Hail To the Thief

Am I the only one that thinks Radiohead is boring?

Rating Radiohead is hard. I mean, this is a five star album. But it's less good than four or five five star albums by Radiohead. So I'm giving it four stars because relativity. Even though it's five stars in reality. You with me?

Direct quote from my wife; “Oh my god that’s terrible. Turn it off.”

Thom York and Radiohead continue to baffle me as to how they make so many albums that people love. I find him and his music tedious, boring ,and painful to sit through.

In my mind, there are two Radioheads. Good Radiohead is thoughtful, provocative, and importantly, fun to listen to. Bad Radiohead is cloying, weirdly preachy, and gives you a tension headache if you listen to more than three songs in a row. This album is firmly in the latter camp.

Angry, bitter and mesmerising. A clandestine club which you're not invited to.

I already told you twice, I hate Radiohead. And this album certainly isn’t going to change that. Fuck off, wankers.

It listens as the album where Radiohead mixed the elements from their rockier-oriented career start with their later electronic experimental style. Call it a Kid A meets OK Computer. This was certainly not an album I 'got' in just one listen. It has taken a few proper sessions to get through the somewhat dark and inaccessible layers this album has. Not just musically, but lyrically the band seems to be a lot more cynical and angry than I've known them. But I'm enjoying the album more with every listen, mostly because there's so much to discover with every playthrough. There are so many details that are revealed with each new listen, and those details are presented in a truly varied way. There is rarely any repetition; the variety is huge and you're traveling quickly from one place to another, which sometimes makes the album feel a bit disjointed at the start. But after a few listens I think only We Suck Young Blood is a lesser song on a truly great album. Slowly this might be becoming one of my favourite Radiohead albums. I'm putting it at 4,5*, but this album might end up as a 5* album in a few years if I revisit it.

The most challenging and abstruse Radiohead album by far - even more so than the juvenile effort of Pablo Honey and the rhythmic jungle of TKOL. Took me years to get into and appreciate this one as a whole, so I fully understand all the low ratings here. The crowd-pleasing '2+2 = 5' is a fitting opener, as while it seems to herald a return to Bends-ish territory from Kid A/Amnesiac the shifting 3-act structure belies the melodic and rhythmic menagerie that follows. From here, the complete downshift into 'Sit Down' thus begins the surprising, hills and valleys that make up this LP. I think this is far and away the least polished RH album, especially given that Thom's lyrical subtlety is about as smooth as sandpaper throughout ("Fuck Bush. Fuck you, Bush. What were you doing in Iraq, Bush?"). Themes aside, even the instrumentals and vocals sound slightly rawer than the vacuum-sealed electronic efforts that came before. That's not to say they lack interest or staying power - 'Where I End' was one of the first Radiohead tracks I listened to on repeat solely for the bass, '2+2' shreds obviously, 'Young Blood' builds to one of the most satisfying climaxes in the group's discography, and even 'Gloaming' has a bit of frenetic charm to it. In describing these tracks, though, it's clear that the melodic throughline is a bit lax. Rather, the thing that holds this burgeoning mess of tracks together is the airtight production and distinct instrumental palette throughout. It's a recalibration period for the band, a step back to OKC territory but with a bigger synth presence after the practice afforded on Kid A and its twin. At its heart, however, is Amnesiac 1.5 in disguise - listening at all to Thom's lyricism betrays the same sense of curdled hope that has passed through cynicism into bitter despair. So yeah, there's a lot going on here. Not all of it works, it's bumpy tempo transition-wise, and some of it just isn't even palatable the first time around. But despite its flaws, the LP presents such a logical step in the band's discography and overall sound that it shines in context (and honestly presents some experimental pathways I wish the band had followed). I don't fault anybody who hates this on first listen or just doesn't get it - an album that requires understanding an entire band's output to 'get' isn't perfect by a long shot. For me, though, I keep coming back to this runt of the litter LP that wears its 'Scatterbrain' on its sleeve and finding things new to love about this band.

Fuck I hate Radiohead. This is about the 600th album of theirs here, because they're from the UK. What an absolute chore to get through. It just kept going and going and fucking going. Made muse sound exciting. 1/5.

I've heard this one before and I know it's a 9.5/10 the last .5 is saved for OK Computer and Kid A lol

I’ve heard this Radiohead song before. It’s most Radiohead songs. With only a couple exceptions.

Ok the highlights on this album were incredible, with “2 + 2 = 5” probably being my favorite, but “There, There” and “Where I End and You Begin” also being standouts. At this point in Radiohead’s discography, there were 2 groups of fans they had: those who preferred their more traditional rock sounds of “The Bends” and “OK Computer”, and the other group of fans who preferred the more experimental/electronic sounds of “Kid A” and “Amnesiac”. Personally I’m in the former, but I feel like this album does a good job of bridging the gap between those two camps. This album is pretty political and that can get pretty one-note and tiring, especially when you add in the fact that this is Radiohead’s longest album, coming in at 56 minutes. Overall, I really enjoyed it, but it wouldn’t be the first Radiohead album I’d recommend to someone. Solid 7/10

This cockle eyed cunt has a brass neck calling anybody else a thief. He’s been stealing a living for the last 25 years.

2 Radiohead to me is the musical equivalent of Rick & Morty, in that I tend to find their fanbase insufferable. In both cases, they’re largely comprised of devout fanatics that seem to think a certain level of intellect is required to appreciate the content, when really it’s nowhere near as complex or as clever they make it out to be. While I don’t outright hate the band or the TV show themselves, I do think they’re largely overrated and that the fans need to take it back a notch or two. Anyway, that being said, I’ve heard a few Radiohead albums in my life, but this is the first I’ve heard Hail to the Thief. And idk, coming off of OK Computer and Kid A (I admittedly haven’t heard Amnesiac), this seems like they were playing it a bit safe? In some ways, it feels like the “lite” versions of those albums - the hints are there, but you never quite get a full taste of the real thing. To put it more bluntly, it’s boring, and it doesn’t flow nearly as well as their previous work. I’ll give credit where credit is due when we inevitably see more of this band’s work pop up on this list, but… this one? Really? Didn't completely hate it, but not super interested in listening again. Decent songs: Go To Sleep, There, There, A Wolf at the Door

Ah. This is fabulous. I'm not a Radiohead-junkie but bit part hit fan. So I knew nothing of Hail to the Thief, experimental electronics led album. But it's great. I know the band didn't love the album, but I love the sound. No hits, no filler (Radiohead disagree) a proper album.

Even tho it's not The Bends or OK Computer, this album is really good, and I find it to be extremely overlooked compared to other Radiohead LPs, which is a shame

Couldn’t stand listening to this

Not my thing at all really

Poopy

I couldn't even get through this album. This is where Radiohead lost me. So whiny and depressing.

Nah

Drivel. His whiney voice is so annoying

I'm not a fan of Radiohead in general, but this is their worst album on this list so far. 90% just pretentious electronica. It seems mainstream music was generally pretty lost in the 2000s.

It kind of bugs me. The guy is probably a millionaire and adored by his fans yet he's still moaning like a bitch. And I can't make out any of the words. To me it just sounds like a whinge for the sake of it. Absolute twaddle.

Tous les albums de Radiohead pourraient se retrouver sur cette liste vu qu'ils ont toujours cherché à se renouveler et ont presque toujours surpris à chacune des sorties d'album à partir d'Ok Computer. Cet album est un grand favori pour plusieurs pour le retour plus marqué des guitares et instruments plus acoustiques. C'est effectivement le point déterminant de cet album, mais les expérimentations de Kid A et Amnesiac sont bien maitrisées et servent bien les chansons ici. On est en territoire plus accessible en terme de mélodies, mais avec un petit edge intéressant dans l'emballage. Je crois pouvoir affirmer sans me tromper que c'est l'album qui se situe au centre de ce que Radiohead peut livrer comme chansons rock indies et expérimentations électroniques.

The drunken voice inside my head is telling me it's time to go home. I stumble into a bush and rest. As I lay there Hail to the Thief flicks a switch in my mind and the night is illuminated. The rain pours down and drowns my soul, but a glimmer of light claws open my imagination and a chasm of colour drains out into the world. It's coming at me at 3 million miles an hour and my heart is racing, chasing, embracing the wonders within.

Great album! Compositionally very fresh and complex but still holds a beautiful simplicity.

Listening to this just reaffirms for me how Radiohead feel so far and ahead of most music in the list, but I'm extremely biased. Production wise its top notch. Reading the Wikipedia again, it's interesting to hear it was a very focused 2-week effort to record in California, like a "summer camp" retreat. It's manic, it's frantic, and it encapsulated the times... and still does. I love that a lot of the album was just recorded, then they moved on and didn't dwell on it as much. Of course, this only works if you're really fucking good. Some of Radiohead's best live banger in here: 2+2=5, The Gloaming, There There, Myxomatosis all go hard live but they are all top notch on the album as well. I know the band is not fully happy with the end mixes and there is disagreement between them, but I think it's great as-is. There is a leaked early version that is interesting for the hardcore, but the differences are end up as minutiae. For further listening, Glastonbury 2003 is divine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sAoHCiTqUc

This album came out at a transitional time in my life, so my memories of it aren't as strong as they are with other Radiohead albums. It was right before I moved to Providence, away from everyone I knew, save for my alcoholic girlfriend who was moving with me. It was a fairly lonely, but eye opening year, and I was soaking in all kinds of new things - not least of which was a grim sense of reality that didn't so much start to sink in, but slap me in the face. This album is great - a natural extension of what they established on their previous two albums. It's Radiohead. It's amazing. But this is where my engagement with them starts to drift away. This was partially due to somewhat painful associations with ex-girlfriends and the fact that I didn't need their existentially sad sound at that time in my life. It would've put me over the edge to wallow in it. That and I think they were starting to repeat themselves a bit here. Not that I don't love the sound but it didn't surprise me in the same way that their previous albums had. I'm not gonna say there were no surprises, but I feel like they had settled into a creative comfort zone of sorts. Understandably so, as they were pretty much universally revered by this point, and could easily rest on those laurels. They were a big fish now, a whale really, and I suppose being that size it was harder to make sharp turns or change directions.

It’s a very solid album. However it did not blow me away like kid a/ ok computer did. There are a few stand out tracks: there, there being my favorite. But the album doesn’t beg to be listened to straight through the way Kid A does for me.

Overall not a big fan of their more Rock-y sound, I wish they'd stick to their creepy electronic stuff. I was thinking no song really stands out, but then Backdrifts hits with an absolutely wicked intro. We Suck Young Blood could've been shortened to We Suck, that song is awful. The whole second half of the album was disappointing to be fair..

You: Mom, can we get Radiohead? Mom: We have Radiohead at home, honey. Radiohead at Home: Hail to the Thief

Hi. I might be the weirdo that thinks this is, song for song, my favorite Radiohead album. (I loved "In Rainbows," too, so consider yourselves warned.) I'd have to listen to "The Bends" again, but yeah. For me, I have always felt like they got the balance of the alt-indie rock stuff they'd done in the past with the electronic and looser song structure shit they were into on the two previous albums just right on "Hail to the Thief." It's a moody record. But they didn't forget that distortion pedals and guitars exist. But they added more vocal harmonies and let the bass guitar lead a little more here and there. I don't know. It's a weird mix and I know even Radiohead fans are soft on this one, but I saw them live on the "In Rainbows" tour and "Myxomatosis" just destroyed. All three of the final tunes here are as good as anything they've done, imo.

Every song is a banger or is super memorable. I listened to this album years ago and still recall so much of it. Between hypnotic electronic ragas to and cryptic political rock bops, this album has a little something for every mood.

Still one of my favorite Radiohead albums, so many poignant tracks, catchy riffs and solid bass lines

Massive fan of Radiohead. I got this album as a bday present from a friend when it first came out. I haven't listen to it nearly as much as The Bends, OK Computer, King of Limbs, In Rainbows. Going through it again is a bit of a trip. Might require some additional listening, but really really solid album too. Is it their best? Probably not. Stand out tracks: There There, Go To Sleep, Myxomatosis.

Still to sad for me but I like it more now then a few years ago. This actually had some very great moments.

Sorry I know they are musical geniuses and I'm a philistine but its nails on a chalkboard stuff for me. Probably should be a 2 but I'm exaggerating for effect.

I'm way behind and going to attempt to catch up over next couple weeks so my reviews my be brief.... This album was a big WTF. Not a fan and won't re- listen.

Boring meh

Out of tune art-rock. Music to slash your wrists to. Can't listen to this, it's rubbish.

no radiohead

Absolute snooze fest what the actual fuck.

With all their genius they forgot the tune.

My second Radiohead album after Kid A (1/5). Boy, do I hate Radiohead. I'd rather listen to 57 minutes of complete silence. Or maybe just the music without the whiny ass singer. One of the songs is called "We Suck Young Blood." They should have just shortened it to "We Suck" and then given that title to all the songs and the album too. I know I'm in the minority in hating this band, but that's my opinion.

Shite wrapped shite with a squishy shite centre

Whining while I hit my tin can. Waaaaah. Search a dreamer. 2 and 2 is 5. Waaaah. Now it sounds like it's skipping. Sit down. Waaaah. Stand up. Waaaaah. Bell noises. Waaaah. Oh, Sail to the Moon is so goo--oh wait, he's whining again. Nevermind. Backdrifts, ooh, spacy, panning, damnit, he's whining again. This would have been so nice if he would just stay quiet. The music is tolerable on this one. Go To Sleep. Sigh. Where I eeeeeennnnnnndddddd....waaah. I wish it would end already. We suck. (young blood). Clap. Oooooh. Whining. Clap. WTF is going on? Are you toooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn WAaaaaaahhh Holy fuck make it stop. The Gloaming. Oooh, sounds cool. More of this clippy Autechre type snare and weird FX. Cool. So far so good. FUCK. He starts making mouth noises again. There, There. Drums. Made it 60 second before the whining. I Will. No. I most certainly will not. Iwoooonn''tttt leeett thissss happennn to my ccchhiillldreeeen. WTF A Punch Up At A Wedding, ooh nice piano, annnnnd he's droning again. Welp. Myxomatosis - Wow. Synth. And depressing singing again. I don't. Know. What. I. Feel. So. Don't. Know. What. Please stop. Scatterbrain - OOOOooooooh, no. A Wolf At The Door - Oh, he's talking now. Don't you dare. Don't you dare. Don't you dare. The worst thing I have ever heard.

I've been a fan of Radiohead since I was a teenager, and I know this album in and out. I love it! But I am sceptical to including it in the book. I can see the reasoning; Hail to the Thief showcases a certain mix of different aspects of the band's music. But there are five albums that I think are more influential and better album experiences than Hail to the Thief. In my opinion you don't need to hear more than half of Radiohead's discography to get what they're about and why they have legend status. But as I said, this is an amazing album.

I haven’t listened to this all the way through in a while. I’d forgotten how consistently Radiohead was putting out complete albums, one after another. This isn’t quite on the level of The Bends, OK Computer or Kid A, but there is not a bad song in this album and they all fit well together. We’ll see which other Radiohead albums are on here…they may all be getting 5’s from me.

This album was a sleeper for me, but I like it more and more every time I listen. It's a perfect blend of what they were doing on OK Computer and the left turn they made with Kid A. There's not a bad song on this album.

Love radiohead. Way better than I remember

Not their best album but still full of bangers.

I’m biased because I LOVE Radiohead, but this album captures a lot of what I love about them, especially the contrast between somber moments and crazy, driving, soundscapy moments.

Not as good as Kid-A But this is an easy 5 star record. This is a classic that resonated at the time as much as it does now. 2+2=5 is a favorite. And the opening to this album blasts off into exactly where I want to be with Radiohead.

It feels weird to say it but this is for sure radioheads most underrated album, an absolute masterpiece in my opinion

Despite being a very local band, I'd not really listened to much Radiohead until quite recently, and I had been sort of unsure about what I thought of them. There were definitely some songs I enjoyed and others I was initially unsure about. This is the first Radiohead album I've listened to in its entirety and I have to say that I loved it. The riffs are great, and I loved how somber and calm beginnings often swelled into driven electronic climaxes. It was a pleasant surprise to see how electronic-focused this album was. Judging by what others have been saying, I don't know if this'll be my favourite Radiohead album by the end of the list, but I must say that I really enjoyed this. Favourite: Go To Sleep

Not my favourite Radiohead, but it’s still Radiohead

I have always maintained that even the worst Radiohead album is still a 4/5. And this is not the worst Radiohead album (that would be Pablo Honey). Radiohead is a band that hits me in all the right ways. I love their instrumentation. I love their dark, melancholy, eerie sound. I love Thom Yorke's voice. If I had to choose one band to name as the "perfect" band, I would probably say Radiohead. Hail To the Thief is not my favorite of theirs, but it is still a perfect album. Zero skips, and nearly every song gives me chills at some point or another. Beautiful song after beautiful song. I'm glad this album popped up because it has been a few years since my last listen, and rediscovering it was fantastic. Standout Tracks: "Backdrift," "There, There," "A Wolf At the Door," "A Punch Up at a Wedding"

Really nice album!

Radiohead <3 10/10 of course Top songs: - 2 + 2 = 5 - Sail To The Moon - There, There - I Will (though prefer the LA version) - A Wolf At the Door Most people say it’s the weakest RH album, I love it

An album as bleak as 2003, Hail to the Thief captures the ambient dread, malice, and sense of distant violence of the metropole at the dawn of the global war on terror. It kicks off with 2+2=5's synths going off like an alarm. There There is that era's best song, a refusal of the injunction to become a terrorized paranoid freak sensing danger lurking in every corner - "Just cuz you feel it, doesn't mean it's there". The amalgam of electronic sounds and (relatively) raw guitar parts, chaotic techno beats, frenetic synths, close but off kilter harmonies, and bleated vocals ratchet up the tension over and over. Though there is the odd cathartic climax, there's little relief - the songs don't resolve into stable melodies or return to familiar terrain. Drunken Punch Up offers a bit of a groove to sink into, then layers with with discordance. Myxomatosis has a heavy synth riff that's used a platform for more textural experimentation. Sail to the Moon is a disquieting lullaby with its relaxed piano. ethereal reverby guitar parts, uneasy synths and searching vocals. Wolf At the Door is like a nightmare nursery rhyme with a guitar part that's always falling forward into the next arpeggio without resolving as the vocal descends wildly into a frenzy until catching itself at the last minute, fading away deceptively sweetly. This is the soundtrack of a world spinning out of control.

I sincerely like Radiohead for a lot of reasons, but not in a "listen to two full Radiohead albums in a week" kinda way. pro level sad bitch music lol

One of my all time favorite albums, especially with headphones. Atmospheric and still melodic, challenging and still accessible. I've listened to it a hundred times and still find it fresh. Instant 5 stars.

Lots of good tracks but sometimes a little bit of a slog to get through.

Very hard to rate.... I like the musicalities and production was top notch in my opinion. I was expecting something very different from radiohead and I am both disappointed and pleased... I will probably listen to the album again. 3.5/5

Suffers from not being as good as the studio albums either side of it, but it’s still a very good record. Far too long though. Three excellent tracks, 2+2, There There and Punch Up.

I’m a defender of this album but even I don’t think it’s essential. C’mon Bob

There, there was the highlight. It was a great album

Longer Radiohead Album. I really like most of it, but it has some moments which are harder to listen to than the majority of their discography.

This is a repeat listen for me already being a big Radiohead fan and my opinions have not really changed on the album. Still think this is a slightly underrated Radiohead album with some great tracks with a political presence and industrial sound. It’s a crossroads between the guitar driven early Radiohead albums such as The Bends and OK Computer and their early 2000s electronic work such as Kid A and Amnesiac. The album is a bit bloated and has some mediocrity but overall a great album.

As of now it has been 7 years since Radiohead released an album. They may be done forever. Therefore the lesser known or not as popular albums are always worth revisiting. I’m glad I got this album. I’ve always had it pretty lowly ranked but after listening to this maybe 5 or 6 times, I have enjoyed it significantly more. It has the electronic sound Kid A does through many of the songs but this time they are styled differently. There’s are songs with more guitar and heavier rock sounds. There’s one that’s more fluid and almost jazz like. The singing style of yorke is more like the later albums. Hail to the thief is underrated for a Radiohead album. It’s definitely not their best but to me it has climbed the rankings. 8.4/10

Not quite peak Radiohead but a dark, rich album that's worth exploring. An interesting halfway point between the electronic paranoia of Kid A/Amnesiac and the ultra-clean arpeggiated rock of In Rainbows. Best song: 2 + 2 = 5

This album is REALLY good, but when you’ve heard what five-star Radiohead sounds like it’s hard not to compare everything else they do to their gold standard. It’s no Kid A, but it’s still a damn good collection of songs. Just doesn’t have that extra touch of sonic and thematic cohesion to take it all the way.

Extremely underrated Radiohead album in my opinion. I know that it doesn't have as continuous a flow as most of their work, but I love the passion in this album and it has some of my favorite tracks from them ('There, There', 'A Wolf At the Door', '2+2=5'). 4/5

Of all the radiohead albums, Hail To the Thief is definitely one of them. Had lot of quiet 2000s indie vibes, I sure hope they don't dig too far into them next time. A decent record

It's listening for a relatively dull weathered Monday at work. Expect little in the way of excitement but you're not going to be perturbed by 36 trumpets or herbs and spices at any point, which is certainly refreshing. It's all really inoffensive but also all really insubstantial, and for this, it gets my highest yet the most average of scores, 3*.

A cryptic blend of rock and electronic music that can feel jumbled at times.

Can’t hear the music for the whining voice of Thom Yorke. Not nice.

Oof

I dunno, it just feels like these guys are spoofers. I read so much about their music, and I get heated about giving it a listen, but when I get around to it, invariably I feel let down. Hail to the Thief is no exception. Anaemic for sure, and for all its ambition it also manages to be incredibly boring, the worst sin where music is concerned. Shit production too.

Radiohead is talented band that writes well crafted and well polished intricate progressive songs.... that I have no desire to listen to. Due to the overwhelmingly positive reputation that Radiohead has, I've given them an honest listen numerous times, and it has never "clicked" for me. And it's like... I listen to a lot of esoteric and diverse music across genres, and this sort of self-masturbatory prog should be right up my alley, but it just isn't.

I really didn't know I disliked Radiohead so much. Some of the guitar work is pretty good, but the voice is driving me crazy.

Blah. Can’t even call this middle of the road Radiohead.

Radiohead may be the most overrated band ever.

Radiohead staying the most overrated band ever. Every song is just a guy scream-whining over a repetitive beat.

Didn't hate this as much as In Rainbows or Kid A, as there were occasional hints of a tune behind the noodling. Still has that awful whine going on - surely no-one can enjoy the "singing" attempted here? And there are far better examples of drone/electronica/experimental music since the late '60s. Highly over-rated crap as ever!

‘We Suck Young Blood’ bloody hell talk about dreary! I nearly fell asleep a few times during this album

How many Radiohead albums are on this list? I think this is my 3rd one and none of them are above 2 stars. I've tried to listen to this band for almost 20 years. I think it's safe to say I'm not going to get it. Maybe replace this album with Ben Howard I Forget Where We Were.

Hab’s probiert. Einige interessante Effekte. Finde keinen Titel, den ich sofort Wiederhören möchte. 2/5

Same whiney minor-key junk they fill all their other albums with. Don't know why I thought this one might be different, but I listened to find out - no. To be fair, there are some good sounds here, but I find the voice ruinous.

I liked this at first but the longer the album went the less I liked it.

I don't think they really want people to like this

I've always felt that Radiohead is sonic Ambien, with the lyrical depth of a teenage stoner and the experimental depth of said teenager's father when he's pickin' up that ol' six-string. This album is proof that I'm not just a hater. And I'm kind of disappointed, because it started out a bit more energetic and emotive! But alas, by track 3, my eyes glazed over, like they almost always do when I listen to Radiohead, and it was all downhill from there.

Just sounds all the same.

Can't say I'm going to be a Radiohead fan any time soon Favourite track: There, There

Probably the weakest of what feels like too many Radiohead albums on this list. They haven't all been bad, but it's starting to feel a bit like 'The Emperors New Clothes' to me.

Sadder, nerdy Coldplay. Not an enjoyablem listen

I really try but I don't get what's so great about Radiohead. Every song just sounds like Thom Yorke whining the same note and moaning.

I like that this seems more rock oriented than other Radiohead albums I've listened to. One Radiohead song is fine, there's usually something interesting going on, however it's exhausting to listen to a full album of this.