If there’s a clear meaning for the definitive composition of Kid A is: utter paranoia. ‘Idioteque’ is the quintessential track of the album. A song that fully embraces the beat-driven, synth drenched electronics and also dwells in the fear-inducing realities in our war-leaning and technology-flooding world.

The paradox here is that Thom Yorke’s voice is quite present at the front of the mix, but it helps to sense the desperation in his delivery. ‘Ice Age coming, ice age coming’ he repeats in the second verse bringing to our minds the fact that a nuclear holocaust would cause an ice-age like epoch. ‘We’re not scaremonging, this is really happening’ he continues, referencing the method used by some political parties to motivate voters participation based on fear.

‘Idioteque’ has many things going for it. But the piercing balance between emotional strain and percussive sounds is a thing unique not only for the band’s discography but maybe popular music overall. The refrain that reads: “Here I’m allowed, everything all of the time” it’s more than an accurate prediction of our future, it’s a warning.

Why is this song so addictive amid all the shaky anxiety it exposes? Well, Radiohead know how to use an instrumental in favor of making their particularly harsh songs quite appealing. ‘Idioteque’ is not an exception, it’s the rule. Even if the meaning of its title is as unclear now as 20 years ago, this song would come to define the Oxford quintet as a band that harnesses any means at their disposal to convey their emotion, and yes, it’s hard no to at least move your head along its rhythm, even if its actively scaring you. That’s what makes it the most poignant moment in Kid A.