Kid A (2000)

Thom Yorke built abstract lyrics by cutting up phrases and assembling them at random, and many of his vocals were warped with effects, so words float free of meaning the way speech does in a dream. Everything in Its Right Place opens on a chopped, looping voice; elsewhere Jonny Greenwood's ondes Martenot adds ghostly, wavering tones. The most familiar record here and the best bridge for anyone arriving from rock. Intensity: cold and disorienting in places, never harsh.