Thom Yorke took a break from being the head of Radiohead, one of the greatest and most overrated rock bands of our generation, to team up with Flea, the bassist from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, along with many elite music men, to create side project Atoms for Peace. With Yorke’s high-pitched yet sedative vocals, it’s difficult to dislike whatever he gets involved in. Amok is nothing awe-inducing or show-stopping, but its effortless cool gives it just enough edge to be unique and lovable.

Something about the percussion mixed with the electronic mastery and Yorke’s soft voice makes each song achieve a groove in some form or another. Ingenue embodies this groove perfectly and is the best example of all the music aspects coming together just right.

Within the first five seconds each song sounds like it’s going to be some big crazy pop number, then it veers into a slow flow, which made me wish after three songs in a row of the exact same sleepiness that it would make some kind of change in groove. After a while it becomes increasingly difficult to tell when one song ends and another begins.

Though this kind of monotony is my most preferred — because it is not unpleasant to listen to but puts me into a dizzy daze where nothing seems solid or intact — the psychedelic vibes can take a turn for the worse if taken in too large a dose.

This may sound slightly harsh but I don’t really mean it to be: This album sounds like it should be played in one of those overly modern hotel lobbies in a place like Miami or L.A. It is music that can blend into the background perfectly and make any kind of environment seem trendier than it really is.

As a whole, the music is not of bad quality, it is simply forgettable. I never hummed a tune after listening, because I honestly could not remember what it sounded like. Amok would be best put to use while taking a run or some other activity where it can dominate the background and set the mood. Though “background music” sounds negative, it is actually the contrary. The world needs nice music like Atoms for Peace to fill the silence, without dictating the entire environment.

HANNAH ELLIOTT, Robinson High