AMOK is the continuation of a musical experiment that Thom Yorke pursued with his solo effort, Eraser. It’s an increasingly heavy reliance on electronically-produced sound, also embodied by Radiohead’s more recent work, particularly King of Limbs. On AMOK, Yorke takes eschewing traditional sound to a new level, and does so with an impressive array of accomplices.

Initially formed to accompany Yorke on his brief solo tour, the band comprises Flea of the Chili Peppers, producer extraordinaire Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck), drummer Joey Waronker (best known for his work with R.E.M. and Beck), and percussionist Mauro Refosco (David Byrne, Chili Peppers).

Oftentimes a super band is no more than a collection of disparate elements that pass one another by without merging into a product that truly reflect the members’ individual talents. Atoms for Peace avoids that trap by bringing together musicians who share not only similar influences, but also the desire to innovate new music, and in that measure they are successful.

Any project that can reign in Flea’s signature sound must be an exercise in minimalism, and while he does deliver powerful bass-lines in songs like Dropped and Stuck Together Pieces, his contributions at times require some searching to be identified. Throughout, AMOK builds layers in which respective sounds are significant only by virtue of how they complement one another.

The opening track, Before Your Very Eyes, sets up the mood well; it’s a window into the album’s combination of ethereal and up-tempo; Yorke’s voice delivered at times as an echo, against the backdrop of a dance beat. The songs later, by the time you reach Dropped, the percussion has a full on Afro beat flavour.

There’s a consistent progression from song to song, tracks segueing with near seamlessness. The album is in large part a result of the band’s free form jamming, compiled over three days before being cut and arranged into workable tracks. It’s a method similar to one employed by Miles Davis — whom the band members credit as a major influence — in his own experimental work on albums like In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew.

Add to that the surgical precision with which synthesisers and computer-generated sounds are layered into the mix. Distinguishing between beats laid down live by Waronker or Rafusco and those added later, is no easy feat.

In an album devoid of focal points, the vocals are no exception. They seem at time to be an afterthought, like Yorke’s falsetto weaving into the fabric of songs like Ingenue — which is also the only song thus far to have a video. It revisits the convulsive expression of Radiohead’s Lotus Flower video, but throws in a friend for Yorke, with whom his motions are elevated to choreography.

The album takes the listener to dark spaces at times; Default will do that, with lyrics like “the will is strong, but the flesh is weak”, along with references to snakes on Judge, Jury and Executioner, and Reserve Running (“the snakes are coming”). The title track is left for the end, and when that end does arrive it’s abrupt enough to leave the listener in limbo.

That’s one of the qualities of this album; it leaves you wanting more. And although this ongoing experiment in sound isn’t at all new, Atoms for Peace is in itself the beginning of something else. What was once embryonic has now matured, and you’re left waiting for the next step in its evolution.

AMOK is not an album for passive listeners, it dares you to try letting it fade into the background. It’s like a film you re-watch multiple times because with each viewing you peel away another layer, learn something new and enjoy it further still. It’s the kind of thing you lose yourself in.

Rating: A

Asad Khawaja is host of the show Moonlight Mile on CityFM89, airing Thursday Nights, 10:30 to midnight.

You can find him on Twitter; @asadmkh