Wednesday afternoon, close to 100 college-aged kids stretched out on the Ohio Union’s lawn to listen to an album from one of the most influential bands in history.

The newest Radiohead album, “Amnesiac,” will not appear in stores until June 5, but MTV2 is traveling around the country stopping at several college campuses giving fans the opportunity to hear the album more than a month before it is released.

The chance to hear the new record, which includes songs recorded during their sessions for their last album “Kid A,” drew fans from all over the state. Several people said they drove over 120 miles just to absorb the newest Radiohead creation.

The band did not disappoint.

Ever since their highly-acclaimed third album “OK Computer” hit the U.S. four years ago, this British band has been a hot commodity in the States. More recently, they received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year with “Kid A.”

One of the things that makes Radiohead so successful is their constant evolution. Radiohead has changed completely in the past decade from the punk-rock band that was known for “Creep,” a song which lead singer Thom Yorke refuses to play anymore.

Now the group is in a genre by themselves. Sometimes referred to as Punk Floyd, they incorporate heavy techno/rock beats under the high-pitched moaning of Yorke. The only other bands that sound anything similar to the group are clones, like Muse and Coldplay, that have publicly admitted to their Radiohead-like tendencies.

Radiohead’s sound is different than any other type of music available in today’s market. “Kid A” was light on guitar and cohesiveness — a hard listen for many at first. “Amnesiac” uses more of the guitar-driven sound, along with the normal synthesized pounding that keeps the record moving.

The 11 new tunes on the album flow together, making the CD a great listen from beginning to end. The final song, “Life in a Glass House,” mixes clarinet and trombone, along with some inspired trumpet playing by Humphrey Littleton, to create a mellowness that finishes the record on a very powerful note.

The songs up to that point are full of everything from Yorke’s beautiful whining to heavy guitar riffs that reference the band’s early work. “Amnesiac” takes the band back to its roots and at the same time, stretches the group further away from mainstream than ever before.

The group will be hitting North America during the summer and is expected to announce tour dates within the next couple of weeks.