For the greatest band of their generation, Radiohead is in a rut. Their string of brilliant but difficult releases throughout the 1990's awarded them critical acclaim and a fervent fan base; both groups ready to unleash rivers of praise at every move the band makes and with good reason. Each album had been a progression in their sound and in their message. From their great pop debut Pablo Honey through possibly the greatest guitar-pop album ever, The Bends, through a minor masterpiece OK Computer, each release showed them to be more and more alienated from the world around them, yet more and more willing to scream in the face of that nonsensical world. Then came Kid A. The band traded in the guitars and drums for keyboards and computers. The cold, disjointed music reflected a world gone wrong, lost in technology that ruined life rather that enlightened it. It was a bold move for the band, yet the new direction worked, if only for a short time. The follow-up, Amnesiac, was just as cold and disjointed, but somehow missed something. Now that Radiohead has released Hail To the Thief, the band appears to be treading water.
Although the album closely follows the style of Kid A and Amnesiac, the songs are all over the place. "Sail to the Moon" and "Backdrifts" come off as an attempt to extend the statement made by Kid A, but end up sounding like outtakes from Amnesiac, which is not good, because Amnesiac was composed of outtakes of Kid A. "Scatterbrained," with its uninspired guitar playing and drumming, sounds like a demo the band just never got around to finishing. "The Gloaming" is the best song Kraftwerk never wrote. The worst of the bunch is the laughable "We Suck Young Blood," with a rhythm that sounds like Igor walking down the hallway of Frankenstein's castle, and the phoned in "Wolf at the Door."
Even Amnesiac had moments worth returning to, and luckily, so does Thief. The opener, "2+2=5," serves as a solid reminder that the group hasn't forgotten the guitars, which is good since they've promised the fans more guitar for two albums. The single "There There" is a solid rocker content at just being, not being over your head. "Punch Up at a Wedding" is Radiohead at their funkiest. You might even find yourself bobbing your head a bit, if it's ok to actually enjoy Radiohead anymore.
In the end, it is not a bad record, it's just not good, especially by Radiohead standards; one must wonder if Radiohead could even make a bad record. But gone are the anthemics of the earlier material. They have traded in the Dark-Side-of-the-Moon heights for Delicate-Sound-of-Thunder mediocrity. They have ceased to be compelling, even if they are still interesting.
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Other coverage for this album
Decapolis July 2003Reviewed by Tyler BaberLet's be honest with ourselves, Radiohead owns us. This band is, without a doubt, the new Pink Floyd. The new Led Zeppelin. The new Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Radiohead is the band of our generation (this generation being everyone buying music since 1995) that has and will stretch and change the bounds of the music industry and popular music itself. Thom Yorke will in the future be looked…The Rebel Base 2003Reviewed by Josh HurstIf nothing else, Radiohead's sixth album, Hail to the Thief, is a smart slap in the face to any detractors who thought the band had dug themselves into a creative hole with their last two records. Kid A and the subsequent Amnesiac were so avant-garde, so cutting edge, and so forward-thinking that some critics feared that Radiohead had no choice but to repeat themselves; leave it to Thom Yorke and…The Rebel Base 2003Reviewed by David MartinIf you're a Radiohead fan, then I probably don't need to tell you this, but I will anyway - someone closely associated with the band appears to have leaked working versions of the songs from their newest album to the Internet a full two months before its release. Having been tipped off as to where I could download these songs, I decided that I would share the proverbial wealth and let those of…The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Steve StockmanPart of me admires Radiohead though my fandom disappeared with Kid A. No longer would I listen for pleasure but for analysis and though some of that analysis is enjoyable and sometimes fascinating, there is a faint suspicion that is hard to admit in public that maybe they are just full of it. I imagine there are those who struggle to admit that they no longer enjoy the band and others who…The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Trae CadenheadIt's difficult, almost impossible, to sum up the significance of the influence that Radiohead has had on the music world as a whole over the past decade. Between the albums The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A, Radiohead has developed a dedicated following few bands have enjoyed in recent history. Known for its musical innovation, every release from the band has pushed the envelope musically,…Opus 2003Reviewed by Richie DeMariaThe first time I ever heard Radiohead's new album, Hail to the Thief, was 10 months before it was released, when the band decided to test their new batch of songs for audiences in Spain and Portugal. And when I heard them, I was ecstatic -- I, like many other fans, was convinced that with such beautifully rocking songs as "There There," sinister ballads like "We Suck Young Blood," and the newly…Similar sounding releases
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