Hail To the Thief

Headphones and getting high music

Will listen to this again. I always find with Radiohead that I need to listen a couple of times.

Another excellent Radiohead album. What I don't get is why there's so many albums from Radiohead on the 1001 list. One, maybe two, would be enough. I do like Radiohead and often go back and listen to them. This isn't my favorite album of theirs but it's still very good. I'm surprised OK Computer hasn't appeared yet if it is even on the list.

Radiohead was a weird band. I've given one of their albums 5 stars and another 2 stars. The rest, like this one, fall somewhere in the middle, but more on the good side in general. On this song, my enjoyment between tracks varied, although there was nothing horrible on here. But I definitely enjoyed the tracks more that followed more standard rock structures, rather than being fully experimental. That's sort of strange, considering I love post rock. I guess their "standard rock tracks" are already pushing the boundaries of rock, whereas their fully experimental tracks tend to be insufficiently fleshed out, not fully coherent, and sometimes sort of half-assed. Still better than the average album on this list though.

Certainly not Radiohead at their best, but a compelling album nonetheless. Some fantastic tracks that really managed to capture my attention, some less than stellar ones that kept me from enjoying this album to the fullest extent. Still a great effort by the band.

I love Radiohead but have never listened to Hail to the Thief before now. This album is hated in because?? Sure it isn’t the most immediate record, and it has some low energy cuts but it is great. 8/10

Radiohead seems pretty divisive, both in general and for me. I'm not a huge fan, I enjoy some of their music but whole albums can really bore me if I'm not in the mood for them. This one landed solidly in the middle for me.

Rock. Electrónica. Experimental.

Radiohead rame toujours autant pour nous proposer un son réécoutable malgré la qualité de l'album. C'est non, Radiohead, on ne réécoutera pas la moindre piste de votre projet.

Radiohead aura tout tenté, nous répétant tout au long de l'album "Il faut relancer nos albums" ou encore "On fait de la super musique, pourquoi vous ne nous écoutez qu'une fois?", malheureusement cela ne prend toujours pas.

Listened to this twice because I really wasn’t vibing with it on speakers. Bit better on headphones but overall I’m just not vibing with Radiohead. Maybe one day.. not my style of rock but the singles aren’t bad.

Good album, not sure it needed to be on this list, even the band themselves dont look back on it all too highly. Kid A, Ok Computer and In Rainbows would have sufficed.

I have been underestimating this album for over twenty years now. Fortunately, this exercise encouraged me to listen to it one more time, now with a clearer and sober mind, and I could not be more grateful for that. I am not a Radiohead connoisseur, but time and experiences have nurtured an appreciation of their music, and now I feel a heartful connection with their work. The album explores an exciting range of emotions. However, coming from an ex-nation, social alienation and political manipulation were the ones with which I felt the most profound connection. In this matter, it seems that Yorke and friends were able to anticipate where society was going with the emergence of social networks and political polarization (it is impossible for me to look at the "2+2=5" title and not recall "1984," for instance.)

I used to listen to this one a lot as a kid. 2+2=5 was one of my favourite songs for a while, and there are some other great tracks on here (sail to the moon, wolf at the door). As a whole album it is a bit too long, and doesn't quite compare to the consistent quality of Kid A

Definitely one of their

Highlights: Sit Down. Stand Up, Sail To The Moon, Where I End You Begin, A Punch Up at a Wedding, A Wolf At the Door

Highlight: A Punch Up at a Wedding

Cały album wycia

Not as memorable as their other albums, but it still has much of their signature magic. Great listen.

third radiohead album as part of this project, and i don't know what they did here. it sure isn't the worst i've heard on this list, but i know that radiohead can do better. hail to the thief has a more experimental vibe than i realized radiohead had. it's super artistic and off the wall, which usually i admire. but this album seems to just be a moody, bleak mess. the droning voice did them no favors here. bummer.

This album is still very well-crafted, but I just didn't enjoy the music as much as some of their other most popular albums. It's definitely on the more experimental and electronic side of their career. That said, the haunting allure of Radiohead is definitely intact here, and I appreciated hearing that. This was certainly an interesting album, it just didn't really resonate with me as much as I might have hoped.

Boring

4 with some goodwill. Lot of exciting unique sounds in this one, enjoyed most of the songs.

I remember reading once that Radiohead makes background music, and while that’s funny it’s also very true. Their music is very good, but very niche. They lack attention grabbers and repeatability, all their songs somewhat blend together with their style.

surprised to love this so much!

I liked it. Sail to the Moon is my favorite off the album!

2+2=5. Love the transition between I Will and A Punch Up at a Wedding.

Of the 7 Radiohead Albums we've received this is my 4th favourite :)

There’s no doubt this is a good band. Radiohead is not an easy band to like and I tried really hard to appreciate this album because I listened to it three times. But It’s definitely not as good as Kid A or OK Computer. It does have some moments though eg +2 equals five, where I end and you Begin. I can’t help thinking though that I would enjoy them much more if it were not for Thom Yorke‘s wailing and his annoying voice as it’s particularly irksome on this album

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.

Quality fare from the heads doesnt reach the heights of some of their other albums. But still great songs.

Not good. And I can't shake the association of Thom Yorke's voice with Herbert's from Family Guy: https://thomyorkesingslikeherbertfromfamilyguy.ytmnd.com/

Lovely slice of Radiohead. But why this album?

There were a few moments that I thought this was quite good, but overall it felt quite pretentious. 2.5

One of the best Radiohead albums, follow up to the kid A amnesiac combo.

Big sad boy hours 😩 just wasn’t my cup of tea

didn't mind this one, i really liked Backdrifts, The Bloaming, and There, there

It’s a perfect album. I can come back to this often and still hear something new each time I do. I wrote it off when it first came out as I was hoping for more like The Bends and every album after OK Computer just felt too left field. In my defence, I was very young. Now I’m delighted by how timeless and enjoyable a listen this is, along with the other less-indie records.

So good! The songwriting is so unique. I never got really deep into this album definetly need to listen several more times. Favorite songs are “myxamatosis,” there there”and “2 +2 =5.”

Ok I love Radiohead and I have enjoyed all of their albums but I feel like they are over-represented on this list. It’s a little crazy to include that many albums from any artist. I never listened to this one before and it is cool and vibey just like all their other records.

Some of Yorke’s best lyrics. What a poet! Faves were Sail To the Moon, Where I End and You Begin, and We Suck Young Blood. I know this album is supposed to mainly be a political commentary album but his lyrics are so great, you could really associate these songs with anything happening in life.

I think I would look at this album more favorably if it hadn't come directly between Kid A/Amnesiac and In Rainbows. It just feels like a step backwards from either direction. The political themes don't help either, because they feel very dated by now. Myxomatosis is incredible though.

Meh

Strong 8

i love this album front to back. there’s a constant ebb and flow of mellow and frantic that never gets tired of boring. a long album yes. it’s weird, eerie, and memorable. a blue print for electronic guitar rock. radiohead at their finest!!

Ok so I know I have not been a 'radiohead' person up to this point. This is a good record, and there are some really brilliant moments on it for sure, but it didn't give me a feeling like I really can't wait to listen to it again. I was bobbing my head and feeling the groove in a few places! But not many. Not 'enough'. I know how many people really do love this band and indeed this record and so it will definitely get a few more listens from me. It's a complex sound and is probably not something I can properly take in and appreciate with only a couple of listens. For example just going through the first track 2 + 2 = 5 I observed: ------------------ I actually restarted it halfway through to do it over with more volume - the big ‘escalation’ didn’t land properly on regular volume haha Cranked up it def was a cool track but I feel like they flaked out for the end of it like they didn’t know how to end the song haha - “just let Thom wail away and the producer can do some cool Beck stuff… that should be good right?” TBH this is a great start to the record though. Dig the overall riff and groove (surprise! It has both!), dig the Pablo Honey/The Bends-esque acoustic bit, Thom isn’t being too whiney at least.... ------------------------ So the mythical Radiohead 'aha moment' seems to have eluded me again but I will give it another go.

Oh lord have mercy, I've joined the Radiohead bandwagon.

4.1 Not one of their best but still a great album. Fave songs: 2+2=5, Sail to the Moon, There There

Radiohead hadn't really got through to me before - but I like this quite a bit

This has never been my favorite. I find the album to be a bit schizophrenic. There are some great songs, for sure. There, There and Where I End are standouts. Overall, though, this still seems like a bit of a letdown after Kid A and Amnesiac. Can’t really fault any band for a letdown after albums like that, though.

OK Computer was peak for me. This just sounds like a rambling mess with hints of music.

With all their genius they forgot the tune.

Interesting musically, and not that samey, most of the tracks grab my interest until Thom starts whining. It's really hard to discern the lyrics, but not in a Cocteau Twins way, it's just unpleasant to listen to. Not sad and moody, just dreary.

19th May 2023 Listened to most of this while running around Dublin trying to find confetti for Sav’s wedding. One of radioheads more mediocre offerings but that’s still higher than most band’s best. You can sense this is in between their full experimentation and their old, harder inclinations. 3.5 if I could.

Not my favorite. Some great songs, some boring songs. Maybe I need to listen again. This did not grab me from the start.

Radiohead is rock for music theory nerds. I think there’s 3-4 more well known and well regarded RH albums so not sure why this made the list. Thom Yorke’s voice is also too whiny.

Absolute snooze fest what the actual fuck.

Like it

This album is criticized by the band for being a bit too bloated, Thom Yorke even wrote a revised track list. However, as Jonny Greenwood stated, I believe that this album helped them work through some musical ideas and bridges the Kid A/Amnesiac period with In Rainbows. This album is a return to more guitar driven music which reflects the angry and paranoid mood of the album brought about by the end of the 90s, the 2000 US election, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It contains some of their best tracks and still flows very well. Overall I would rank this in Radiohead’s middle tier, but that still puts it at a five.

I remember my first time listening to this album I didn't like it. But slowly a track will pop up randomly and I'll fall in love with it. This kept happening until like half of the songs I now love so much. There, There, A Wolf At the Door, 2+2=5, Sail to the Moon. All of those tracks are examples of just me slowly becoming appreciative of the music.

Hard to rate this album because it’s really good, but compared to other Radiohead it’s average. I don’t listen to it much, and it’s probably my 6th-favorite album by them. The album feels very much like a product of its post-Iraq invasion time, and that specificity means it doesn’t hit me as hard now that we are out of that specific moment in time. Having said all that, it’s still a great listen. You’d take a less-than-perfect Michael Jordan over most basketball players at full strength.

This album started alright, lost me in the middle, and really closed out nicely. The moodiness and creepiness was nice at times but, much like the war that the album is criticizing, it overstayed its welcome. Eventually the droning middle guts of the album became kind of boring (except for We Suck Young Blood) but the last four songs on the album were excellent (especially Myxomatosis). That all being said, pick any song on here to use as a back track to a war film criticizing the War on Terror and it will absolutely work.

I've already spent the last two decades fucking in love with this album. Good suggestion!

The album reveals its full potential on the second listen. However, it also contains some uninspired songs. My top 3 tracks: 1. "A Wolf At the Door" 2. "Scatterbrain" 3. "2 + 2 = 5"

Got that weird goodness but my relationship with Radiohead is still complicated

okay

Patchy - some good songs

A solid and eclectic mix of Radiohead songs. Not their best, not their worst - tracks like 2+2=5, There There, Myxamatosis and Sail to the Moon are just very very good, and I think We Suck Young Blood is overhated

Some good songs, some whiny, bland forgettable songs

Put it on, promptly forgot it was on. Can't say it was incredibly engaging.

Meh.

Listened Before? N More Radiohead. This one didn't stand out a ton. I liked it enough but it didn't really blow me away. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: 2+2=5

Based on my previous scores of Radiohead I was ready to hate on this, but then it grew on me. Damn you Radiohead, damn you!

Another boss album by Radiohead. Their consistency is a joke. Well played lads

Love radiohead.

Not my favourite radiohead album, but still showcases how amazing a band they are.

Un disco que mezcla todo lo que radiohead venia haciendo en pequeñas dosis y mira hacia lo que luego fue in rainbows. Se lo ve como desprolijo y por todos lados conociendo como son los discos de radiohead. Igualmente, es un buen disco que entetiene y cumple con un monton de casilleros que hay que rellenar al escuchar un disco de estos mostros 7,75/10

I’m in the “Radiohead is overrated” camp. This is something I can listen to in the background but didn’t grow any attachment to it.

I used to have a fantasy of playing 2+2=5 to Simon Cowell on stage or something when I was 14 just because the drop is so serious and undeniably thick and heady. Thought his taught botoxed cheeks would loosen from their chemical girdle and wabble appreciatively and he would know, he would simply know that music had finally happened. That the holy war was waging and he was on the wrong side. This is a good, overlooked, Radiohead album. People get sniffy because it's not OK Computer or the Bends but those people are idiots. An extraordinary album if not quite their best.

Perhaps Radiohead's most political album. But despite the anger, they still managed to hold on to their signature whiny sound. This is in fact the intersection of all their biggest sounds. The guitar-driven rock of OK Computer, the mesmerizing electronica of Kid a, and even the relaxing yet explosive build-up of In Rainbows. Tbh, it's a bit of a challenge getting into this one, not necessarily because it's super weird, but because it's deceptively generic. Maybe after a few relistens, I will appreciate it more.

It's difficult, because I am a fan of Radiohead. However, I've always felt this album is... out of place. They really went for it on the last one and a half (since Amnesiac came from the same sessions as Kid A), but this record feels like them dialing it back all the experimentation a bit. It's still solid, just not my favorite, and in my opinion, not as memorable. Favorite tracks: "There, There", "2+2=5", "The Gloaming"

always felt like this album is a bit bloated and scattershot. but compared to their other airtight masterpieces, it's meandering length is why i love this release.

This was the first Radiohead album I was old enough to be excited about prior to its release. I even had a poster of the album cover in my room (pretty cool). This album encapsulated the fear and gloom in the world in the wake of 9/11 and the failings of the Bush administration. It has some songs which can only be described as frightening - literally one song is about fatal rabbit disease. I love the way many of the songs build up and change tempo and structure, like you don’t know what hides behind each corner. I think this one often gets overlooked because of where it sits in the bands overall progression and the fact that they didn’t set out to do anything overly groundbreaking, but in many ways this one was groundbreaking in that they just brought together everything they’d developed to that point in merging rock and electronic and made it sound completely organic. That is the hidden beauty of this album, it’s possibly the most tangible thing Radiohead has released.

Highlights: "Myxomatosis," "Sail to the Moon," "There, There," "Scatterbrained" This feels more polished than Amnesiac. Besides "Myxomatosis," it's hard to say the band tries anything new, but that's also because they'd been expanding their range for two albums. You can think of earlier companion pieces throughout: "I Might Be Wrong" and "Life in a Glasshouse" for "We Suck Young Blood" or "Wolf at the Door", or "Like Spinning Plates" for "Backdrifts". The lyrics keep up this tendency of theirs to have some kind of remainder, something so specific that it becomes distracting or strains the larger image. Like the cat in "Fitter, Happier" or the lemon in "Right Place," you will get , or a belaboring where the wolf at the door must be a literal kidnapper and nothing else more relatable. The album can drag on highly repetitive climaxes like with "2 + 2 = 5," "Sit Down Stand Up," and "The Gloaming." The slow songs tend to be the real standouts, with stranger harmonies and vocal performances that are just as strong and expressive. It's only because they've had such consistently strong output that we could call this album one of their flops.

This will be the second Radiohead album I’ve reviewed. In Rainbows didn’t really blow me away, so I’m a little apprehensive about today’s album too. Radiohead are a very loved band, and I’ve yet to understand exactly why that is. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Sail To The Mood It’s starting to feel like there is some kind of in-joke that I’m not part of, where everybody secretly agrees that Radiohead is amazing just to fool people. Honestly, this album was very ok. Nothing less, but nothing more too. There were parts that sounded nice, and parts that sounded annoying. Thom Yorke’s caterwauling can get quite tiresome, and I’m honestly struggling to see where the alleged amazing music is. This album isn’t bad by any means, but it’s far from amazing. I doubt I’ll be listening again, and I don’t feel it’s really impacted me I’m any way, aside from affirming that Radiohead are somewhat overrated.

Es el primer álbum de Radiohead que escucho bien y me gustó bastante, tampoco creo que pase a ser uno de mis favoritos o algo así, pero está muy bien. Es un alivio, pues, hasta ahora, cada que escucho algún álbum de un artista del que eh oído hablar, solo hay dos casos; o me gusta mucho, o me llevo una de las decepciones más grandes que me hubiera podido imaginar. Sin duda alguna, me deja con ganas de escuchar los otros álbumes del grupo, solo espero que no ocurra lo mismo que con David Bowie y resulte que el que creía que era el peor álbum terminó siendo el mejor. Finalmente, no se si es porque después de 4 álbumes tan aburridos y poco disfrutables, al ser este el primero aceptable, hace que me parezca la gran cosa, pero, en el momento que escribo esta reseña, creo que se merece las 4.

3.5 * Loin d'être le meilleur album de Radiohead, mais quand même intéressant Pref ++ : I will ; A Wolf at the Door

Un bijou! Je l'écoute depuis mon enfance

PREFS : 2 + 2 = 5, Sit Down. Stand Up, Backdrifts, Go To Sleep, Where I End and You Begin, There, There, A Punch Up at a Wedding, Myxomatosis, A Wolf at the Door MOINS PREF : The Gloaming

Turns out this band is just as good at playing live as when they make Pro Tools do most of the heavy lifting. Not sure why some sour on this one. My hot take is that it'll ultimately be etched among the top 3 when ranking the best Radiohead albums.

Un peu trop véloce à mon goût

cette fois ci je l'ai mérité

A really strong start with 2 + 2 = 5 that lulls for a good chunk of the middle before coming back with an excellent last few songs. I can see the idea with a lot of the album, with a lot of songs building up to one part, but this one part is not given enough room to breathe, and the song feels cut off most of the time. I think the album would actually benefit from less songs, but make them like seven minutes long, as I can here things that are predecessors to the longer songs by bands like MGMT and Tame Impala, but the songs here are far too short. Those last four or so songs are doing so much heavy lifting for this album that it gets a light four.

Gloomy and eerie. I like Radiohead but this is mean.

First half I found a little inaccessible on first listen, partly due to me finding Thom Yorkes voice slightly grating, partly due to me giving it a half arsed listen at work. The second half was glorious and felt like a wonderful catharsis for the first half. On second listen it all came together for me. Whilst I wouldn't exactly call it a cohesive album, there is a clear flow between tracks and each track serves a greater purpose within the context of the album. Real good album, probs my fav of the Radiohead albums I've listened to. Any Radiohead album that is not inundated with Yorkes wailing goes down better with me. 4.5/5 Fav track: There, There

Another classic Radiohead album! First time listening to this one but not bad at all! Not my favorite but certainly not bad at all!

Not my favorite Radiohead album, but a good one.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: 2+2=5, Sot down. Stand up., Where I end you begin, Backdrifts, The gloaming, Myxomatosis

Has a lot of the stuff I don't like radio for but one or two good tracks.

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..

Second album by Radiohead I've listened to and even though I gave Ok Computer a 4 I still wasn't sure what I thought of the band and whether they were good or not. Ok Computer had some actual good songs that kind of masked my complains with the band and the theme of the album was also very interesting. However this album shows the band in a worse light with the issues I had originally becoming more visible. Mainly I can understand hardly anything that's being sung and most of the songs pretty much have the same droney sound to it and are very forgettable. There will probably be more Radiohead to come so I guess I'll see how this opinion evolves further

Not my favourite radiohead album ,but not the worst album ive ever heard

Never really listened to Radiohead before. It's one of those albums I would have to be in the mood for aa it is the sort that can't be played quietly. But I imagine it will grow on me so

The songwriting is great, but the whole album's atmosphere is distanced and rather cold so I haven't enjoyed it as much as I wanted to. This album is not as memorable to me as their previous works in their fantastic catalogue. The level of quality is always really high with Radiohead though. I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Best: 2+2 = 5 Worst: We Suck Young Blood I think this album is underrated.

Somewhat eerie. Somewhat frightening. Somewhat claustrophobic. Somewhat unsettling. Yet in the end, it's a worthwhile addition to the 1001 club. Sit Down, Stand Up and There, There are outstanding tracks.

I just think Radiohead is pretty good at being Radiohead without doing Radiohead.

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

High quality album overall, one I haven't visited in several years. Go To Sleep is a highlight for me. I still love the haunting feel and Thom Yorke's voice.

A couple of hits. Rest forgettable five stars every day, one of my favourite band, they rarely put a foot wrong.

Not their best but solid

This is getting back to more guitar driven songs in their discography. This one is growing on me a bit but still not classic radiohead in my mind.

It's definitely a Radiohead album.

Sounds like all radiohead

4.0

Always inventive in unexpected ways. Strange and weird but in a good way.

Occasionally I come across a Radiohead song I like, but not frequently. This is one of those bands that I feel are supposed to like, but...

Mais um álbum experimental, admito ter algumas músicas boas mas em geral foi difícil ouvir todo o álbum, acredito que por eu não ser fã de Radiohead talvez tenha me faltado um contexto ou uma vibe melhor para entender, mas como uma obra única achei completamente descartável.

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"

Lyrics have a darkness to them that is really intriguing, but also scary and thought-provoking, but at the same time some mean nothing. The first two songs build slowly and almost explode into a serene third song. Middle of the album is a little more rhythmic, and it ends balanced. Definitely more electronic aspects to this album than I was expecting. Almost has some Daft Punk / Dntel vibes. 4/5

One of the lesser discussed Radiohead albums and thats a shame since its one of the more different ones that does what it sets out to do brilliantly. I might be slightly biased (I am no matter what) since I did get to see quite a bit of the album live. This album on 'Album of the Year' is the 6th highest rated album by users and it should be 3rd, its definitely better than, The Bend, Moonshaped Pool, although interchangable with Kid A. Overall an incredible, emotional journey that entices you from the start. 9/10

I think I’d like them better if they were a predominately instrumental group.

Note how many self-professed Radiohead fans here say they don't even listen to this one very much. The album is musically on point like Radiohead always is, but it's a bit of a drag to listen to and not something I would just throw on. This is one that would benefit from repeated listenings, I'm sure. But I'm not a masochist. Fave Songs: Scatterbrain, Where I End and You Begin, Myxomatosis, 2 + 2 = 5, Go to Sleep

The raindrops. The raindrops. The raindrops. The raindrops. The raindrops. The raindrops. The raindrops. The raindrops. An album to help put food on your family. Radiohead's love letter to the bush administration. Great sounds. Some of the bands best songs are here. A bit of filler that prevents it from being thought of with kid A or ok computer, but a strong album nonetheless. Highlights: 2+2=5. sit down stand up.

Not their best, and perhaps the least excellent of the late quintet (Amnesiac, In Rainbows King of Limbs and Moon-Shaped Pool, – only the first two of which was included here). This perhaps most similar to Amnesiac in that's uneven and slow starting (which is why they both probably ended up on editors -ex list, though there are way more obvious ex-ing candidates). Indeed, the last part of Hail (starting with "There There") is first rate and just what one wants from what was then the best, most important and artiest band in the world.

Radiohead is definitely an acquired taste for a lot of people, but once you've grown to appreciate their style, you can can never go back. Truly unique musical inspiration. I would argue that other albums in their portfolio are more important, but this is great nonetheless.

I enjoy their music, but I wasn’t really into most of the songs on this album.

Pound for pound, this is close to Radiohead's best collection of tracks. What it lacks in cohesion it more than makes up for in its effortless fluidity of tone and style, acting as a bridge between the bands various eras and tendencies. From the driving punk Rock of opener 2+2=5, as fierce and direct as the band has ever been, to the ethereal mathy dissonance of Sail to the Moon, the totality of the experience is something of an anxious distrust of people and systems. The constant noise and abrasion causes moments of peace and safety to be tinged with the feeling that they can never compensate against the chaos, lest we accept wilful ignorance. With some of Thom's most abstract poetics on this record, it feels as if he yearns to let go, to pour himself into a relationship or some safe haven, but his neuroses have created a guard that paints those reaching out as further agents of destabilization. I don't think Radiohead will ever make an album like this again (though The Smile perhaps came somewhere close), and I appreciate the stable beauty of A Moon Shaped Pool and aggressive experimentation of The King of Limbs, but this feels like a band in a state of flux, channelling that energy into an amorphous rock album, more visceral and urgent than anything else in their catalogue. Fave track: Where I End and You Begin (but that's just today)

One of the more mediocre of the post Kid A era - starts rather weak but then starts picking up towards the end. Don’t know what to make of second life Radiohead - I liked them and still like them at times but they don’t seem to have songs - yet they are not even too spaced - they kind drift between pop and film score music like in a dream. However Hail to the Thief misses a bit the mark compared to others of its ilk.

Sum up everything I hate about radiohead arty nonsense for pretentious people to say others don't get it. Torturous to listen to. 1

I have given them chances, but their slow, boring, lifeless writing is just not for me. Without a doubt an overrated band.

I continue to fail to understand Radiohead, even after the 4th or so album. This one, just like the previous one, was just too monotonous and boring, basically consisting of almost an hour of the same electronic ambiance sounds and a singer whose count of long "woooooooaaaaaaahs" must easily be in the triple digits

Not my favourite Radiohead, but it’s still Radiohead

solid album

no radiohead

Not my favourite or maybe just doesn't fit my mood right now🤔

Well, if you're into Gazpacho or Muse you might as well listen to this album. From start to finish, it's a textbook example of what to do in this genre.

Probably my least familiar album, as I've only given it a few listens. "2+2=5" is such a great opening track, though, and "There, there" is in my rotation. It was nice to reacquaint with "Go to sleep" and "Wolf at the door".

Good Radiohead. Not my favorite of theirs, but it scratched the itch.

Liked it

It's a pretty good album, but like so much of their stuff, it only occasionally rises above the level of background or mood music.

Not the Radiohead album I would've thought to encounter here first, but also not one I'm too familiar with. Starting off in 7/4 is just such a classic Radiohead thing to do. Fairly mellow given Radiohead's body of work but with all of the notable stylistic choices of the band in the early 00's. A good album to listen back on

Bloody hell no. No more of this terrible band. 1 star unless I can give it zero stars.

good

Bien. Pero no es mi favorito

Liked the bends, liked ok computer, but this is just Radiohead trying to be weird. Could be worse, could be Kid A.

good

Its not the best but its fine

Broody alt rock

3.5/5, not my favorite of Radiohead's, still solid.

2.75/5

In this album Radiohead take the techniques they used in Kid A and make a more rock oriented album while still using synthesiser and electronic instruments. This album is far less ambient and experimental than Kid A but it still stands out in Radioheads discography 8/10

They can’t miss really

Good? I dunno. Sonically interesting but hard to groove to.

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.

Oh piss off

Radiohead album where it departs from electronica and introduces more rock. Pretty good.

sad

Ugh, everything post The Bends is whiny, miserably, boring pap. Most over rated band ever?

There is such a spare bleakness that runs through all of the Radiohead body of work. It's not pleasant. Adding clicking artefacts isn't impressing me. Gloaming induces a sensation that definitely feels like gloaming. Yucky but effective. Also, I am firmly on the side of the room that finds Thom Yorkes voice not pleasant. I am unable to discern the point of RadioHead. It's is to wallow in alternating streak of pain? Oh the English. A masterpiece of terrible perfection.

Radiohead being Radiohead. More of a political slant apparently, but the lyrics are still still in that Dadistic approach that Thom Yorke seems to like. Not as immediate as their other albums but stick with it and you'll get a keeper. Best Tracks: 2+2=5; Go To Sleep; There There

I can recognize that this album is probably really good for somebody who enjoys this genre, but for me the music is too "noisy" and overwhelming and the vocals too droning

What am I missing? Most Radiohead that I hear I just ask myself "Why does this band exist?" This album would be best paired with watching grass grow.

There is so little to like about this album for me. It’s noisy and not nearly musical enough. Radiohead is one of those bands I truly don’t “get”.

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

I really enjoyed a few songs on this album (2+2=5 and Sail To The Moon) but found the overall effect to be a bit too whiny for me. It took several attempts for me to get through the whole album over a few weeks. 56 minutes felt like 56 hours. There were also some tracks on here that I really truly hated (The Gloaming was dreadful). An honestly painful listening experience at some points, and not at all what I anticipated based on my previous experiences of Radiohead (which has always been limited to their hits). Best tracks: 2+2=5, Sail To The Moon, I Will, A Wolf At The Door Worst tracks: Backdrifts, Go To Sleep, The Gloaming (my ears hurt) 2.5 stars, rounded down lol

It started off mediocre- but then got AWFUL. The songs ended up making me so infuriated it really set off the mood for the day. If this is supposed to be a quirky album it was and not in a good way. BOO. I thought it would be good but it was way too long.

When this album was released I had just started reading Stephen King's "The Waste Lands" which is one segment of an epic post-apocalyptic fantasy which seems unimportant and completely irrelevant to this album but shut up it's NOT - because in my brain these two works are inexplicably tied together. I spent a good 2 weeks of mornings taking the long train ride in to work with this album in my headphones while reading the book, and I still can picture the landscapes described in the book just upon hearing the opening 7/8 rhythm of "2+2=5." Anyways yeah with my good fortune the book merged perfectly with the music and themes on this record. It's low-key kinda terrifying. By Thom Yorke's own words many of the songs are about either a general sense of terror or even fascism that had suddenly come to prominence in the world (thanks 9/11). And even though lyrics/vocals are usually boring and a distraction (...for me...) this is the rare album that weaves the creepy-AF music with the lyrics in such a perfect way that it's impossible not to notice. "Hail To The Thief" is and was the perfect brooding sad terror soundtrack for the book - you have a fantasy world in print where a few lone travellers are fending for themselves in a world gone mad where nobody can be trusted and so many are out for themselves - and for the current real-world, both in 2003 and pitifully maybe even more-so today. I loved Radiohead's previous 2 albums KidA and Amnesiac although I know a lot of older fans were a little turned off by the swift pivot to electronic music - this album seemed a great balance between electronics as they're backed off quite a bit - I love the varied instrumentation used on this album, the production which gives so much of a feel of being in the studio with the band ("We Suck Young Blood" - the off-timing on the claps is something I particularly enjoy). A little something for everyone in the family on this album - weirdness abound, odd time signatures, and if you just want a good driving rock song that's still inherently and all Radiohead you've got the imperceptibly complex "Go to Sleep" and slightly more straightforward "There, There." Personal fave: "Sit Down, Stand Up" - that haunting and seemingly everlasting build until the "and the raindrops...and the raindrops..." etc. Amazing. Slows just a little on the last few tracks but not enough to knock it down - I love just about everything about this album even if it's considerably less than uplifting and I'm almost sure that's exactly why I love it. 9/10 5 stars.

It's a good album overall, and it was the first album of theirs I had purchased. It's among the weaker Radiohead albums overall, though, or maybe right about in the middle for them.

2/5. Wish I could be into this one but it drags on too long without going anywhere. Some good songs but feels quite bloated at times.

#1 4/5 Listened: w/ my 20-month old, driving, 2/1/23 Notes: An album I've listened to before, but hadn't held to memory, was a really great start to this 1001 Albums project. Not my favorite of theirs, and not their best, Hail to the Thief is an alt rock gem. A lot of electronic influence throughout this project, a holdover from their Kid A/Amnesiac sessions, makes this album more sonically diverse and more interesting as the tracklist progresses. Sagged a little bit towards the end, but the first half of the record is strong enough on its own. Really solid record. Fav tracks: 2+2=5, Sit Down. Stand Up., The Gloaming, A Punchup at a Wedding, Myxomatosis

Bit slow but fully deserves a 4.

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

Best band ever. Their live shows are amongst best experience in ones life. But despite e.g. the Gloaming and There There being highlights in their discography and live sets, I could never appreciated this collection of sons as an album, as I do with all others from OK Computer onwards. So this is the 4 star album between the 5 stars albums they made.

- Heard this many times before - Radiohead are my favourite band of all time but this isn't one of my favourite albums of theirs - Still really good, might be marking it down because of how good In Rainbows is - The raindrops (x42) - Fav songs: There, There; A Wolf at the Door; 2+2=5

No real hits on this one. Good, but just meh.

Good mix of programmed sounds and rock guitars etc. Fine as a Radiohead album, but still too often a bit inaccessible and difficult. However the good bits are really very good.

Fine

Not my fav Radiohead album

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

I never really appreciated Radiohead until I saw them live. I still think they are way better live than on an album but I'm not sure why. This album felt kind of boring even though I'm sure it would be amazing if I saw them perform it. 3.5 stars.

Not the most accessible or hit packed album, even by Radiohead standards, Hail to the Thief is Radiohead taking everything they had done up till that point and bringing it all together into one sound. There's so much going on throughout this album that it almost defies analysis. I think that's the reason it feels so overwhelming, its so dense and changes so quickly even within tracks that there's not much to latch on to. When it does stick its head above water around the time of 'There, There' and give the listener some time to breathe there's an immense sense of relief which gives the whole album this great sense of tension and release, which is kind of what the best music does, just this is on a longer timescale. Of course Radiohead are one of the most analyzed bands in history and I could keep coming up with stuff for ages but I suspect that none of my analysis on this album would have really been intended. From what I gather about the way it was put together it was intentionally done in a slapdash way. Get something down and move on quick. Even to the point where they forgot parts and who played them. Its an exciting and liberating way to make music and a testament to how well Radiohead work together and how good Nigel Godrich really is that they managed to produce material so impressive. Its not my go to Radiohead album but its still a great 4. Its not particularly enjoyable in places but I'm left with the impression that that's not really the point.

Good album!!

Over long but has enough of interest and quality to sustain it.

Good album

it’s okay but radiohead are best when they make tight crafted pop songs not depressive electro jams

I wonder how this album would rate if it didn’t have a famous band name attached. The music's OK, but nothing to die for.

alt rock made nice n weird

I'm going to guess that the entire Radiohead catalogue is on this list if this album is on there. More whiney dribble played over non-original "experimental" music from perhaps the most overrated band in history. Few tracks are tolerable hence the 2 stars.

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

I liked it better then Kid A. Thom Yorke's voice is still weird.

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.

Excellent production - would probably require a few more listens to get the most out of

I have heard most of the Radiohead albums and I would consider myself as a fan of theirs. I really enjoy their work. This album has been on my list; to listen to; and yeah... I've heard a couple of tracks from this before but it's still a really enjoyable experience. Not their best work but still considerable and it's really nice to see how their work has evolved throughout the years.

I love RH. This one has brilliant moments (There, There is my highlight) but there is baggage which makes it overlong. It also lacks the sonic thematic focus that makes OK, KidA, and especially Rainbows great. Could easily be a 4 but its a 3

In my review of Radiohead's OK Computer, I noted that the themes of technology and alienation remain even more relevant today. Unfortunately for the world, the themes about politics and the state of the world in Hail to the Thief are just as relevant today. My main criticism is that it seemed like there was a lot of droning.

Not their best, but still a really good album

Ei kyllä putoa nämä radiopään biisit hittien ulkopuolelta. Rakkaus ei riitä ymmärtämään tätä kaikkea taiteellisuutta.

Vähän parempaa Radiopäätä jo, mut eeeiii kuuhun mennä

Chaotic yet relaxing at the same time. Radiohead's music always has an ethereal feeling to it. Beautiful instrumentals and vocals. The video for There, There is so insanely creative. Fave track(s): Sail To The Moon

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.

already listened, amongst the weakest Radiohead albums. RH made tightly focused concept albums at their best - this one is just purely reactionary. nothing bad with it, of course, but it’s too in-your-face to take it too seriously.

All elbows and weird dancing.

Not my fave Radiohead but good

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.

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

Sounds like radiohead, i like it

Czy kiedys te tortury sie skoncza, chyba czwarty album od radioheadow, ktory brzmi tak jak brzmi kazdy inny album od tej bandy, mialkie polaczenie indyjskiego rokowania z elektronicznymi ficzurami, do tego mialkosc liryki wywala tutaj poza skale, kid A przy hailowaniu do zlodzieja wydaje sie byc sluchalnym krazkiem, a tak to zmarnowalem godzine nowego roku na ten niesatysfakcjonujacy odsluch

Boring meh

notes - radiohead’s sixth album - continuing their electronic experimentation - lots of political and societal themes - but more focus on raw live sounds - much more energetic and rough around the edges than their previous two albums - i would say very underrated album - some of my fav radiohead songs are on here fav - a wolf at the door - love this song every time and very unique in radioheads catalog least fav - we suck young blood - goes on a bit too long and the louder faster section in the middle is unnecessary imo 4.5/5 not in my top 3 radiohead but i love it

Радиохед люблю. А этот альбом не очень. Как сдохнуть за час? Послушать радиохед:)

Очень крепкая четверка, не скучный, и не совсем стандартный альбом для радиохед, возможно самая импульсивная их работа, из тех которые я слышал, а слышал я где-то половину дискографии. Со временем возможно понравится мне даже больше, но с первым прослушиванием пока так: Лучшие треки: 2+2=5, Backdrifts, Where I End and You Begin, Myxomatosis, A Wolf At the Door, Go To Sleep

Unlike their previous albums other than Amnesiac, I was already a huge Radiohead fan when this came out, like, I listened to all their official catalog (not Pablo but ykwim) and downloaded all of their most obscure bootleg catalog as well. I bought magazines and read on the internet about the time back in the 90’s when they came to my country, gave eight (EIGHT!) obscure shows and never came back. I was obsessed, and unlike many things on those teenage years, it was a shared feeling with my sibling’s lol. So the album came out, with 2+2=5 as its leading single if I remember well (maybe Go to Sleep?) and well, I was blown (we were), I mean, they just did it again! (And would do it a few times again over de following years). I remember listening to the full album, illegally downloaded track by track from “Kazaa” or some other service because there wasn’t money for records during those days at home, I remember loving tracks like scatterbrain, and A wolf at the door. What can I say, I love this record, I have changed my favorite track along the years, and nowadays I can’t stop listening to I will. Radiohead did change the music landscape each time they released a record and it was no exception with this one. Another timeless classic by the greatest band in the world since the end of last century and I dare to say to this day even though they have not released anything since 2016 and that record is inexplicably not on this list. I have the capitol vinyl which is 45rpm and is actually quite strong press given the capitol bad reputation.

Paar dagen geleden raadde iemand wiens muzieksmaak ik wel respecteer aan om radiohead te gaan luisteren. Toevallig kwam dit gister en had ik veel zin om het te gaan luisteren, maar ik vond het echt depressief makende kut muziek. Na mijn treinreis had ik bijna zin om er voor te springen

Jur heeft denk ik al 20 keer gezegd over albums en artiesten: dit lijkt echt op Radiohead. Gisteren was dus de dag dat ik moest horen wat hij bedoelde, maar helaas is het bij mij niet helemaal binnengekomen. Het kan ook te maken hebben met dat ik met totaal andere dingen bezig was, maar ik heb echt niets onthouden van dit album en het was een soort achtergrondmuziek/waas. Positieve punt was dat ik het niet heb afgezet dus niet per se vervelend vond! 2,5 eigenlijk

Niet m’n favoriete Radiohead album. Het duurde te lang en mochten best wat nummers uit, maar alsnog genoeg hoogtepunten en memorabele nummers.

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.

3 I’ve always been very tepid about Radiohead. I’ve always found Creep to be fine but is not representative of the band’s sound. I enjoyed In Rainbows quite a bit but it isn’t something I find myself going back to very often. I feel mostly the same about this, maybe a teeny bit better than the others but not by a lot. At first I found the album boring and lifeless but after a few listens I found myself enjoying Thom’s nonsensical crooning. I will probably listen again because it is quite textured, but I’m not stumbling over myself to do so.

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

Not their best album but still full of bangers.

Puolessavälissä kyllästyin ja vaihdoin Bendsiin. Sori, Radiohead, love the band but not the album.

Probably the most Radioheady Radiohead album. But does it need to be on this list? I can think of at least 3 other albums that warrant inclusion, and there probably only needs to be 2.

Primeira experiência com Radiohead. Não foi das melhores. Achei o vocal chato, repetitivo. O álbum tem alguns sons legais, que não tinha ouvido antes, mas no geral, parece mais barulho do que música. Não vejo esse álbum pela internet, então talvez não seja dos melhores mesmo.

Aika kivasti sopii eilisen levyn jatkoksi! Pidän tästä. Edelleenkin totean että oon kuunnellut aivan liian vähän radioheadia. Kivan ilmavaa musiikkia. 4/5

Taitaa olla bändin tuotannon heikompaa puoliskoa, mutta silti vahva 4/5. Pari turhaa biisiä. Herättää kysymyksen, mitä Radioheadin levyjä listalla ei ole.

Taattua laatua bändiltä. Ei oma suosikki tuotannosta, mutta erittäin vahva 4/5.

Something is wrong with the list...it's an album that isn't bad. Pulled back from hyper-electronic of previous 2. Sail to the 🌙. Good. Punch up has the good middle jam (too short) but otherwise a weaker track There there is top level stuff I will is a throwaway...cast off track from amnesiac. Leave it in dead pile. Myxamatosis phat fuzz bass Last 1/3 bit hit or miss

Radiohead's 4th or 5th best album so I expect the UK bias of the list will include more Radiohead albums.

I don’t usually like Radiohead despite their popularity. I find them melancholy and depressing but this wasn’t too bad. 3*

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.

Already listened to it, very much enjoy. maybe a little bloated but still a nice listen the whole way through

Love radiohead. Way better than I remember

Pas mauvais, je commence à un peu plus aimer le style de Radiohead, mais certaines pièces je trouvais longues

Good album. Not my preferred genre but will give it a second listen to catch more of the nuances.

Alright, mix of good and bad

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.

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.

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

Very experimental, very depressing. "Sail To the Moon" reminded me a bit of Pink Floyd, but there was nothing about that song (or any others) that were memorable.

Didn't hate this as much as In Rainbows, 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!

Appreciate the longevity and the style, but just cant get into it like the fans can. Thom is impressive but it goes stale after 4 or 5 songs

3.5/5. This was good. Not my favorite Radiohead album, but good.

Not my favorite Radiohead but a good one.

The criticism towards society it is shown by the slow tempos and gloomy atmosphere created by guitars, choirs, and several drums. The vocalist uses his voice to set the tone and help lyrics achieve its message, short and repetitive sentences with strong words.

I have this album on double 45 rpm vinyl and the sound quality is amazing. Side 1 is just excellent 2 + 2 = 5 signals that guitars are making a Radiohead comeback which with Johnny Greenwood always tasteful playing is a good thing. Side 2 starts and ends with synthesizer - drum machine exercises that are tasteful and they bookend an excellent song in Go to Sleep. Side three is the weakest part of the album. It starts with a haunting creepy piano based ballad and continues in the same vein with The Gloaming. Things pick up appreciably after that with There There a pretty straight ahead mid tempo guitar drums number that really takes off as we start hearing guitar layering that gives the song an epic feel. A gorgeous ballad that showcases Thom's beautiful voice ends the side. Side 4 has four more tasteful songs and just maintains the albums high quality. It took me a few listens to re-acquaint myself with this album. In the end I think I appreciate it more now that I did on release. It's marriage of old-school guitar sound with Kid A atmospherics give it a nice balance and variety and previews their next album to come; the brilliant In Rainbows 4 stars

I thought I would end up liking this album more, as I've had some interest in listening to Radiohead for a long time, but I feel that I'm missing something here. Maybe I'd like their older albums more than this one. I think it picked up with the last five or so songs, but I was kind of bored before that. Nothing really grabbed my attention. My favourite songs were 2 + 2 = 5 and A Punch Up At a Wedding.

CD

Radiohead, for as much praise as they get, are not perfect. That's not to say that Hail To the Thief is bad, it's just sandwiched between two fantastic sound-defining albums. Amnesiac, released just two years earlier, was a dark and atmospheric album that purposefully explored electronic and even ambient spaces. Hail To the Thief would be followed up by In Rainbows 4 years later, which was a lush, mellow rock experience that was more grounded in it's sound. Where does that leave Hail To the Thief? Our awkward middle child is anything but. It confidently wields synths against dissonant guitars. Drummer Philip Selway plays an instrumental part of the sound as he provides a strong foundation as the rest of the band explores strange new sounds. If Radiohead is to be remembered for anything, it's their willingness to experiment. While I am open to the band expanding their sonic pallet, this is one of the times where it has varying success. While other albums have a more consistent tone and theme to them, Hail To the Thief feels like it doesn't know quite where to hang it's hat. This is further exemplified by every song having two titles (unnecessary) and the cover art being a messy word collage that evokes no strong feelings. That's not to say that all of Hail To the Thief is bad. Some of Radiohead's best songs are on here (2 + 2 = 5 and There There come to mind). Radiohead's capacity towards great output is not diminished with this release, it just doesn't quite match the same level of excellence set by the albums before or after it. It's a perfectly serviceable album that I don't see myself returning to any time soon.

Master… flan in the face! piece

Better than I remembered it

helt mysigt

Myxomatosis slaps

Bruuuh

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

Luustig pärmbild....

Welp, there were a few tracks that I would describe as slower chill beats. Those were interesting, mainly for the highly stylized use of random sounds and synth. Best complemented with a dark, complex stout. Then there were several tracks that were angrier and didn’t have much melody. As in most Radiohead work, the lyrics are intricately woven and meaningful, with this album politically driven at times. Lyrically, their absolute worst album can be considered 10x better than a ‘best album’ from one of dozens of late 80’s boozy hairbands. But I’d probably enjoy the lighter lyrics with those bands, along with a cold light beer. I still like The Bends and Kid A much better.

5 🌟

Solid album by the always reliable Radiohead. Can't say I'm really a big fan, but I appreciate that they release some good listenable music with so much other crap in the world. I don't know if I believe the hype about the band, but they are enjoyable enough. 3.5/5

The difference between "Ok Computer" and this album is whopping. I prefer the first since my taste for electronic music is not so accurate and, usually, I'm not too fond of it. Still, I must assume that some songs caught my attention—a solid 3 stars in my not-so-solid personal rate system.

I am a fan of the earlier Radiohead albums. By the time this one came out, I had lost interest. I had never listened to this album in its entirety and it IS notable. But not enjoyable. I feel like I’m wading through treacle. There were a couple of really decent songs: 2+2 = 5, There, There. Admirable work, guys. You are great at experimentation but you lost me on the ride.

3.7/5

First Radiohead album I actually enjoyed. It didn't all sound similar and the songs were more varied and sounded good.

I just don't 'get' Radiohead. No doubt they are very creative and hugely talented musicians who make varied and intricate music, but their songs and albums just do nothing for me. This isn't one of their 'rated' albums but, although a bit overlong, I thought it was fine. With repeated listens the political themes and musical subtleties may become more apparent, but why would I put in the work when there are other artists I enjoy infinitely more straight away? Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: 2 + 2 = 5 Date listened: 16/11/22

Radiohead albums are either perfect or near perfect and I believe this one falls in the former category. 5/5

Backdrifts kinda slaps, aint gonna lie. Quite nice so far, definitely can hear the progression from kid A -> In Rainbows. Okay Backdrifts properly slaps. Where I end you begin is pretty tasty, yummy. Also very varied sound. Honestly, on first listen this has been pretty good, which is not always the case for even really good radiohead albums in the past. Think this may be a sneaky good one for my taste. There There is nice track. I will is very different as well, slow harmonies. Nice contrast. I'm feeling a solid 4 tbh.

I tend to overlook this album when listening to Radiohead discovery. This is a good album and most likely deserves its place on the list. It just happened to be in the shadows of the other Radiohead true masterpieces. And I would still even prefer the Bends and Amenesica to this. But an average radio head album is still a very good album.

Piece of art

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.

I find that Radiohead is one of those bands that you have to get to really enjoy - and I don't get them all that well. The evidence being the fact that I thought Creep was better than a chunk of these songs. When the record veers more into regular alt rock with songs like Go to Sleep, There, There or Where I End and You Begin, it sounds great. When it teeters the line between that and more atmospheric elements like We Suck Young Blood & Sail to the Moon, it's still fun. But when the songs start sounding like the soundtrack to an alien abduction, that's when I tune out.

This is so much better than those boring things that preceded it. There's tension and build up in the songs. Yorke's vocals are atmospheric, whereas they'd descended into irritating, fingernails on the blackboard. We Suck Young Blood is freaky, creepy perfect.

Es el tercer disco que ya me tocó escuchar acá de Radiohead. Este no me llamó tanto la atención.

Not their best but still Radiohead

Some of it is brilliant, some of it veers perilously close to pretentious bullshit. 3 stars.

Unfortunately, this isn't my Radiohead album. I'm not sure what it is, it's perhaps too experimental, depressing, dystopian. We're used to that from Radiohead to some degree, but this album just doesn't hit the balance right for me.

There isn't much to love here, is there? I have difficulty rating this album, because it does get better towards the end, but the first half is just awful. Ultimately, it gets 2 stars, just because Radiohead (and music in general) has so much better to offer.

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.

Overrated, as with most of Radioheads work.

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.

Difficult to rate because it is an AMAZING album, but by Radiohead standards to me it's not even close to being their best. So I'll give this a 4 since other albums by them featured on the list will certainly be getting the 5s.

Thom Yorke has a pleasant ghost alien voice. Not my fav Radiohead album, but still great. I always found this one to be a little creepy

Another solid showing from Radiohead, with excellent atmosphere and vibes. It does not reach the heights of some of their masterpieces, and feels like a little more than the sum of its parts, with each individual song not being as strong as their collective energy is together, but ultimate a strong record.

I did like this, just wish it had something more to really elevate it to the other Radiohead stuff I've listened to so far.

I've never listened to this before - I know Radiohead more for their earlier albums like The Bends or OK Computer. Other reviewers are dropping 5 stars but saying it's a challenging listen that requires multiple listens to really get a lot out of it. This is a challenging listen, but I don't want to listen to this multiple times to leave a review so I can possibly get everything out of this. I thought listening to this album was more of a chore and isn't really immediately accessible unless you've been watching Radiohead change as a band from their earlier output to this. I'm sure it's a good album, but it's just not really for me.

These songs fall into two categories for me: bearable and unbearable. Most songs are unbearable as they have that pretentious feeling combined with a wall of noise. It makes for an overall aggravating experience. The bearable songs don’t have the wall of noise, and while the instruments tend to sound quite nice, the vocals are off putting and annoying. They tend to match the music, but that’s more indicative of how grating the album is as a whole.

Most certainly not my favorite Radiohead album, but it is certainly creative and pushes boundaries. I think the electronic incorporation is cool, but it is better done on In Rainbows. Not to say that it isn't good, it's just not the best and not nearly my favorite. Highlights: 1, 12, and 14.

Kid A and OK Computer seem to get all the attention but this album flew under the radar for me. idk if it's just that people forgot about Radiohead after the year 2000 or are just stuck on those other albums because of how great they are, but I think this album is a lot more accessible and less pretentious. Doesn't mean it's necessarily better but I am enjoying it more. Don't write this one off just because it's not Radiohead's most well-known

Thom Yorke's vocal style and the band's general weirdness are absolutely not my jam.

Not quite Bends and OK computer level but still solid

‘There, There’ elevates this album from a two.

Oh. Yes.

Not my favourite Radiohead album, but some cool stuff on here. A Wolf at the Door is amazing.

I once saw this as one of Radiohead's weaker releases, but it isn't bad at all. I think this is one of those albums that grows on you over time.

Excellent

I just don’t really care about this album, honestly

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

3.3 + I might rank this Radiohead album below Pablo Honey. Mostly it sounds like a Thom Yorke solo project, which tend to fixate on beats and textures and less on tunes and ideas. There are a few clunkers, most notably “Sit Down, Stand Up”, which kills the flow of side A. The best moments are when Yorke lets in the rest of the band - “There, There” and “Go To Sleep.” A boring and confusing mess.

Absolute favorite Radiohead album

Ce n'est pas mon album de Radiohead préféré. À la longue, je trouve le ton plaintif un peu lassant.

Nice

Hail to the Thief is the sixth album by English alternative rock band Radiohead. The album is critically acclaimed, it won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Non-Classical Album in 2004, and has been certified platinum in the US. Compared to previous Radiohead albums, this one feels a tad long and lackluster. It still contains the same type of art rock music, but centered more on guitars which I can appreciate it. This may be one of the poorer performing Radiohead albums.