Hail to the Thief [Enhanced] [Explicit Lyrics]

OK Computer, Radiohead’s zenith moment and worthy of all the acclaim it received arrived into our homes with meteoric effect. Astounded by its clear brilliance the world became besotted with the intelligent musicianship of the Oxford collective. Ok Computer’s impact was clearly massive - the crater it created is something than any band would struggle to claw itself out of. The testing but worthwhile Kid A and the even less accessible Amnesiac were clear reactions of a band fearful of plummeting from their self-made position of apogee.

Both Kid A and Amnesiac were careful (and fitfully beautiful) treads in the direction of Hail To The Thief which dutifully avoids the stickier protracted attempts at computer experimentation that beset the two aforementioned albums and puts an emphasis on the band’s supreme song-writing skills and moreover, the enchanting and often haunting voice of Thom Yorke.

Gone will be all those ill-informed Aphex Twin comparisons given the much heavier use of guitars (’Where I End & You Begin’, ’2+2 = 5’, ‘There There‘) than on the last two albums but that isn’t to say that it pays homage in any big way to Radiohead’s breakthrough album The Bends. No, Radiohead are certainly not about to regress and they certainly are in no mood to play the old rock trick of ‘going back to what you know best’. As an exposition of the band themselves, Hail To The Thief is a clear indication that Radiohead are comfortable with where they are now - making symphonic sounds that pierce your soul and endure until the songs themselves become irremovable fixtures in your mind. Radiohead are clearly not interested in the idle fancies of ordinary pop musicians and money-sucking uber-producers yet it is the challenging and brutal yet beautifully melancholic nature of this band and this album that allows tracks to outlive the 3 minute perfection of radio-friendly post-pop.

Whilst eclipsing previous achievements may be an impossible task Radiohead are still gaining plenty from the album-making process and as a result Hail To the Thief has a very polished feel. The vocals of Yorke are beautifully harmonized like never before(’Sail To The Moon‘, ‘I Will‘), the electrical wizardry is measured (’The Gloaming‘) and the pace of the album is carefully programmed so that its shocks then lulls you in emotionally. With your breath taken you are left in a state of truly satisfied reverie.

An astonishing album by an extraordinary band.

Admittedly, it will take a few listens to get into this album, as has been stated before, but patience will pay dividends and at the 20th listen you will be brainwashed into knowing who are the greatest artists of this era. Instead of liking inferior dross you will be marvelling at the wonderful evocative wails of Thom Yorke and the guitars in songs like "2+2=5" and "There There"; the piano that leads superb songs like "Sail To The Moon" (which takes a "Say 'No' to time signatures" stance) and the evil "We Suck Young Blood" (which any self-respecting vampire would have as his signature tune) as well as the bittersweet "Punch Up At A Wedding"; the riff-heavy and political (yeah Green Day, you don't have to be as subtle as a cow's arse in Antarctica to be political) "Go To Sleep"; the electronica-mad yet compelling "Myxomatosis" (spell that will you!); and finishing with "A Wolf At The Door" which - had it been released as a single - would have left mainstream nobody rappers like 50 Cent/Eminem looking like the chav at the back of the class with just his ego for a friend.

If you don't like any of Radiohead's work, be it The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A or HTTT, then you're not human.... who needs slapped*. Which reminds me, I need to slap somebody....

*The author of the above review does not advocate the use of violence against human or non-human species, although would encourage any readers to buy the above product or any products related to the band "Radiohead" from this website as a kind gesture to the hosts of this review and to your lacklustre record collection.