Letter From London: Garage and The New Soft Rock

"TO ME, ALL MELODIES were pure embarrassment," said Radiohead's Thom Yorke recently as he struggled to explain the making of Kid A. It hardly seems like a sound basis on which to bring America and Britain together in a rare moment of musical unity. But, a couple of weeks ago, that's exactly what happened when that weird, adventurous, unwhistlable record went straight to Number 1 in both countries.