RADIOHEADHail to the Thief
[Parlophone-2003]
At the time, the initial burst of faux studio verité that opens the album—a guitar being plugged into an amp—may well have been an inside joke, signaling to Radiohead fans that the quintessential rock and roll instrument, and a big part of the band’s early sound, was back to the fore. But the fact that the very next sound is an anxious, programmed beat is what’s most telling: the promised return to The Bends-era guitarplay was not to be this time out. However, the beloved six-string is featured more prominently than on the previous two releases and ultimately lets Hail To The Thief come across as a more conventional record—for Radiohead, anyway—than either Kid A or Amnesiac. And while that may not be an important or even relevant distinction 15 years later, at the time it was at the core of a discussion regarding Radiohead's past and what direction their music would be taking ever since the release of Kid A drew a line in the proverbial sand.
Regardless, the songwriting and arranging are both close to the same level of artistry found on their masterpiece OK Computer, with Hail To The Thief including some of their very best work (“2+2=5”, “Sail To The Moon”, “Go To Sleep”, “There, There”, “A Punch-up at a Wedding”). This is the work of a band trying to find a compromise between classic songwriting and progressive/avant-garde experimentation; struggling between being true to the muse and not alienating and leaving its loyal fans behind. In lesser hands, this could spell death to a promising career. But looking back it's clear Radiohead succeeded here way more often than not, and in the end that’s what makes this album such a wonderful listening experience: a love/hate relationship between man and machine that humbles one and humanizes the other. And we get to sit back and enjoy it.
Hail to the Thief was released June 10, 2003.
