Hail To The Thief
Radiohead
(Parlophone/EMI)
Reported Tuesday, June 10 2003
Courtesy of Jonty_Adderley @ www.skrufff.com
"The title of the record goes so much deeper than just being some anti-Bush propaganda. If we got into a situation where people start burning our records, then bring it on. That's the whole point. The gloaming has begun." Thom Yorke.
According to our Apple Dictionary 'gloaming' means 'the period of fading light after sunset but before dark' and it's an apt if somewhat old-fashioned word to describe today's much troubled world. It's also highly appropriate to use it to describe Radiohead's much anticipated new album Hail to The Thief, which finds the Oxford quintet addressing the rise of fascism via the Orwellian techniques of Bush and Blair. The album's uncompromising and bold thematic concept is unsurprisingly reflected in its music, as the band continue to explore the electronic, experimental paths of Kid A and Amnesiac rather than the pop press' favourite OK Computer, still the bench mark Radiohead are judged by.
Though OK Computer aside, Hail to The Thief is an original, highly listenable collection of songs that stands head and shoulders above any other 'rock' albums out there.
Musically, the band paint a melancholic though interesting soundscape via sombre pianos, weeping guitars and other-wordly clicks and beats, complimented by Thom Yorke's haunting near falsetto vocals, which dominate though only gradually seep into the consciousness. And while the overall album is marked by a certain distance and chilliness, individual moments like Sail To The Moon stand out immediately, wallowing in a haunting though ultimately uplifting sense of sadness.
9 years ago Radiohead's The Bends failed to initially light up the world as rival EMI acts Jesus Jones and EMF occupied the priority act roles these days filled by Robbie Williams and Kylie (and of course Radiohead). And like The Bends, Hail To The Thief is certainly not the band's best work, though in ten years time, it's sure to be remembered, while Robbie and his ilk fade into ever greater obscurity. Because Radiohead are increasingly developing a body of work, that's greater than the sum of is parts, putting them alongside such genuinely great bands as Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Which is why Hail to The Thief is both recommended and worthwhile.
"We're in the darkness. This has happened before. Go read some history," Thom Yorke darkly concludes.
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