How did Radiohead go from producing conventional hits like “Creep” to becoming one of the most innovative acts in music history? By pivoting from stadium-friendly guitar rock to a more abstract, electronic sound that feels timelier than ever, says critic Steven Hyden. In “This Isn’t Happening,” which arrives Tuesday, he tells the story of “Kid A,” the British band’s polarizing, career-defining 2000 album.
“Kid A” was Radiohead’s first No. 1 album in the U.S. Its foreboding music and non sequitur lyrics were off-putting to critics and fans at first. But today they evoke the feeling of everyday life, from “glitchy cell reception” and “decontextualized social-media updates” to “the modern reality of omnipresent technological interconnectivity at the expense of genuine human connection,” Mr. Hyden writes. The album’s pioneering digital-first release—it was available online before being sold—also anticipated tectonic shifts in music, culture and the record business, which has largely abandoned CDs and traditional rock for streaming and hip-hop.
Mr. Hyden, a 43-year-old author, podcast host and writer for the culture and entertainment website Uproxx, is one of America’s foremost rock critics. His previous books examined pop-music rivalries, the waning of classic rock and the history of Atlanta retro-rockers the Black Crowes, which he co-wrote with drummer Steve Gorman. “This Isn’t Happening,” his fourth book, is a history of Radiohead, which first became critical darlings for their 1997 album “OK Computer,” whose pessimism about technology and society helped build their reputation for dystopian music.
