Radiohead – Hail to the Thief Review

Impulsive decisions and a random sense of acting when the time feels right guide Radiohead. Since the electronic fuzz and double-bill of Kid A and Amnesiac a year on from it, the wheels of change were beginning to grind away. Hail to the Thief is not necessarily a change to a band that transcends genre categorisation, but it is a different presentation of their finest hour. Hail to the Thief sees Thom Yorke and company work with slower styles, battles against leaked material which spun them into a state of future self-releases and set the course for where the band was headed. Where it may not find itself shouldering a spot with lofty competition like OK Computer, the Hail to the Thief momentum can still be felt – and it is all because of the whirring electronics which cement Radiohead as more than music, it was something bigger.  

Opening track 2 + 2 = 5 proves it. They were a band who could convince listeners of the impossible. Meditative, unruly, and most importantly, loud. Jonny Greenwood and Philip Selway work wonders on this first song, their works on guitar and percussion respectively given their time to shine. Electronic focus on Sit Down. Stand Up. hears sharp mixing and displays of real quality. Next steps from a band as big as Radiohead are a treat to chart – and Hail to the Thief does not disappoint. Still sticking to their electronic guns but working through a machine-like style on Backdrifts presents another shift in tone. Less manipulation than previous efforts, more interjections of creaking electrics, rather than a reliance on how it can change Yorke’s voice. Loops and machines are relied on once more, but their use feels natural, almost human in some parts.  

But pause your feelings of infatuation with Radiohead’s electronic style, the acoustic headiness of Go To Sleep shocks the system for its simplicity amid well-layered experiences. Shock at simplicity is the best pull a band can hope for, and for Radiohead it means getting back to a rooted, still layered but practical piece with truck horn-sounding exclamations. Creeping keystrokes and slower tones on We Suck Young Blood are one of many critical blows to the Hollywood machine – Radiohead does well to make their rage at the modern culture of chewing up and spitting out hopeful prospects clear. Crackling intensity on The Gloaming secures Radiohead once more in their electronic spiral, though feels like an unnecessary interlude from the harsher, harder material.  

More space given to those moments of true reflection, Radiohead pushes and pushes against the horrors of warfare, conflict and pop culture with Hail to the Thief. Bow down to the grifters and see how far they take it. Hail to the Thief is even more relevant now than it was twenty years ago. Whether Radiohead wanted to or not, their likening of the violent machine of stardom to a viral infection picked up by rabbits is a stroke of bizarre genius. Myxomatosis is a high, and despite the slow slip into hardship and harder work, Hail to the Thief is a monumental achievement for Radiohead – though it may slip behind their more noteworthy releases. A dark horse of an album, with more than a few moments of raw spectacle.