Hail to the Thief (CD)
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 box" 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 all of the band's best work, Thief requires more than a few listens to fully appreciate, but those who stick around will be richly rewarded.
| chris
- Chicago, IL, USA |
| Radiohead will always be one of the best bands on the modern rock scene. This album is a stylistic advancement for the recent electronic experiments from the Oxford band. Definitely one of the band's best and the most accessable since "OK Computer." (But in my mind, nothing will compare to "Kid A") | |
| Peter Pendergrass
- Greensboro, NC, USA |
| I don't care what you've heard, Hail to the Thief is a great album. The critics like OK Computer. The elitists like Kid A. People either hate Amnesiac because it was too dark or love it because it was too dark. Hail to the Thief rocks out, zones out, makes you cry, makes you dizzy, makes you want to snap your fingers and nod your head, and it's Radiohead... that's all you need to know. Buy this album and give all your stupid friends the finger because they don't know what they're talking about. | |
| herby
- boulder, CO, USA |
| i will keep it simple- "hail to the thief" is the best and most consistent since "ok computer"... | |