c'mon kids

I'm not sure if this is a development tied in with our current embrace of what is now the fifth year of our new millennium (please don't give me any guff about it being the fourth year because 2000 didn't count--the place for that argument was really four years ago), but lately lists and ruminations on new 'classic' albums of the '00s are becoming all the rage.

No less a source than glorified Enquirer that is Entertainment Weekly (the USA Today of entertainment journalism, if that isn't redundant) will soon be ruminating on what we've done in the last 15 years in media, and Pitchfork media talked about their favorite albums (so far! See, we can start early!) here. Neverminding for a second that these lists really aughta come along only at the end of 10 full years (it's like those people who had 5 year high school reunions--what's wrong with you? You haven't even forgotten anything about high school in that amount of time, and that's the point), what I want to get at here is, at least in Pitchfork's case, Radiohead's "Kid A" garnered some much deserved praise. Whether coincidence or not, another little zine jumped in and had one of their soldiers fawn and gush over the album recently.

What's my problem with this? None whatsoever, "Kid A" is a phenomenal album. I said it when it came out when I was even more of a rabid Radiohead fanboy than I am now, and I still stand by the sentiment. "How to Disappear Completely" is among the saddest, most angelic songs ever written. "The National Anthem" is a terrific rock song. "Idioteque," as bizarre and sinister a disco song as it seems, become just transcendent when performed live, as much of this icy and frequently described as dehumanized material became.

What's my point? None to speak of this time around. Best I can do is I'm happy that "Kid A" is getting what it was due, and now I'm wondering what further revisionist music history has in store for albums that are now deemed as "difficult" or, even, "classic." Are the White Stripes doomed to suck? Is the abrasive and obtuse noise-rock of the Black Dice our next classic? Probably not. In the meantime, go listen to "Kid A," then, while you're at it, listen to "Hail to the Thief," an album I think didn't get quite its due when it came out. Now then, carry on.