Before Your Very Eyes," and it starts big. A captivating, overwhelming rhythm that perfectly marries the voice of the British singer; and even better is Flea's bass, which comes into play at the fortieth second. The extraordinary quality of this album is that it does not have a single track that is out of place or simply insufficient. It is necessary to listen to "Stuck Together Pieces" to realize you are facing an excellent album. Also of the highest level are "Reverse Running," "Dropped," and the splendid "Judge, Jury and Executioner." The less convincing "Unless" is still an excellent song. The start of "Ingenue" is annoying, but it softens up until it reaches Yorke's voice, bringing the album back to its optimal state. "Default" does its excellent job thanks to the electronics, which allow Yorke to take command of the "machine" Atoms For Peace and achieve his self-appointed goal: making it impossible to distinguish between instruments and voice.

The album concludes with the title track, thus ending the first (or second) regime of Thom Yorke. The word "Amok," in psychology, is a syndrome typical of Southeast Asian regions, where the pathology manifests as a sudden explosion of violence that quickly intensifies to a criminal act. Atoms For Peace are afflicted by this syndrome and demonstrate it in this violent album, which undoubtedly strikes. And I, of course, can't wait for dear and good Yorke to reign again.