Search - Radiohead :: Pyramid Song

Brilliant

Notlob | 02/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Since the release of Ok Computer, Radiohead have been known for their creative song writing and interesting production. This incredible single is a perfect demonstration of how creative they can be both in terms of writing and production, and the result is beautiful.'Pyramid Song' is an emotive and eerily beautiful piece of music. The song is built upon a relatively simple (but certainly not common) repeating chord progression played on the piano, over which subtly eerie orchestral sounds echo, before Yorke's gentle vocals enter. The timing is unusual yet comfortable, and upon first listen you may think that there's no definate timing at all. About two minutes in, strings become more prominant, and the calmly jazzy rhythm reveals itself on the drums, making sense of the unusual timing you've been listening to. The song builds in intensity and eventually the string ensemble takes the song to it's climax. If you're anything like me, repeated listens will have this song grow on you more and more. Moody, emotive, and powerful.As usual, Radiohead have treated us to some interesting B-sides, too. This single is quite possibly their most creatively interesting, with the fragmented beats and beautiful harmonies of 'Kinetic', the dark, evil jazz of 'The Amazing Sounds of Orgy', and the schizophrenic 'Trans-Atlantic Drawl', which has the band rock out, before breaking suddenly into a slow, dark, synthesised piece that is somewhat reminiscent of a choral requiem. Overall a very enjoyable listen, and one that you'll get more out of the more you listen to it.As a musician myself, this single, along with the albums 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac' have been extremely encouraging, demonstrating that there is still a market for creativity and innovation in the music industry. This single is a very good representation of Radiohead's creative freedom."

"do you see the light...?"

Matt Cameron | Newark, NJ United States | 08/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"yorke and co. have long been infamous for saving some of their most interesting material for b-sides and tossoff collections like this one. while you should already know and love "Amnesiac"'s "Pyramid Song" for the genius that it is (as well as the only demonstrable use of Herman Hesse for any artistic purpose whatsoever), this single provides useful context by introducing fans to some of its ideological cousins. worth it for fans--but who else would be reading this?"

The Pyramid, Part 2 (Nothing to Doubt)

Derek J. Power | Falls Church, VA USA | 09/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first single from Amnesiac and the first commercially available single from Radiohead in nearly four years.PYRAMID SONG: (Difer to review written on Part 1)FAST-TRACK: Vocal manipulations laced with percussion that is both confident (steady bass drum and hi-hat) and choatic (sounds like a snare turned beanbag and it's on the left speaker) and guitars that echo in a sea of speed and confusion.KINETIC: Synth "ahhs" or "ooohs" are cliché in the world of music but this song puts it into new light. With a jazz drum pattern, meandering keyboards and Thom's pleas to "let's keep moving" and "Don't fall asleep at the wheel," the song moves and yet stalls in the middle of the road [this is not suppose to be a negative criticism but rather an attempt to describe the song]OVERALL: Along with Part 1, this compliments Amnesiac, bridges it with Kid A and proves that B-sides are hidden treasures."