Radiohead’s sixth and most recent album (dating from 2003, which shows how much time ha passed since anything new) returns to guitar based roots after the electronic experimentation of Kid A and Amnesiac, but doesn’t go back far enough to recall The Bends. While it combines aspects across their previous work, in my opinion, those choices aren’t necessarily the best, and as such Hail To The Thief is disappointingly hit and miss.

Overall, the songs are slightly over-long without enough contrast between them or their sections. Even after repeated listening, I find many indistinguishable. I recall a musical moment and can’t place if it came from Kid A, Amnesiac, or Hail To The Thief.

Still, when Radiohead hits, they hit large, and my favorite tracks bear repeated listening, namely 2+2=5, Myxomatosis, and Scatterbrained.

Each song has an alternate title while the elaborate album art contains influential words evoking the fears facing modern society.

2+2=5 (The Lukewarm)

= 5 stars

A good opener, with an energy recalling the last three albums, specifically Paranoid Android.

Sit Down, Stand Up (Snakes & Ladders)

= 4 stars

I like the how this song builds almost organically and evolves into “raindrops” section where dizzy, drum-triggered tones mimic raindrops.

Sail To The Moon (Brush The Cobwebs Of The Sky)

= 3 stars

Back to the down-tempo, spooky, singing from a cave mood pivoting around a minor chord. There are some nice falsetto parts and added notes in the guitar, but ultimately nothing all that new.

Backdrifts (Honeymoon Is Over)

= 4 stars

A standard pop song structure with some spooky electronic sounds and a steady drum loop. The lyrics seem to imply a de-evolution of a society on the edge of collapse.

Go To Sleep (Little Man Being Erased)

= 4 stars

Nice to hear the return of an acoustic guitar, and later, some squeaky electric ones. But just when a new section of aural turmoil seems primed to arrive, it ends.

Where I End And You Begin (The Sky Is Falling In)

= 3 stars

Some echoed moaning over a steady drum and bass groove. I do like the “eczema the place” (?) line and the high electronic whines that accompany it.

We Suck Young Blood (Your Time Is Up)

= 2 stars

This is the first song on this album I’d say I dislike - the hand claps and slow swing rhythm just don’t do it for me.

The Gloaming (Softly Open Our Mouths In The Cold)

= 4 stars

Neat bass. Again, the structure is a standard pop song, which helps me get beyond the sonic strangeness. My interpretation is artificial intelligence nanomachines taking over the world. “The Gloaming” is also the subtitle for the album.

There There (The Boney King Of Nowhere)

= 2 stars

Not a fan of this one, either. I do appreciate how as it continues it seems to settle into an early beat groove accentuating the sevenths with an echo guitar, and at the four minute mark there are some neat Helter Skelter guitars. It just takes an awfully long time to get there.

I Will (No Man’s Land)

= 3 stars

Reminiscent of OK Computer, but I can’t say much more.

A Punch Up At A Wedding (No No No No No No No No)

= 3 stars

Funk? Meh. There’s a neat piano groove which eventually devolves into meandering. Luckily, this tedious confusion is shattered with the direct hook of the subsequent tune.

Myxomatosis (Judge, Jury & Executioner)

= 5 stars

One of my favorites on the album. I love the strange, staggered fuzzy lick, the odd drop out of the music, and spooky droning noises sprinkled over everything. The drum part alternates between two patterns as the lick repeats. It seems concern a cat spreading a disease of fame-induced claustrophobia.

Scatterbrain (As Dead As Leaves)

= 5 stars

I love this song. It has a slightly askew, oddly timed chord progression, in which a beautiful vocal melody is somehow found.

A Wolf At The Door (It Girl. Rag Doll)

= 4 stars

The most direct song on here, it has a Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds crossed with Because intro. I think it suffers from the lack of another section, but certainly leaves me hopeful for the next Radiohead album.

Intra Album Rank: 3.64

Wikipedia: Hail To The Thief

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