Details

Album Cover
Artist
Radiohead
Album
Hail to the Thief
Label
Capitol
Released
June 10, 2003

Review

Hail to the Thief is Radiohead's sixth major studio album. It's a mixture of much of their previous work, leaning more towards their later work. It’s less guitar rock than Pablo Honey and The Bends, yet it’s not as heavily experimental as Amnesiac. It’s got a great lead track in "2+2=5", which can really rock at times but it also has a softer side, reminiscent of "Paranoid Android". It continues on strong with more songs that can easily remind you of other old songs - not to say they are simply trying to repeat the success of the older songs, but it’s simply Radiohead. After a while, some songs are bound to sound similar. "Sail to the Moon" reminds me of "Pyramid Song." Even though I really like most every song on this CD, it seems to go to sleep in the middle. Maybe too many slow, mellow songs, or maybe it’s just me. I really like the end of the CD, though. "A Punch-up at a Wedding" picks things up nicely and is followed by "Myxomatosis" which really gets you going. "Scatterbrain" slows it back down a little, but then it finishes very strongly with "Wolf at the Door", which seems to be Radiohead's take of rap. They nailed it, whatever it is. A great CD, with a huge variety of music. Very well put together; yet another impressive effort from an amazing band.

Rating
88/100
Reviewer
Andrew Vavoulis
Published

Track List

  1. 2+2=5
  2. Sit Down. Stand Up.
  3. Sail to the Moon
  4. Backdrifts
  5. Go to Sleep
  6. Where I End and You Begin
  7. We Suck Young Blood
  8. The Gloaming
  9. There There
  10. I Will
  11. A Punch-Up at a Wedding
  12. Myxomatosis
  13. Scatterbrain
  14. A Wolf at the Door