Amok (Atoms for Peace album)
{{short description|2013 studio album}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Amok
| type = studio
| artist = Atoms for Peace
| cover = Atomsforamok.png
| border = yes
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2013|2|25}}
| recorded = 2010–2012
| venue =
| genre = *Electronica{{cite web | url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dusty-wright/best-of-march-music-rock-_b_2932806.html | title=Best of March Music -- Rock, Country & Jazz | work=The Huffington Post | date=22 March 2013 | accessdate=25 August 2015 | author=Wright, Dusty}}
| length = {{Duration|m=44|s=35}}
| label = XL
| producer = Nigel Godrich
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Amok
| type = studio
| single1 = Default
| single1date = September 10, 2012
| single2 = Ingenue
| single2date = February 25, 2013
| single3 = Judge, Jury and Executioner
| single3date = March 11, 2013
| single4 = Before Your Very Eyes...
| single4date = July 1, 2013
}}
}}
Amok is the only album by the rock band Atoms for Peace, released on February 25, 2013 by XL Recordings. It features the Radiohead singer Thom Yorke (vocals, keyboards, programming and guitars), the Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich (production and programming), the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, the drummer Joey Waronker and the percussionist Mauro Refosco. It combines electronic and live instrumentation.
Yorke formed Atoms for Peace in 2009 to perform songs from his first solo album, The Eraser (2006). After the tour ended, the band spent three days jamming and recording in Los Angeles. Yorke and Godrich edited and arranged the recordings over two years, combining them with Yorke's electronic music.
Four singles were released: "Default", "Ingenue", "Judge, Jury and Executioner" and "Before Your Very Eyes", with music videos for "Ingenue" and "Before Your Very Eyes". Amok reached the top ten in several countries, including the UK, US and Japan. It received generally favourable reviews, though some critics found it too similar to Yorke's solo work. It was followed by an international tour.
Background and recording
File:Melt Festival 2013 - Atoms For Peace-5.jpg
The Radiohead songwriter Thom Yorke formed Atoms for Peace in 2009 to perform songs from his first solo album, The Eraser (2006). The band comprises Yorke, the Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, the bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the drummer Joey Waronker and the percussionist Mauro Refosco.{{Cite web |last=Lea |first=Tom |date=28 January 2013 |title=A new career in a new town: Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich open Pandora's box and run amok as Atoms for Peace |url=https://www.factmag.com/2013/01/28/atoms-for-peace-thom-yorke-interview/ |access-date=2015-05-02 |website=Fact}} After the tour ended in 2010, they spent three days jamming and recording original material in a Los Angeles studio. They bonded over a shared love of afrobeat, such as the music of Fela Kuti.{{cite magazine |last=Fricke |first=David |author-link=David Fricke |date=November 5, 2012 |title=Q&A: Thom Yorke on Atoms for Peace's 'mechanistic' new album |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/qa-thom-yorke-on-atoms-for-peaces-mechanistic-new-album-237738/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627192707/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/alternate-take/q-a-thom-yorke-on-atoms-for-peaces-mechanistic-new-album-20121105 |archive-date=June 27, 2014 |magazine=Rolling Stone |accessdate=Feb 18, 2013}}
Describing his role in the sessions as "conducting", Yorke would show the band electronic music he had created and they would recreate it with live instruments. He said: "The music I do on my laptop is so angular. When you get people to play like that, it's so peculiar ... One of the things we were most excited about was ending up with a record where you weren't quite sure where the human starts and the machine ends." Yorke and Godrich edited and arranged the recordings over two years, combining them with Yorke's electronic music.
Promotion and release
Amok was released on February 25, 2013 by XL Recordings.{{cite magazine|date=November 5, 2012|title=Atoms for Peace Pick Release Date for Debut Album|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/atoms-for-peace-pick-release-date-for-debut-album-20121105|magazine=Rolling Stone|accessdate=November 11, 2012}} The first single, "Default", was released as a download on September 10, 2012.{{cite web|title=Thom Yorke's Atoms for Peace Detail Vinyl Release of Debut Single|url= https://pitchfork.com/news/47995-thom-yorkes-atoms-for-peace-detail-vinyl-release-of-debut-single/|work=Pitchfork|first=Jenn|last=Pelly|date=September 26, 2012|accessdate=November 11, 2012}} "Judge, Jury and Executioner", was released as a download on January 7, 2013 and on vinyl on March 19.{{cite web | url=https://pitchfork.com/news/49065-listenwatch-new-single-from-thom-yorkes-atoms-for-peace-judge-jury-and-executioner/ | title=Listen/Watch: New Single From Thom Yorke's Atoms for Peace: "Judge Jury and Executioner" | accessdate=February 27, 2013 | author=Battan, Carrie and Amy Phillips| website=Pitchfork | date=7 January 2013 }} "Before Your Very Eyes" was released as the third single on July 1.{{cite web | url=http://store.atomsforpeace.info/music/before-your-very-eyes-12.html | title="Before Your Very Eyes..." single on Atoms for Peace official website | accessdate=October 19, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020103202/http://store.atomsforpeace.info/music/before-your-very-eyes-12.html | archive-date=2013-10-20 | url-status=dead }} On February 18, Amok was made available to stream from the Atoms for Peace website.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/49590-stream-the-atoms-for-peace-album-amok-now/
|title=Stream the Atoms for Peace Album AMOK Now|work=Pitchfork Media|date=February 18, 2013|accessdate=Feb 19, 2013}}
A music video for "Ingenue" was released via YouTube on February 28, 2013. It was directed by Garth Jennings and choreographed by Wayne McGregor, who both had worked with Yorke on the video for the 2011 Radiohead song "Lotus Flower".{{cite web |author=Snapes |first=Laura |date=February 28, 2013 |title=Watch Thom Yorke dance in Atoms for Peace's video for 'Ingenue' |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/49731-watch-thom-yorke-dance-in-atoms-for-peaces-video-for-ingenue/ |accessdate=February 28, 2013 |website=Pitchfork}} On October 17, a video for "Before Your Very Eyes" was released, directed by Andrew Thomas Huang.{{cite web | url=https://pitchfork.com/news/51380-video-atoms-for-peace-before-your-very-eyes// | title=Video: Atoms for Peace: "Before Your Very Eyes" | publisher=Pitchfork | date=October 17, 2013 | accessdate=October 20, 2013 | author=Philips, Amy | archive-date=3 October 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003114848/https://pitchfork.com/news/51380-video-atoms-for-peace-before-your-very-eyes/ | url-status=dead }} Amok was followed by a tour of Europe, the US and Japan.{{Cite web |date=18 March 2013 |title=Atoms for Peace Announce U.S. and Japanese Dates |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/49991-atoms-for-peace-announce-us-and-japanese-dates/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112192612/http://pitchfork.com/news/49991-atoms-for-peace-announce-us-and-japanese-dates/ |archive-date=2015-11-12 |access-date=2015-11-13 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}
Amok reached the top ten in several countries, including the UK, US and Japan. In the US, it was beaten to the number-one spot by Bruno Mars's album Unorthodox Jukebox. Yorke blamed an Amazon promotion selling the Mars album for $1.99, and said: "Amazon fucks with us every time. They undercut us."{{Cite web|title=Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich Go Off on the State of Electronic Music, Bruno Mars, Amazon, More {{!}} Pitchfork|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/50446-thom-yorke-and-nigel-godrich-go-off-on-the-state-of-electronic-music-bruno-mars-amazon-more/|access-date=2018-10-05|website=pitchfork.com|date=23 April 2013 |language=en}}
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
| MC = 76/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/amok/atoms-for-peace |title=Reviews for Amok by Atoms for Peace |publisher=Metacritic |accessdate=February 22, 2013}}
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/amok-mw0002477358 |title=Amok – Atoms for Peace |publisher=AllMusic |accessdate=May 6, 2019 |last=Kellman |first=Andy}}
| rev2 = The A.V. Club
| rev2score = A−{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/atoms-for-peace-amok-1798175946 |title=Atoms For Peace: AMOK |work=The A.V. Club |date=February 26, 2013 |access-date=May 6, 2019 |last=Modell |first=Josh}}
| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly
| rev3score = B{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2013/03/20/atoms-peace/ |title=Atoms For Peace |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=March 20, 2013 |accessdate=May 6, 2019 |last=Anderson |first=Kyle}}
| rev4 = The Guardian
| rev4score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/21/atoms-for-peace-amok-review |title=Atoms for Peace: Amok – review |work=The Guardian |date=February 21, 2013 |accessdate=February 22, 2013 |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis}}
| rev5 = The Independent
| rev5score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-atoms-for-peace-amok-xl-8508068.html |title=Album: Atoms for Peace, Amok (XL) |work=The Independent |date=February 24, 2013 |accessdate=May 6, 2019 |last=Price |first=Simon |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227013758/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-atoms-for-peace-amok-xl-8508068.html |archivedate=February 27, 2013 |url-status=dead}}
| rev6 = Los Angeles Times
| rev6score = {{rating|4|4}}{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-xpm-2013-feb-25-la-et-ms-atoms-for-peace-review-20130226-story.html |title=Pop album review: Atoms for Peace's 'Amok' a magnetic ride |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 25, 2013 |accessdate=May 6, 2019 |last=Roberts |first=Randall}}
| rev7 = NME
| rev7Score = 8/10{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/atoms-for-peace/14119 |title=Atoms For Peace – 'Amok' |work=NME |date=February 21, 2013 |accessdate=May 6, 2019 |last=Martin |first=Dan |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228181437/http://www.nme.com/reviews/atoms-for-peace/14119 |archivedate=February 28, 2013 |url-status=dead}}
| rev8 = Pitchfork
| rev8score = 6.9/10{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17632-atoms-for-peace-amok/ |title=Atoms for Peace: AMOK |work=Pitchfork |date=February 25, 2013 |accessdate=February 25, 2013 |last=Berman |first=Stuart}}
| rev9 = Rolling Stone
| rev9score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/amok-20130218 |title=Amok |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=February 18, 2013 |accessdate=February 27, 2013 |last=Vozick-Levinson |first=Simon}}
| rev10 = Spin
| rev10Score = 6/10{{cite web |url=https://www.spin.com/2013/01/atoms-for-peace-amok-xl/ |title=Atoms for Peace, 'Amok' (XL) |work=Spin |date=February 25, 2013 |accessdate=May 6, 2019 |last=Powell |first=Mike}}
}}
On the review aggregate site Metacritic, Amok has a score of 76 out of 100, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote that it was technically "hugely impressive ... its sound is rich and deep, full of intriguing shifts and contrasts ... When Amok works, the results are spectacular." However, he felt "the painstaking process used to create it may have assumed a greater importance than the business of actually writing songs".
Sputnikmusic found that Amok sounded like a Yorke solo album, but that "the average listener might find something to enjoy within the dense, layered folds".{{cite web |last=Tan |first=Irving |date=Feb 21, 2013 |title=Album Review - Atoms for Peace: Amok |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/55208/Atoms-for-Peace-Amok/ |accessdate=22 February 2013 |website=Sputnikmusic |publisher=}} Slant was disappointed by the similarity to Yorke's work considering the diverse band members, and concluded that Amok was "essentially a collection of agile, minimalist rock songs with a handful of interesting but ultimately superficial electronica flourishes".{{Cite web|last=Liedel|first=Kevin|date=22 February 2013|title=Review: Atoms for Peace, Amok|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/atoms-for-peace-amok/|access-date=2021-06-02|website=Slant|language=en-US}} Pitchfork wrote that while Amok was more "colourful and layered" than The Eraser, it felt "strangely static and contained, giving a perpetual sense of jogging in place".
In a retrospective piece for its 10th anniversary, the Stereogum writer Ryan Leas argued that Amok had failed to distinguish itself, and could be viewed as Yorke's second solo album or a continuation of Radiohead's 2011 album The King of Limbs. He wrote: "For all that went into it Amok was mostly a collection of very good Yorke solo songs — not so much a bold evolution ... Ten years on, it feels as if the 'beginning' Yorke once saw in Atoms For Peace's debut will in fact become a one-off oddity." He suggested that Yorke's later project the Smile presented a truer development of his work.{{Cite web |last=Leas |first=Ryan |date=2023-02-24 |title=Atoms For Peace Amok turns 10: a look back |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2213243/atoms-for-peace-amok-review/reviews/the-anniversary/ |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Atoms for Peace
| title1 = Before Your Very Eyes...
| length1 = 5:47
| title2 = Default
| length2 = 5:15
| title3 = Ingenue
| length3 = 4:30
| title4 = Dropped
| length4 = 4:57
| title5 = Unless
| length5 = 4:40
| title6 = Stuck Together Pieces
| length6 = 5:28
| title7 = Judge, Jury and Executioner
| length7 = 3:28
| title8 = Reverse Running
| length8 = 5:06
| title9 = Amok
| length9 = 5:24
|total_length = 44:35
}}
Personnel
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
Atoms for Peace
- Thom Yorke – vocals, keyboards, programming, guitars
- Nigel Godrich – production, programming
- Joey Waronker – drums
- Mauro Refosco – percussion
- Flea – bass
{{col-2}}
Additional personnel
- Darrell Thorp – live recording engineering
- Drew Brown – additional engineering
- Stanley Donwood – artwork ("lost Angeles lost")
- Brian Gardner – mastering
{{col-end}}
Chart positions
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
{{col-2}}
=Singles=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Single ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year ! scope="col" colspan="3"| Peak chart positions |
| scope="col" style="font-size:75%"| BEL ! scope="col" style="font-size:75%"| JAP ! scope="col" style="font-size:75%"| UK Indie |
|---|
| scope="row"| "Default"
| 2012 | — | 93 | 31 |
| scope="row"| "Judge, Jury and Executioner"
| rowspan="2"| 2013 | 43 | — | — |
| scope="row"| "Before Your Very Eyes..."
| 61 | — | — |
| scope="row" style="text-align:center" colspan="5"| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. |
{{col-end}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{AllMusic|class=album|id=amok-mw0002477358|label=Amok}}
- {{Discogs master|524134|Amok|type=album}}
{{Thom Yorke}}
{{Radiohead}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amok (Album)}}