Hail To The Thief

Here it is, Radiohead fans - the final cumulative effort from the most original rock band in decades. Thief sounds nothing like The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A, or Amnesiac. Thief sounds everything like The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A, or Amnesiac. It is warm. It is cold. It is accessible. It is inscrutable. It is gorgeous. It is terrifying. It is immediate. It is distant. And, above all else, it is fascinating. For the people (okay, everybody) hoping Radiohead might warm up after their Kid A/Amnesiac double dose of nihilism, Thief does just that. But it does even more. Thief isn't another OK Computer. If you want that, you may want to listen to... OK Computer (that is why it exists in the first place). Instead, Thief is a cohesive mishmash of The Bends' immediacy, OK's layered guitar wails, and Kid A/Amnesiac's electronic gurgling. The critical thing is that Radiohead, as a band, have improved in all those musical approaches, and the result is their most sonically diverse album yet. Looking for proof? Just consult "2+2=5", a slow brooding echo chamber that, midway through, blasts into an electric-guitar fury that sounds like, of all things, a Pearl Jam song. Or try "Sit Down. Stand Up.", a forbidding piano haunter that slowly and sickeningly crescendos into an electronic hailstorm.

Those two songs encapsulate all the power and dread Radiohead can generate, and that's only the first eight minutes of the album. It speaks volumes of Radiohead that Thief is considered a "sunny" album, given that its mood falls just somewhere short of Suicidal. But after the stark minimalism of Kid A/Amnesiac (two records so bleak you practically expected them to create a black hole in the universe), the trace of humanity Radiohead injects into Thief makes all the difference. There's - gasp! - an acoustic song ("Go to Sleep"). And Thief's best song, "A Punch-Up at a Wedding", even dabbles in piano-tinged soul.

What keeps all of Thief's pieces together is Yorke's one-of-a-kind voice. Yorke has always sounded like a ghost from the netherworld, returning to warn you about the evils of mankind. But Kid A and Amnesiac distorted his voice even further, depriving it of its immediacy without adding to its eerie qualities (except on Kid A's title track, the only Radiohead song I personally can't stand). Here, Yorke's voice is more or less left alone, and it accents the texture of both the guitars and the electronic blips and quirks, particularly on companion pieces "The Gloaming" & "Backdrifts".

The band is also allowed to flex their muscles. Freakouts likes "2+2=5" are accompanied by slow crunchers like "There There," the lead single, and elegantly personal songs like "Where I End and You Begin" and "Scatterbrain". There's no lack of experimentation - "Myxomatosis" sounds like an orchestra of giant zippers, and "Wolf at the Door" is Radiohead's first Dylan homage - but all of it is exciting and never off-putting.

One could argue that Thief doesn't contain a signature moment of brilliance, such as "Paranoid Android" or "Pyramid Song". But it's the kind of album that reveals itself to you in new ways every time you listen to it. Overall, it accomplishes the impossible - resurrecting the best of the old while refining the new. And regardless of where they go from here, the one guarantee is that Radiohead will continue to go in directions that inspire surprise and amazement.


It's too bad Radiohead had to be the band to release this..   May 16, 2005
Rubin Carver (Gilbert, AZ USA)
68 out of 87 found this review helpful

Why the title? Because had any other band released this album, it would have been lauded as complete genious, a breakthrough in popular music. But instead, Radiohead released it, and as such it draws comparison to the titans OK Computer, Kid A, and even to an extent, The Bends and Amnesiac. Is Hail to the Thief as good as these albums? In some ways, yes. In other ways, no. I will go in to as much detail as I can comfortably muster...

First, a major complaint is the album's cohesiveness. Or more like its lack thereof. It is true that the album stalls and restarts in spots. For instance, while "2+2=5" is like a punch to the face from one fist and "Sit Down. Stand Up" a follow up from the other hand, leaving you dazed and half-conscious during the beautiful, astral scenery of "Sail to the Moon", "Backdrifts" sort of stutters. "Backdrifts" itself is a pretty good song, and fits just fine after "Sail to the Moon." However, it doesn't seem to provide an adequete enough bridge between the first portion of the record and "Go to Sleep." In fact, the problem here may not be "Backdrifts," but "Go to Sleep." It just doesn't fit on the album that well. I love the song but it divides the record up.

"Where I End and You Begin" and "We Suck Young Blood" pick up the album again after "Go to Sleep" drops it, indulging in creepy lyricism and emotionally-over-the-top music. "The Gloaming" is conceptually a high point of the album but musically a weak point. Still, it serves the album just fine where it is, and even manages to segway into "There There" effectively. There's a sort of "gloaming" in the album, everything before this track being the dusk and everything after it the night. This fits with the oftentimes political preoccupation of the album fairly nicely.

"I Will" is a beautiful song, but the start of a scattered, unorganized part of the album. My biggest problems with the consistancy of this album mostly take place in this part. "Punchup at a Wedding" is a groovey, but under-written, song that fits poorly among the other songs. Perhaps if they had given it more time to age, it would have turned out a little better. Not a bad song by any means, but a low point in the album. "Myxomatosis" is a fantastic, adrenaline-driven thrill ride on the wave of surging distorted bass synth and Phil's mind-boggling swung drum beat. As good as this song is, it still doesn't feel as though it contributes to the flow of the album as much as it should.

"Scatterbrain" brings the album back on track, with a crooning melody and guitars that hint back to the beginning of the record. It then flows seemlessly into "Wolf at the Door" which is one of my personal favorites on the album and a brilliant, unique album closer.

The other common complaint is the "straightforward," more live-production style. Radiohead fans have grown accustomed to studio-trickery and songs that are almost identical to their live versions (both in instrumentation and just general sound) was an alien idea to many. While I miss the spaced out, rich production of OK Computer, I have come to appreciate Hail to the Thief as a different album and a different bag of tricks altogether.

While initially I was disappointed in some ways, I have grown to love this album. It contains many of my favorite individual Radiohead songs (2+2=5, Sail to the Moon, Where I End and You Begin, We Suck Young Blood, There There, Wolf at the Door.) It may not work as a full album quite as well as Kid A or OK Computer, but once you stop expecting Radiohead to keep topping themselves, you may realize that Hail to the Thief is a fantastic album. It's a "low point" in Radiohead's discography because it's not genre-redefining, but in the greater scheme of popular music, it is flat out amazing. Its diversity, while breaking up the flow of the album, is also part of what makes the album so charming.

Overall, as a Radiohead album it gets four stars. But held up against the rest of the music world, it gets a five, easily.


Radiohead Delivers Again   June 11, 2003
Jeremy Cardwell (Chattanooga, TN USA)
58 out of 76 found this review helpful

With Hail to the Thief, Radiohead seems to have confirmed that they will not be returning to their pure Rock -n- Roll roots that characterized "The Bends" and to a lesser degree "OK Computer". However, Radiohead seems to have struck a very good balance of guitar rock and the electronic beats and rhythms that appeared on Kid A and Amnesiac. Radiohead has once again demonstrated that they are one of the most innovative and creative bands in the world today.

Hail to the Thief is also as lyrically sound as it is musically sound. In an era when top 40 music is by large domniated by musicians with nothing more to sing about than all of their bling-bling, it is always refreshing to hear a band with 'something to say.

Hail to the Thief is very good album that will offer something new each time you listen to it due to the complexity of each song. If you wanted Radiohead to make The Bends over again, this isn't the record for you. If you want to hear a very original yet listenable record, Hail to the Thief will not disappoint!


In tune with the times..   June 11, 2003
51 out of 96 found this review helpful

Just finished listening to Hail To The Thief for the first time. Mixed emotions about it, melancholic to uplifting at times. The lyrics are seemingly powerful, but needs more listening to get used to. I am going to listen to it again, but after peeking inside this cd for about 40 minutes, I am glad I bought it.

Right now, I am giving it anywhere from 3.5 to 4 stars - I am sure that will change soon. It's been always that way for me with Radiohead.

And kudos for boycotting Clear Channel Corporation. Glad you guys have the backbone to stand up to a bunch of hypocrites.


FIVE STARS-within absolute patience   June 12, 2003
33 out of 51 found this review helpful

This is an incredible follow up to the double session albums Kid A and Amnesiac. One would almost describe Hail to the Theif as the final entry in the trilogy of experimental Radiohead. Hail To The Theif brings back Thom and the boy's interest in progressive rock that we loved greatly in OK Computer, but it also adds a new refined sound of the incredible piano/synth work we heard in Kid A and Amnesiac.

This album has quite a large amount of exceptional stand-out tracks, including "2+2=5", the prog-rock experience hinting at Thom's lonesome High School days. (he undoubtebly didn't "pay attention" in math class.) This song, goes through four different musical phases within 3 minutes and nineteen seconds.

"Sit Down, Stand up" is a brilliant almost epic-like song which again goes through several phases, with an incredible display of synthesized percussion mixed with Phil's drumming in the conclusion. Quit enjoyable to spook your friends out-the beat in the conclusion is almost unreal.

"Sail To The Moon" is a light piano-driven composition which I will admit, took me a few listens to appreciate, but is a decently melodic track with some good vocals/lyrics by Thom.

"Backdrifts", probably one of my favorite songs on this disc due to the elaborate arrangement/production.

"Go To Sleep", my favorite, and probably one of my favorite Radiohead songs. It is a guitar driven track which again signifies Radiohead's interest in section-based rock.

"Where I End and You Begin" is almost like an inside-radiohead anthem track, it kind of reminds me of the music from the soundtrack of the Nintendo 64 game, Perfect Dark, way back when. Very Depressive. Descent Song.

"There, There" a descent song, but not Radiohead's best. However the video is a good account of emotional exclusion, and individual questioning.

"A Punchup at a Wedding", a song I really enjoy because of the musical composition with the piano and the vocals.

"Myxomatosis", Creepy, but influential, proves you don't need power-fifth chords with the bass and distortion all the way up with predictable lyrics to sound world-altering (Linkin Park, Saliva, and practically all the other corporate scum-rock bands that are being signed today to sell-out.)

Do not take my word whilst you listen to this album. I refuse to review the album as whole track by track. These are my personal favorites songs, within my own opinion. It takes patience and time to enjoy the full capacity of this album.

Even after following Radiohead for many years, I still haven't fully figured out their purpose, or Thom's abstract, almost mind-twisting song-writing idiosyncracies. Radiohead has changed so much in the last 5 years. When I ask if people enjoy them, some simply reply "too weird", some reply "Amazing". However, Radiohead is Radiohead and if you enjoy them, you safely enjoy them. If you dislike them, than there is no in-between preference. However, I can safely say that with the Metaphorical lyrics which fully dominate this entire album (and previous albums), including the very title and liner notes, mixed with complex musical melodies and odd time signatures, this album is extremely enjoyable and worth the five stars. But you have to give Hail To The Theif your un-divided attention.