Radioheads fourth album Kid A came out in October 2000 – a whole new direction from OK Computers laid back vibe. This time round theyd opted for a minimalist style , with loads of different instrumentation to play with . They had the Ondes Martenot – a weird electronic keyboard thingy, some spiky programmed beats, strings and jazz horns to make it all sound even more interesting. And you know what – it shot straight to number one in loads of countries including the US – where it became the first Radiohead album to top the Billboard chart. This was a pretty big deal – the last UK act to do this was the Spice Girls back in 1996.
All this success was, i suppose, a mix of good marketing and the fact that the album had leaked on the file-sharing network Napster a few months before it came out. Not to mention all the buzz and anticipation built up from the success of OK Computer . They didnt release any singles from the album but they did get a bit of radio play with promos for Optimistic and Idioteque. And they even released a series of really short little videos called “blips” that were just short clips from the tracks. That was put out for free online. Radiohead were also touring Europe in a big custom-built tent at the time , ad free ; and they also put on three sold out concerts in North America in theatres to promote their new album.