Hail To The Thief is Radioheads sixth studio release and finds the band back on the track of their first three releases. Those critically acclaimed releases of ‘Pablo Honey’, ‘The Bends’, and ‘OK Computer’ really put this act on the musical map. From that point, the band shifted to a more experimental frame of mind with their next two albums of ‘Kid A’ and ‘Amnesiac’. While both of those albums had their own individual moments of brilliance, each as a whole missed a bit. This new release is a much more complete effort and should bring back fans that jumped off the bandwagon during those last two albums.

‘2 + 2 = 5’ starts this set slowly before turning frantic. It seems off but it’s on in some strange way. ‘Sit Down, Stand Up’ then creeps in with its eerie, but interesting vibe before closing with a repetitive, yet great ending. ‘Sail To The Moon’ is a decent deep, slow melody. ‘Backdrifts’ is full of techno backbeats and noises. ‘Go To Sleep’ is a 5 star track that grips you and gets ya moving. This is about as close as this band is willing to toss us a normal song that could find its way onto the radio and be a hit. ‘Where I End And You Begin’ is very similar in style to ‘Sit Down, Stand Up’ as it also has a cool, eerie feeling and has the repetitive ending. The next two tracks miss with ‘We Suck Young Blood’, which sucks some energy away from the listen with its boring, annoying nature and ‘The Gloaming’ which is a gloomy, dark song with electronic blips breaking through it. These two end up being skip over tracks for me. ‘There There’ brings the album back above water in a hurry with good beats, flowing rhythm and its powerful ending. This track is another 5-star track and would also do well if radio ever got hold of it. ‘I Will’ slows things back down but is a nice, cool melody. ‘A Punchup At A Wedding’ is yet another 5-star track with its nice groove and sick-good style. This track is excellent and is the third so far now that could actually find a home on the radio. ‘Myxomatosis’ is different and unique, and has the feeling of an old Gwen Mars or Smashing Pumpkins track. The solid ‘Scatterbrain’ closes things out on a good note. In the end, we have three standout tracks and two throwaway tracks leaving the rest of the album as above average good stuff.

Radiohead is one of those rare bands in our current times that really matter. Each of their albums is an interesting exploration and has their own unique personality - the sign of a true classic band. Years from now, this band will be looked back on and appreciated for their efforts of not conforming to the standards set by many record labels and radio outlets towards hit singles these days. Their work here is genius at times and very original with many layers. With a Radiohead album, you never know what they have in store, so just sit back and feel their music and enjoy their originality. 4 Planets.

Track Listing:
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 Punchup At A Wedding
12. Myxomatosis
13. Scatterbrain

Shamples Rating:  4 out of 5 Planets


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