Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
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Music CD Cover
Artist: RadioheadEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003
CD Release Date: 2003-06-10
Music Label: Capitol
Soundtracks:
- 2 + 2 = 5
- Sit down. Stand up.
- Sail to the Moon.
- Backdrifts.
- Go to Sleep.
- Where I End and You Begin.
- We suck Young Blood.
- The Gloaming.
- There there.
- I will.
- A Punchup at a Wedding.
- Myxomatosis.
- Scatterbrain.
- A Wolf at the Door.
Free Music Notes for Hail to the Thief
Free Music Review: Chilling And Desolate In Its Prophetic Dystopia
Hit: 5 Stars
Radiohead already rank as one of the greatest rock bands in history, so they could pretty much pack it up now and still be remembered as legends 50 years down the line. Since that's not going to happen anytime soon, we should listen again to their previous work in anticipation of their seventh studio album, due out some time next year. The band's sixth album arrived in June 2003 titled "Hail To The Thief." A subliminal attack on Bush's America, the album was politically-charged and electrifyingly eerie in its attempts to warn us about a world crumbling in a post-September 11th world. The discontent and uncertainty of the entire global population is felt strongly on this album, as Thom Yorke uses very clever metaphors and imagery to express his anger.
After Radiohead abandoned pure rock in 2000 to pursue lush, ambient electronica in "Amnesiac" and "Kid A," this sixth record was supposed to blend the two together and return the band to the centre stage. I'm sure this wasn't the band's aim, more their record company. However, it didn't quite work that way. Hail To The Thief was a big seller, storming to No.1 in the UK and No.3 in America, but it didn't quite please fans. Some people love this album, while others simply don't. The people who don't are obviously people still hung up on the pure genius of "OK Computer." This puts Radiohead in a very difficult position; everything they ever release in the future will be compared to that masterpiece.
The album opens with "2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.)." This is a great opener, and runs for little over three minutes, so it's quite short. It has a stifled first couple of minutes but then explodes in a flurry of guitars and drum beats as Yorke screams, "You have not been paying attention!" It ends abruptly too, before giving away to the next song, "Sit Down. Stand Up. (Snakes & Ladders.)". This is an even better song than its predecessor, because it builds gradually over the course of four minutes, with a tinny pattering noise to start off with. Strange ambient echoes them creep in, as the song builds pace before turning into a grand epic in the last minute as rain comes cascading down.
"Sail To The Moon. (Brush The Cobwebs Out Of The Sky.)" is one of the album's stand out tracks. This song is so evocative of a Van Gogh painting to me. I could just see a pitch black night sky in Paris, littered with stars and a full white moon. The piano is chunky and gorgeous here, and the vocal delivery is just dazzling. "Backdrifts. (Honeymoon Is Over.)" has one of the most ghostly, eerie intros I've ever heard. To me it sounds like the sound of water caught in a backdrift, funnily enough, rushing backwards at lightening speed. A light, tinkling piano dances across the frigid and desolate surface as Yorke gives one of his most brilliant vocal deliveries. I love the arrangement of his voice in this song, it's very stifled and suffocating. "Go To Sleep. (Little Man Being Erased.)" is a more guitar-orientated song, and has very precise vocals. This is a great song but I prefer other ones on the album.
"Where I End And You Begin. (The Sky Is Falling In.)" is four and a half minute of pure catchy prog-rock! I love the beat to this song, it's kind of a mix between guitars, drums and electronic bleeps all rolled into one. The vocal delivery is chilling and the lyrics don't quite make sense, but this simply makes the ending all the more powerful, as Yorke seethes, "I will eat you alive, I will eat you alive!" The next song, "We Suck Young Blood. (Your Time Is Up.)," is rather bizarre and has a ghostly clapping beat that drags out like it has no life in it. The title of the song reflects the mood of the song: it's as if Yorke is sucking the blood out of whoever he's singing about, before the song miraculously changes pace in the middle, only to slow down again. "The Gloaming. (Softly Open Our Mouths In The Cold.) is another very brilliant song that opens with a strange inhaling noise, that is actually made with tape loops going faster and faster. It sounds so surreal and undulates over in your ears. Yorke's vocals are drawn out, like he's singing in a large hall or cave as insects crawl around him in search of a meal! It's a very cold song but ultimately works very well. An album highlight.
"There There. (The Boney King Of Nowhere.)" was the album's first single and is probably the most commercial song on offer here. It's actually a very catchy song if you listen to it properly. The guitars and drums bounce off each other, until a great guitar solo comes in after 30 seconds. Yorke's vocals are very powerful as the song builds pace, especially at his awesome wail of "There there!" as the third minute approaches. It's the only time he sings it in the whole song and it sure stands out. The melodic guitar also comes in at 3:15 and becomes more effective at 3:57. A brilliant piece of work that pretty much goes catatonic in the final minute. Check out the video too, you'll be blown away. "I Will. (No Man's Land.)" is a short interlude of sorts, yet it's actually a great song as well. It's not even two minutes long, and almost sounds like a continuation of the album's third track. Yorke's vocals are grim and rather groggy, making for aural bliss. "A Punchup At A Wedding. (No No No No No No No No.)" has a catchy guitar riff that falls on itself, and a harmonious piano melody that builds over time. It's obvious to everyone that Yorke is using a wedding as a metaphor for something else. Whether that's political or social or perhaps even personal, we can be sure his intentions are to baffle the listener.
"Myxomatosis. (Judge, Jury & Executioner.)" is another album highlight. It opens with an erratic prog redux that shows just how powerful melody can be when in Radiohead's capable hands. The vocals are mumbled yet suddenly clarify in the chorus as a melody comes in and takes over. Great track that has endlessly enduring appeal. "Scatterbrain. (As Dead As Leaves.)" is a more inspired piece with a crooning melody and guitars that evoke the first half of the album. There's a rather happy-go-lucky tone to this song, which is obviously a front for the darker subject matter that lurks beneath. The album closes on a high note with the brilliant "A Wolf At The Door. (It Girl. Rag Doll.). This is where Yorke lets most of his rage fly in a vocal delivery that is hopelessly indecipherable because of the stream of consciousness style adopted. The chorus is quite melodic and works very well in their Slavic jazz-blues approach that was explored in the latter half of the Amnesiac album.
OVERALL GRADE: 10/10
I've had this album since January this year, and for some reason I just couldn't get into it! I'm not sure why exactly, Ii guess it's just because I hadn't listened to it properly. I had been frustrated with elements of Amnesiac that were resolved after repeated listening, but this album has 14 songs, and I felt it was perhaps too lengthy to attempt a proper listening. This album does, indeed, require repeated listens to fully absorb the wonderful music at play. I was initially going to give this album three stars, then four, but now it's a definite five out of five. Radiohead are a genius band, despite the criticism they receive from the ignorant reviewers on here. Hail To The Thief has a real message, a strong concept, beautiful music, great artwork and some stunning compositions. It's probably my second favourite Radiohead album, and that's pretty good going for a record I wasn't too fond of a few months ago.
Hail to the Thief Poster
Radiohead Photos
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More from Radiohead
 OK Computer |  The Bends |  Kid A |
 Pablo Honey |  Amnesiac |  The Astoria London Live |
Filling the gulf between OK Computer's epic progressive rock and Kid A's skittering electronic theatrics, Hail to the Thief borrows equally from each. Its title implies that this will be a collection filled with songs of anger and dissent, but Radiohead no longer howl at the moon like they did on 1995's The Bends. Instead, they use eloquent metaphors and complicated arrangements to express the uncertainty, fear and anger arising from the 2000 U.S. presidential election and a post-9/11 world. There?s no doubt about where Thom Yorke and company stand; the prog-rock break on "2 + 2 = 5" and Yorke's terror at the thought of being "put in a dock" make that immediately clear. But there's a prevailing sense of powerlessness here. The tinkling piano behind the cold sonic surface of "Backdrifts" and the brief, swooping melody in the middle of "Sail to the Moon" are islands in a sea of confusion. Like the band's best work, Thief requires more than a few listens to fully appreciate, but those who stick around will be richly rewarded. --Matthew Cooke
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