Reviews (page 8 of 14)
Experimental, quiet rock album.
Not their finest, apart from There There
An absolute gem - instant 5/5. Not my favorite Radiohead album, but in the context of these 1001 albums, its great. @joe this is MY college feels.
Real good, progressive, cool synths, doesn't rock as hard as other radiohead but very cool
I'm not the biggest Radiohead fan, but even I can admit this is a hell of an album.
Yeah, pretty much adore everything thing these guys do. Their only albums I don't consider masterpieces are Pablo Honey and King of Limbs. I dig every track here. I can remember listening to this in the Bush era when it came out, and was immediately floored by the opener "2 + 2 = 5", which was the strongest political statement they had made at the time. The whole sounds just as timeless and relevant as the day it came out to my ears. And this also has some of my deeper cut favorites like "A Wolf at the Door" and "We Suck Young Blood". Easy 5 for me
Low-key one of my favorite Radiohead albums. I love the shaky rage, the introspection harmonies, the way the digital aspects flood in through the cracks of a rock band. Phasers set to melancholy. Also, the best album cover for a band that makes definitive album cover statements. It's not the Titanic-sinking iceberg that OK Computer or In Rainbows are, but I love how it looms out beside you in the fog.
Selections like this one make me wonder whether my review should be about the album itself or the choice to include it in the list of 1,001 albums. Back when this album was released, it felt like Radiohead was starting to get high on its own supply, like the band was convinced of its own importance, and hearing it today bears that out. While there are some nice moments, this is a dreary listen. A slog. Nowhere near Radiohead's best work, before or since.
I was over Radiohead by the time this landed but man this album this band doses alienation and dystopia so well it doesn't feel like a twenty year old album it feels like now.
I never vibed with Radiohead, but overall I think I liked this record. Once again I think it'll take some more listens to have a fully-formed opinion here, but I'll revisit this for sure.
This is no longer on the list, but FOUR other albums by this group are. I like this fine but it's optional for canon.
Even after all these years, I still don't "get" radiohead. It's fine? "Light industrial droning"? Oddly, I'm liking the recent incarnation as The Smile. But yea...it's really hard for me to sit through an entire Radiohead album. I went looking for why this was on the list and...I dunno...it seems to be "because they made another album." There's 3 other Radiohead albums on this list, fer fuck's sake. I'm getting the feeling this list is really the "1001 albums you must hear before you die (that were performed by artists from the UK or US only)."
Not their best but better than many.
Fantastic album love it
Stole this CD from a Goodwill when I was about 16 or so, had to do it because of the name. Another amazing Radiohead record; at times propulsive, melancholy, uneasy, affirming.
I think I don’t like Radiohead. I don’t really understand why they’re so hyped. Sonically, it’s pretty good, but the vocals sound whiny and, at least on this album, the lyrics aren’t as provoking as they think they are
Remaining a gripping snapshot of their exponential creativity, merging the band’s past experiments into a chaotic yet cohesive whole, i put this on the elite of the list. The album’s opening run is its crown jewel: the snarling urgency of “2 + 2 = 5,” the paranoid crescendo of “Sit Down. Stand Up. That's pure gold. When i heard these songs a long time ago i was captured by their melancholy alligned with the complexity of the rehearsal. These tracks blend the electronic grit of their post-OK Computer era with flashes of psychedelia—think swirling synths, disorienting vocal layers, and lyrics that drift in a thin radioheadesque line. If i could, 4.5. I'm in the beggining of this project, so i could even change the notes from bands who had a lot of albuns here.
Começar dizendo que Radiohead é minha segunda banda favorita. Mas esse disco é meu segundo menos favorito, na frente apenas de Pablo Honey. Sim, chocante ! Como posso rankear o disco com 2+2=5, MYXOMATOSIS (A melhor!!), Where I End and You Begin, There There, I Will, Wolf At The Door, entre outras pedradas, tão baixo?! É simples na real. Na minha visão, esse album e Pablo Honey são os ÚNICOS discos do Radiohead com musicas que considero inconsequentes, fillers, digamos assim. E esse pensamento foi ecoado pelos próprios membros da banda em futuras entrevistas. Mas entenda, até um dos meus albuns menos favoritos do Radiohead ainda seria o melhor album da discografia de muitas bandas por aí, os caras são bons nesse nível. Se esse album tivesse só algumas faixas cortadas ele facilmente estaria no top 5 da banda. Uma pena! Ele faz uma ponte deliciosa entre os dois lados opositores do Radiohead, eletronico e guitarresco... Essa ponte existe não só na tracklist, mas dentro da própria composição das faixas. Eles repetiriam isso novamente no In Rainbows alguns anos depois, e aquele sim é um album que eu considero perfeito! (Mesmo assim não é meu favorito deles, rsrsrs) Então pro HTTT, vou deixar um 4/5. As músicas boas fazem parte do creme de la creme da banda, mas as fillers tankam a nota. Falta coesão ! Ainda o amo, mas não chega perto de ser o melhor que a banda entregou. Quais musicas eu tiraria? 1- Backdrifts 2-We Suck Young Blood 3-The Gloaming 4-Go to Sleep. Assim, o album ficaria com 10 faixas e com 40 minutos quase redondinhos, na minha opinião, uma duração perfeita !! "Just 'cause you feel it... Doesn't mean it's there..." 4/5
🙂
Radiohead so good when there's not a bitch in ya ear telling you they don't get it
Actually a lot better than I remembered.
With "The Bends", Radiohead proved that they weren't a one hit wonder. With "OK Computer", they fought against being typecast into one genre. With "Kid A", they addressed their superstar status by rejecting everything and trying some bold, new experiments. With "Amnesiac", they demonstrated that those experiments could still feel human. The most interesting thing about Radiohead's sixth album "Hail to the Thief" is that it's not particularly interesting. This is the first instance of the band having nothing really to prove any more and just setting out to make a good album. There's not much that's really challenging or novel compared to their previous work. Their approach was to work quickly and stop overthinking things. They finished a ton of works in progress and quickly recorded them (about a day per song). Even the lyrics are relatively simple, focusing mostly on post-9/11 political themes, fatherhood, heaven and hell. It's maybe a rushed album to get out of their contract with EMI, but it's done with the confidence and skill of a band that spent the previous decade proving themselves to audiences and critics. "Hail to the Thief" is not one of the great Radiohead albums and arguably could have been left off of this list. It's feels slightly too long and less cohesive than their other work. Despite that, it's a great collection and there's no bad song on it. Not all albums need to be works of art. Sometimes it's refreshing to just get a good collection of songs.
Love the band but this album is meh Maybe 4 good songs, but as an album i can't justify going through it
I love Radiohead but hadn’t spent a lot of time with this record in particular. Listening to it with a critical ear at this point in the world political climate, I’m saddened (beyond the usual post-Radiohead malaise) that the subject matter of this album is still so very relevant.
No private session used for Spotify, I used to listen to this album a lot when it first came out. I liked the previous albums, Kid A and Amnesiac, but like the more upbeat rock despite the album being a commentary on the 2000 US election(we thought we had it bad then, simpler times).
...
emotional, instrumental
Listened to half as I’ve been ill, wasn’t the Radiohead I was expecting and a little disappointing as I went in with high hope, still deserves a high 6. 6.8/10.
Good, but not my favorite Radiohead Album
Рrostration, melancholy, apathy, grief, depression, dejection....
I gave it a four because I know you wouldn’t give it a 5.
"2+2=5" is one of the best opening track in RH's discography. I find the second part of the album way more effective and explosive. The first half is pretty inconsistent. It came out at this weird period in the band's career (after OK computer & KID A but before In Rainbows) so still in a transition from styles. Since it's a Radiohead album and they are my favorite band, I can't give it less than a 4-star rating but it's a light 4. Fav songs : A Wolf at the Door (masterpiece)& Myxomatosis
Just not nearly as good as OK Computer. It was just OK but not great.
I was wondering why at more than 200 albums into this list I've had 4 Leonard Cohen and 4 Elvis Costello albums but zero Radiohead albums. Now I'm wondering why those chose this one and not The Bends, OK Computer, In Rainbows. For me it's not their strongest work. There are some great songs - "There, There", "A Wolf At the Door", "Where I End and You Begin", "2+2=5". And there are "We Suck Young Blood" and "The Gloaming" which probably only diehard Radiohead fans can tolerate. This album still has funky drum beats, tense riffs and unexpected shifts that make Radiohead who they are. An angsty 3.5 rounded up.
Could not finish this one.
I really like some of Radiohead's early albums...but this one isn't anything special.
8/10
Like the last few songs, foind the first half repetitive
Listened to this one twice before making a judgement, mainly cause I was ill the first listen and fell asleep for some songs. This album was pretty goated, started off strong with a more accessible rock song and delved into a bunch of cool Radiohead shenanigans from there, i like pretty much every song but my favourites were the last two. However, there were some songs that I wasn’t really a fan of like sit down stand up, we suck blood and the gloaming which weren’t bad I just didn’t really get them, had a similar situation with other songs on here on the first listen but like them on the second. Overall a very strong 4 (8.5/10)
I liked this one. I don’t usually listen to Radiohead but this was good!
Not bad. Way better than Pet Shop Boys. At least the songs didn’t all sound the same.
i like radiohead. this didn't have any major standout songs to me but it's a cool vibe and a slightly different sound from their other albums (all of which I've enjoyed as i discover them)
Good
Amazing. A modern Classic. Textures.
This is the least accessible Radiohead album, but I think that's why it's one of my favorites. Even the band criticises it and suggested it had too many tracks. Their suggested omissions were Backdrifts We Suck Young Blood I Will A Punchup at a Wedding "I will" is one of my all time favorite Radiohead tracks and I think 'We suck young blood' is very 'Hail to the Thief' I don't love all of Radiohead's albums, but I absolutely love this one
I needed this album for a bit longer to decide how to rate it. Although I adore Radiohead, I’ve never listened to this album all the way through. It was important to me to give it time to permeate and I’m glad I did. Main thing I’d cut would be the intro crackles to many of the tracks. Overall I enjoyed it It’s not my favourite of Radiohead’s music - but it’s really grown on me in a short time. 4.5 for the music, extra 0.5 for the 1984 reference.
nice enough
I found this to be a bit of a mess from a group that I usually like. Not so much so this time around.
a pastel rock-electronic fugue of an edgy intellectual teenager lamenting The Man, ft. Sigur Ros style vocals, a few unusually catchy progressions, and some pretty creative instrumental layering. maybe a song or 2 too long. 4.25/5
not my first listen for sure lol
Great start but with a lot of disappointing songs after the first three. Definitely not nearly as great as other radiohead albums
At some point, this feels like Björk..
Mixed bag for me. I generally enjoy the band but have never loved a drum machine. It’s really one stylistic choice however it’s a choice with an album long implication. For me that dampens the sound overall. Maybe it’s mean to feel a little grating and out of place considering the band, in which case well done. Still not a bad listen. I probably won’t be back for the full run but I saved A Punch up at a Wedding and A Wolf at the Door for shuffle purposes. High 2 low 3.
I listened to this on the plane yesterday as I was flying home. It honestly just didn't do a ton for me. I wasn't as drawn in as 'Ok Computer' and not being a huge fan of Yorke's style... this one just falls a bit to the side. not bad by any means, but this being our third Radiohead album... I need something more to draw me in.
I like Radiohead’s style. Most of the songs on this album were “good”, but nothing special. A couple stuck out to me: “I Will”, and “A Wolf at the Door”. Still not quite enough to break above 3 stars.
Hail to the thief that stole the time I’ll never get back by listening to this album. (That’s a bit harsh but i did not like it)
I really like some Radiohead and Thom Yorke, but this album wasn’t listenable to me. It was like a whiny stream of consciousness. No discernible melodies or enjoyable songs.
I wasn’t exactly enjoying this album, but I think the second half saved it for me. It was more of the Radiohead sound that I enjoy, even if there were some songs that had repeated lyrics that wear on you. I was thinking this would be a three early on, but I feel comfortable giving this a four. I would definitely want to give it another listen at some point.
I think I like this less than the other Radiohead albums we've had? I don't know. I'm still not a Radiohead fan.
Excellent.
Less whiny but more mumbly. Still over rated.
Much swagger
Too much whining to me. Towards the end of the album it got a bit better. Still, nothing special.
I liked OK Computer, but after that I didn't really pay attention to Radiohead. After listening to this one I don't mind my relapse. They've gone to the other end of what I find interesting; minimal, laxed, artsy... a lot of the things I often do not care for. Sadly I feel I have nothing to say about this album, which is ofter even worse fate that hated. Meh.
Radiohead, what can you say? This band does it all and does it all beyond exception with every effort. There 6th offering is no different, it just might be there must inconsistent yet it still delivers. It's a 5 in my books but given there are others in the catalog that notch above i had to subtract. Do we all get that?
SO DEPRESSING AND EVERY SONG SOUNDS THE SAME!!! -10 STARS (if only)
I nearly fell asleep. Where is the ROCK?
Ive said it before- I am not a huge Radiohead fan. Unlike other albums of theirs on this list, this one really didnt have anything that stood out to me. It felt a little one note and there were a lot of dissonant sounds that didnt jive for me. Overall- fine, but not for me
I like Radiohead but this was not my favorite. It seemed like a collection of songs that were not good enough for other albums.
Comprends le bail mais c'est long au bout d'un moment 3
The most average Radiohead album in my opinion, but if this is the average it really goes to show how great this band is. This is a very good album it just feels less remarkable than the albums that came before and after it. Plenty of great songs here including "2+2=5" and "A Wolf At the Door" which have always been favorites of mine. At the very least this album is better than "Pablo Honey" and "King of Limbs". Favorite track: A Wolf At the Door 3.5/5
This sounds so good today. Might have to rethink my radiohead rankings I think this is a 5. It's a little bit long, but everything on it is great. Really enjoyable. I should be listening to them way more than I do. It's just such a good album. Everything fits, everything roles into the next thing. Production is superb. All good
It sounds a little bit like a rock version of Kid A. It was pretty good
Cet album est bon, vraiment. Il est très important aussi, dans ma vie ou dans l'histoire de la musique des 2000. Mais il a des moments faibles. Certaines chansons qui ne semblent pas abouties. Ce n'est pas un défaut, j'aime bcp d'album avec des chansons pas abouties. Et il y en a juste 2 ou 3. C'est peut-être parce qu'en sortant de Ok Computer, Kid A et Amnesiac, on s'attendait à la perfection. On est pas loin de la perfection. Mais tsé. 5 étoiles, j'adore, mais c'est pas leur meilleur, quoique souvent mon meilleur.
Radiohead demeure souvent un mystère pour moi. Écouter cet album est pour moi comme regarder un rideau opaque. Je comprends à moitié ce que je dois comprendre. P-ê trop intellectuel pour moi?
Le retour rock de Radiohead en mode invincible après son exploration Kid A/Amnesiac. Ils ont maintenant plus de cordes à leurs arcs qu'à leurs guitares. Leur album le plus dark et angoissant. Ça va pas ben. C'est tellement bon que c'est sûrement la fin. Pourtant ils deviennent encore meilleurs après. Dans leur top 6.
Went back and forth because Radiohead has a couple better albums, but this is amazing regardless. Sail to the moon is my current favorite among many other great songs.
Not my favourite Radiohead album. Perhaps with more time I would like it more.
Hail To the Thief Along with Amnesiac I tend to overlook this album in their post OK Computer era, I always gravitate towards Kid A, In Rainbows, The King of Limbs or Moon Shaped Pool instead. That’s because this does feel long at nearly an hour, and while taken individually they are actually very good songs, Sail To The Moon and We Suck Young Blood sound very similar tonally and tempo-wise. Sail To The Moon is actually lovely and the chords and backing vocals on We Suck Young Blood are great as well, but along with the other similar sounding pair of I Will and Scatterbrain, and the interesting but relatively throwaway The Gloaming they colour the album with a sense of dirge and ponderousness. Despite that, there are superb songs on here. 2+2= 5 is one of their best post OK Computer rockers, the arpeggiated (my how they love arpeggios in this period) intro leading to the release of some pent up chaos, the pulsing Backdrifts is excellent and I love the time signature changes and guitar bursts of Go To Sleep. Where I End and You Begin is also excellent, the bass groove and drum pattern are great, a bit Can/Faust, and I love the scratchy guitar. There, There is, along with Go To Sleep, probably the most conventional track and it is very good, the bass under the toms and guitar is delicious. A Punchup At a Wedding I absolutely love, one of my favourite Radiohead songs. The piano and bass are superb, giving it a real hypnotic groove. Myxomatosis is excellent too, I love the drum pattern and synth bass parts. A Wolf At the Door is very good too. I don’t think it’s quite on the same level as Kid A, In Rainbows, The King of Limbs or A Moon Shaped Pool, or OK Computer. The same tense, fraught sensibility behind their best stuff is here, but combined with the overall length and slightly plodding, similar sounding nature of some of the slower songs it does feel a bit one note in places, and it does drag a little. Despite that it’s still a great record with some absolutely brilliant songs, an album that few other bands could match. If it was someone else it probably would be a 5, but, fairly or unfairly, I think I hold them to a higher standard, so I’ll go a very high 4, even though that does feel a bit penurious. 📻📻📻📻 Playlist submission: A Punchup at a Wedding Ps it’s worth listening to the Com Lag 2+2=5 EP from this period, there’s, I think, a slightly better version of I Will and an excellent track called Paperbag Writer.
They try their best to live up to the whinge-rock moniker that detractors throw at them, with the pointless 'Scatterbrain'; the dirge of 'We Suck Young Blood'; the aimless 'Backdrift' and the directionless Apex Twin attempt with 'The Gloaming'. Get rid of those and you've got an album just shy of 40 minutes which would be utter perfection. Take the absolutely barnstorming '2+2=5'. Orwellian imagery, political disillusionment and pounding altern rock in an unsettling 7/8 time signature resolving to common 4/4 in a massive crescendo - glorious! There is no other band could do this. The 15 minutes of dirge drags it to a lower 5. But still a 5.
So incredibly good. One of the best albums ever made.
That's not my taste in music - But ok
I don’t get Radiohead. I do not like Radiohead. This is the second album of theirs on this album generator (and we still haven’t gotten any Beatles??). No tracks stood out to me.
Like petting a hedgehog backwards. Thom Yorke, I hate your contribution to music.
I just don't get the appeal of Radiohead. The only song that I liked was "A Wolf At the Door" - I think it's because it's the only one that Thom York actually sang in his normal register - or maybe it should be his normal register. I just find his falsetto grating. The music was also for be boring. I don't need to ever listen to this again - 2 stars since I'm feeling generous.
за один день сложно радиохед понять, помню только уууааааааа, надо будет потом подольше всю дискографию послушать, пока только поняла что не бесит)
good, better than kid a for sure
I bought this album the day it came out, and while I wouldn’t call it Radiohead’s best work, it might be the one I’ve listened to the most. It’s a sprawling, moody mix of their experimental and rock sides, with enough variety to keep pulling me back in. It may not be as groundbreaking as some of their other albums, but there’s something about it that sticks with me.
I like Radiohead, but have never quite connected with this album. I love Kid A and Amnesiac and sort of feel like every other Radiohead album is superfluous, but that’s definitely just me.
I listened to this album while watching the twilight turn into the night and it perfectly matched the vibe of the music. I think I will need several more listens to fully appreciate "Hail To The Thief", but I really enjoyed my first listen. I liked the contrast between the standard rock instrumentation and the otherworldly vocals and electronic elements. For the most part, it was difficult to make out the lyrics, and I hope future listens will help make them clearer. Favorite song: Either "There, There" or "Where I End and You Begin"
I was excited when this album came up but upon relistening I realize while there are some good tracks this album kinda drags for me in some parts. The 4 album run that proceeds HTTT are some of my favorite records of all time but this one is a step back.
Underrated Radiohead album, has some of their best Stand-Alone tracks such as Where I end and You Beign and There, There.
For some reason I could never get into this album. Still prefer the earlier Radiohead albums to this.
Decent. Nothing that stood out about it though.
Just cause you feel it doesn’t mean it’s there.
Weak Radiohead album but still pretty good. Favourite Songs: 2 + 2 = 5, Sail to the Moon, Where I End and You Begin. Least Favourite Songs: We Suck Young Blood, The Gloaming.
Zum Ende hin sehr gut.
First received to my ears as Radiohead's partial return to rock after their bleep bloop records, but with all of that interest in beats infused into it. After not getting on board with Kid A until years later, and still take or leave much of Amnesiac, I loved it. Possibly the most variety of styles on any Radiohead record? There There is obviously brilliant, Where I End And You Begin with its eerie melody and haunting sighs (which always reminded me of The First Samurai on the commodore Amiga), the slow hand claps in We Suck Young Blood. Myxomatosis is an incredible noise, what a bassline, Sit Down Stand Up's tension resolves into a wonderful cacophony of techno. Wolf at the Door is a fantastic slurred screed to finish on. There's only really The Gloaming here that is merely ok. Pretty much everything else is a masterpiece. Almost certainly my 3rd favourite Radiohead album behind The Bends and In Rainbows. I'll never see them again if I squeal to the cops.
Not one of Radiohead’s better albums in my opinion, it just doesn’t strike me much, but I do really like the songs Go to Sleep, There There and A Wolf at the Door. (2.5 stars)
I quite enjoyed the last Radiohead album on this list, but this one felt quite listless and the nasal high singing really irritated me.
Enjoyed it, always like radio head, a few standout songs but it was very good as being a background track for what I wanted to do. Experimental in some areas but very core to what I know of radiohead.
Was okay, but nothing really stuck
Masterpiece. One of several for Radiohead.
Super awesome. Unfortunately I’m coming to the slow conclusion that the apex of my radiohead fandom might have already happened. Nonetheless this record is super underrated
the most obviously gimmicky of the radiohead albums. But some of these songs are just all-timers. Myxomatosis, Wolf at the Door, and THERE, THERE?!?!?! god incredible stuff, might be my second favorite radiohead album. but also some real lowlights, so gonna be a strong 4.5
I could tell it was music and listening to it didn't actively make me unhappy. Only song I liked on the album was "There There". 3/10
This is one of my earliest favorite albums. My 3rd grade teacher Jesse was (and still is) a cool guy. He was a huge Radiohead fan, and singled out me and my friend Keenan as music kids who he could hook on Radiohead at an early age. In early 2003, he gave us both a pre-release bootleg of Hail to the Thief, which had wrong track names for almost every song. I listened to it nonstop, and its consistently been one of my favorite albums ever since. Later in college, this was a big album for me, Pete and Dylan at 55 Calumet. In 2018, the three of us met up in London, and we found that a local arthouse theater was having a lights out/pitch black playthrough of Hail to the Thief. It was a great experience, and felt tailor made for us that the album we all agreed on the most between the three of us happened to be playing in London at the time we were all there. All that said, it is not perfect. I don't like Backdrifts or The Gloaming. I skip those songs 99% of the time, with the 1% being to rtemind myself why I skip them. There There is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. Its been one of the few songs thats survived every 10/10 playlist revision I've made. Sail to The Moon, Go to Sleep, and I Will are similarly beautiful. Myxamatosis was one of my earliest heavy rock memories. A Wolf at the Door is the first curse word I remember in a song. I love this album. I get why its not for everyone, but I'd say give it a second chance. Album cover: (A+) Look at it! Its cool!
I've tried and tried real hard, but I can't find any reason why anyone would want to listen to this! Ever!
Loved 90s and early 200s radiohead but this isn't nowhere near as good. It's pretty solid in places but just sounds overly boring to me
Love this
one of the radiohead albums i was not super familiar with did not disappoint
Good just not my thing
not even like top5 radiohead albums but some very good songs here
Decent listen.
I like this one a bit more now than when it was first released, but even though they brought some rock instrumentation back into the mix it still didn’t quite fully grab me. It’s impressive that they knocked this out over a brief two-week period as opposed to the years long process of earlier efforts, which confirms that they truly operate in the extremes. Other than that, it sounds…well…like Radiohead.
This is some Bush era stuff right here. Prob some sicko out there who cites this as his favorite R Head album. Def not me, but I still dig the majority of this and can’t bring myself to put it with the sea of 3s on this project. Feel like I’d be grading them on a different curve.
Sounds like radio head. I really have no idea how these guys right songs. Like thom just starts chanting high pitched and they just build some noises around it. Not my fave but not terrible.
Wasn’t expecting this Radiohead album. I remember being disappointed when it was released back in the day. I like it more now but it is still one of my least favorites from them. Not great Radiohead is still pretty good, tho. I’m rounding down to make space for the 4 other albums I expect will be on this list. 3.5/5
Hm, this is the epitome of the Radiohead sound. No particular song stood out to me in this wall of lilting fuzzy Radiohead. Not bad, just not something I need. None of the songs had any interest factors which stood out to me, so like 2/5 stars.
I just don’t get these guys. I try and try and try. Lame. It’s still three stars but I think Radiohead is one of the most overrated bands in music history.
Not my type of Radiohead
This comes at the tail end of a very prolific era for Radiohead as this is the third album in four years. In a way it can feel like the last few drips squeezed out of a sponge, or rather it's the least crowd-pleasing of the bunch (still managed to reach number 1 on the UK Albums Chart). Consistingly almost entirely of their slower synthy sad style of songs. I'd say it's just as good as anything that they come out with but it requires a certain mood and lacks diversity of sound and feel.
Can’t believe this has made me listen to a full Radiohead album. I was concerned when I started this about what kind of Radiohead we were getting, the end of 2 + 2 = 5 got me a little excited, then everything fell apart again. As usual I like all the little moments of electronica stashed away in here in songs like Sit Down Stand Up and Backdrifts, but this was a bit of a slog. Imagine being able to make a song that sounds as cool as Myxomatosis & then you make people listen to 40 minutes of bland sad boy music to get to it. ‘a punch up at a wedding’ is an incredible name for a song - even if the song itself doesn’t feel like a punch up at a wedding. After the final song, Bodysnatchers played and I thought ‘oh maybe there is a little more life in this’ before realising it was from a completely different album. Added that to my playlist though, so we’ll done Thom. 1 song added to both playlists. 2 added to my playlist if you include Bodysnatchers, which you shouldn’t.
Don't really know how I feel about this album. Was expecting a bit more from it. I tried focusing on it but I kept tuning out. Some good songs though.
For this album to not even be in Radiohead’s top 4/5 albums is actually insane. It slightly lacks character compared to Kid A/OK Computer but this is definitely a banger
Ei ehkä yhden kuuntelun perusteella mun levy. Ihan ok. Ei kuitenkaan välttämättä sellainen, että palaisin uudelleen.
I really like "2+2=5" and "There, There," and there are a few other songs that are good, but there are several songs on this album that are too bland, and the overall album just suffers for it, making it the first Radiohead album since Pablo Honey that I did not like and still don't, overall. I do have more of an appreciation for this album as time goes on, but I'd just rather listen to The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac, or In Rainbows, which I think are all 5 star albums, in their own ways.
The raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops, the raindrops. Anybody else, or is it just me? “Sail To The Moon,” “Backdrifts,” “Where I End and You Begin,” “A Punch Up At A Wedding,” “Myxomatosis.” So many bangers!
Solid
Not my favorite from Radiohead
Not one of their best but still enjoyable. 3.5 stars
Yup. Still can’t get into Radiohead after all these years
Still a good listen.
I'm typically really into Radiohead and their experimentation. However.. This is messy, paranoid, and only *kinda* brilliant. Gimme digital glitches, eerie ballads, and anxious rock, please. It’s like an early malfunctioning AI producing the record. Sometimes the chaos works, sometimes it’s just… a lot. A little exhausting. I almost think this works better with your eyes closed and just enjoying the ride. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions: - 2 + 2 = 5 - There, There
I don’t listen to radiohead anymore
Definitly not my favorite radiohead album
Not a fan
Really underrated Radiohead album. It has the creativity, lyrics, atmosphere, passion, and overall enjoyable experience. Not sure what's not to love
texture, orchestration, worth revisiting
Leider wird radiohead (neben American psycho und fight club) ja von coolen männers gerade "entdeckt" und hat deswegen leider nicht so einen guten Ruf, aber ich war einfach schon als depri Teenie Fan von ihnen und werds auch immer bleiben.
Here we go again! Churzes Review aber grossi Wort: Es album wo bi jedem mal lose nomal besser wird. S hüt morgige Lose het mer denn au entgültig de nuggi usegjoolet
Radiohead. Wieder mal e neui episode vo bands i should have known more about aber hend vill zwenig mini lebensweg gstreft. Darum chund bi mir au kei nostalgie gfühl uf obwohl detig albe da eich sehr ihladend wäred. Hail to the thief, was für e wunderschön poetische name, fyi han biz nahgläse und es gad um protest und controvery zu de 2000er US wahle mitm georg 2xU
uh ein wildes radiohead project, woni no kei sekunde devo ghört han... leider hani au nach dene 55 minute s‘gfühl dasi mit usnahm vo vereinzelte 30 sekunde passagene immer noni vill meh devo ghört han, will bi mir isch sit gester mittag vollsti vorbereitig für‘s zweite outing vo de zugabeboyz ahgseit und bin mir dementsprechend d‘ohre mit elektronische musig am zueballere leider isch en repräsentativi bewertig daher fast unmöglich aber mis gfühl seid ah anderne täg wär das durchus es 4* album gsi, hüt bini aber leider wüki froh gsi wo‘s fertig gsi isch damiti mi endli wieder de wichtige sache im läbe hiigäh chan einigemer eus uf 3 block rapid patrol lube donuts
bloated. some hits but it isn't incredible overall, they've got better albums
Probably the most annoying vocals of any album maybe ever made! BY GOD
radiohead album
some of their best on here, but more of their worst
YESSSSSS ANOTHER RADIOHEAD. it is the weakest radiohead album after pablo honey tbh. but 2+2=5 and a wolf at the door are pure gold. (2+2-1.5)/5 aka 3.5/5
When this album came up this morning, I immediately thought that it was going to be an underwhelming low four stars, because you obviously contextualise it as a bit of a dip in Radiohead's trajectory between the twin highs of Kid A and In Rainbows. However, while it is worse than those, it's still so much better than almost anything else. I'd pretty much forgotten about the rollercoaster of the first three tracks, and just what a strong single There There is. Throw in the woozy jazz of Glasshouse at the end, and it truly deserves its place on here and among the five stars. Bonus points for being just about the most 'definable point in my university days' album.
Great album . Forgot how good it was x
It is wacky, a little out there. Its alternative, and I like that about it. I think the second half of the album is more my thing than the first half. Best song on the album is 'A Punch Up at a Wedding'
Listenable.
Very good alt rock! It fits the mellow mood really well.
4.5, very creative
It's a good album. Unfortunately I got two Radiohead albums in the span of three days. So I had Ok Computer really fresh oh my mind. This isn't not as good as Ok Computer. I feel like it should he a 4, but who know, maybe if I listened to it a few weeks separated it would have made it to 5
Radiohead is way more noisy than I realized. Some good tracks, but a lot of noisy stuff I don't care for as much. Some I think could be okay if I was in the mood, others not so great.
Sad boy songs
This is the album that I listened to for the first time while driving across country to see my dad for the last time. It's not Radiohead's best album, and it's not my favorite of theirs, but in some ways it means the most to me.
Decent enough but nothing grabs me for a relisten
This is objectively pretty good, but it’s probably my least favorite Radiohead.
Not a Radiohead fan particularly anyway but this album just wasn't for me at all
Really enjoyed this more than I have in the past, not a classic Radiohead album but still great. 2+2=5, There, There and A Wolf At the door area all time great Radiohead songs
Quite a long way from their best. Heard it beffr and didn't like it, still dont
It's really a 4.5 but I couldn't give it a 5
Not my favourite Radiohead album, but still enjoyable 3/5
I generally like my Radiohead soaking in misery. There are some tracks on here that don't really fit the bill - Backdrifts, Go To Sleep, The Gloaming to name but a few. When it hits hard though, it REALLY hits hard. Favourite tracks: 2 + 2 = 5, Sit Down, Stand Up, Sail To The Moon, Scatterbrain, A Wolf At the Door.
290/1001 Se me atragantan, son depresivos.... 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
Not necessarily my vibe
Bekomme ich noch ein Radiohead-Album vorgeschlagen, raste ich aus
Love and yet hate Radiohead sometimes. Some of the harder rocky bits are phenomenal then they add in some of the droning bits and I hope that it's building up to another mad crescendo but some songs just fade out miserabley. It's not terrible by any means I makes me feel like I'm missing out 😅
would listen to again
1001 albums... 786 of which are Radiohead. Yawn. Next. 1 star.
Not a big fan
I probably wouldn’t say this one is as flawless as OKC or In Rainbows or KID A Amnesiac for that matter, but it’s still underrated in my opinion. It stands on it’s own. It has one of my all time favorite somgs There there and it’s just a banger at times. Low 5
solid but too soft for me
7/10
A bit too meandering but has its moments.
Did not think I would care for it. Loved it. His voice is perfect for the music but I think I would hate it in any other band.
Probably my least listened to Radiohead record.
confusing and depressing. dergy. the gloaming gave me a headache
Great album
Música pra instalação de arte contemporânea
interesting sound. a punch at a wedding sounds like marillion tbh
3.5? I need to listen to this again
I am very familiar with Radiohead's discography, having listened to most of their albums. Last time I heard this album was probably around 2020. I remember feeling indifferent about it then. Interested to see what I think about it now. I enjoy the energy of the first track. Solid opener. Fun switchup. 3.8/5 Atmospheric. Builds well on the piano loop. Electronic bass is deep and fuzzy. Great layering. I enjoy the mix. Electronic section is a strong addition. Plays welo with the drums. Fantastic bassline. 4.5/5 Distant sounding instrumentation at the beginning sets the tone of the track. Guitar is well executed. I enjoy how much space there is in the song. Radiohead(tm) vocals. Really enjoyable harmonies. Cold track. Relisten. Tentative 4/5 Not sure if I like or if I hate the panning effect here. Reminds me of Kid A. Noise elements are integrated well. Intriguing instrumental section. Underwater vibes, feels like experiencing pressure at the bottom of a pool. Liked it 4/5 Instrumental contrasts heavily to the last song. Alt rock aucustic guitars, faster tempo, production tries to make it sound big though it ends up feeling a bit empty and almost uninspired. A bit boring 3/5 Opening bassline shows promise. Vocal effects immideately noticable. The bass and synths keep me interested. Vocal melody is very well written. Beautiful background effects. Electric guitar adds grit to an otherwise smooth musical landscape. 4.3/5 Claps and piano combined, usually a personal red flag. Opening vocals come off as a bit jarring. Gorgeous vocal layering. Builds into a chaotic break, interesting. Haunting background vocals. Mixed thoughts, song works, might need repeat listens to fully get. 3.5/5 Static is not pleasant playing loudly through headphones. Sparse underneath the very electronic instrumentation. Cold and technological, the repeating vocals add a nice atmosphere. Enjoyed that overall 4/5 Rythmic. Catches the ear immideately. Exelently crafted vocal melody. Instrumental switchup comes at the perfect time. Builds upon the vocals to create a very fun pattern. Background guitar sounds great. Bass needs a mention too. Best track so far 5/5 Simple and eerie. Strange delivery. Interlude/5 Builds up strongly at the start. Funky instrumentation. Repetitive tendencies, gets a bit boring after a while. Piano too loud in the mix, overpowering at times. Could be a grower but for now 3/5 Tight and loud electronics with slurred drunk sounding vocals. Ugly sounding. Overstimulating. Does however feel like it's done on purpose to drive home the point of the song. Hard to judge on a "first" listen 3/5 Guitar is nice. Passionate delivery. Builds up into beautiful moments. Great execution of a great and relatable concept for a song. 4.5/5 Stressful, lyrically dense. I enjoy the release that comes with the howl at the end. Confusing. 3/5 Fave track: There There Least fave track: Go to Sleep
Нравится так же как и в первый раз когда я его услышал
Awful. Shit. If these guys represent the best of progressive rock from the 90’s and 00’s, then I’m glad I wasn’t listening. A hazy fever dream of noise and misery. Anthem for addicts. Fuck no.
Great album by one of my all time favorite bands. Dark, symphonic, textured rock. Great great stuff.
Not bad, vocals are an acquired taste.
Meh 3/5
Jag blir aldrig riktigt en radiohead-fan. Det är ju bra, men jag kommer inte riktigt in i det.
very dreamy but no loves
Radiohead is one of my absolute favorite bands. I've been listening to them and this album for decades at this point so I'm perhaps a little biased. Thom Yorke stated that the album was a statement on the "the general sense of ignorance and intolerance and panic and stupidity" following the election of George Bush in 2000 and used many Orwellian references throughout. "Hail to the Thief" was a common phrase in reference to that election and is a play on the phrase "Hail to the Chief", the presidential anthem. This is one of those albums that takes a few sittings to truly begin to appreciate, especially for someone that's overall unfamiliar with Radiohead so I understand the low ratings from people who are probably hearing this for the first time with zero context. So many haunting songs on this album, which fits the overall theme and purpose of the album.
This is an absolute five if you removed three tracks and maybe shortened a couple of others. There There is easily one of the best things they ever recorded. Scrapes a five, and I'm probably being harsh because this band are on another level.
Radiohead albums have an ethereal, haunting quality that make them hard for me to enjoy.
I'm at peace with the fact that Radiohead is not for everyone. There are times when I really dig what they're doing, and I appreciate that they make unique music...I just don't always like it. I found this album a little more enjoyable than "Kid A" and "OK Computer" though, which probably means Radiohead fans like it less. 3.3
First? 2,5/5 Again? 1,5/5
The opener 2 + 2 = 5 is pretty good. Sail To the Moon as well. This album is sounding a lot like Muse. By song 5 I feel I've heard all that's on the album and am ready for it to end. The most streamed song There, There was just tedious. I will has a nice melody but poor/weird lyrics. Myxomatosis and Scatterbrain are good. A Wolf at the Door is a good closer. This album has some good songs but the middle droned on a bit too much.
Standouts: There, There
I really did not like this on first listen, but saw some of the other positive reviews and decided to give this another run at a different time when I could focus on it more. On second listen, I think I got it more, but still didn't like the songs where Thom is mumbling the same lyrics over and over (Sit Down Stand Up and The Gloaming come to mind) or were just straight electronic-sounding (Myoxmatosis is another example). The shit just sounds so jumbled and creates a few down points on the album. I much preferred the songs that had that a good blend of electro with rock like There, There or 2+2=5 or Scatterbrain. Sail to the Moon and We Suck Young Blood are really haunting tracks that sounded a lot better after a relisten. All in all, some of this album worked for me and some didn't. Strong 3, but couldn't get it quite to a 4 for me. I'm glad I relistened to it though and might come back to it once I get more Radiohead albums under my belt.
Great album is great. I'm actually unsure why I don't go in for this album more frequently. This is some high quality Radiohead with a slightly more "poppy" lean relative to some of their other works. I think the end result is one of their more widely accessible records with solid song writing, mostly-legible vocals, and satisfying alt-rock music. Really there are no misses here. Love the driven poppy electro-rock (2+2=5, Backdrifts, Myxomatosis), electro-forward experimental stuff (The Gloaming), stripped down melancholia (We Suck Young Blood, Sit Down. Stand Up, Sail To The Moon, I Will), and otherwise great fusion (A Wolf At the Door, A Punc Up at a Wedding, Where I End and You Begin). I could go into each track, but don't feel like taking the time. Frankly everything here is a treat. I think as far as closing tracks go, Radiohead usually get it just right. A Wolf At the Door is on my short list for best album closers ever written. Deeply uncomfortable if you listen to the lyrics -- dripping with despair and paranoia. 5 / 5
More whining from Mr. Thom and this one never quite got me in a groove. Backdrifts was a standout. Best thing about Radiohead is the production. Otherwise, they aren't really my style.
I think I am starting to get Radiohead now that this is their 3rd album. Still not quite sure I am a Thom guy quite yet, but the rest of the music is very cool. Think I need to go back and listen to In Rainbows again now that I understand what Radiohead has to offer.
Fuckkkkkkk yes more Radiohead on here than I thought and probably have 2 more. This is probably the most jumbled album they have but tbh I think it works well especially with the themes and artwork. Just obsessed with their ability create sounds instrumentally and electronically. You have not been paying attention!!!! The raindrops x42 Sail To The Moon is fucking beautiful. Bass on Where I End and You Begin slaps. We Suck Young Blood is scary af I love the crooning. I saw someone pass out during the Gloaming once. Shit goes hard live. There, There is one of my favorite songs of all time and like Pyramid Song, if it doesn't make you feel something you're a robot. At the beginning it sounds like a bunch of meow's I've always thought. Fuzzzzzzz on Myxomatosis. Scatterbrain another beautiful jam. Fucking LOVE Wolf at the Door. Thom rapping? Check. Twisted and dark? Check. Flan in the face? Check. Flan/10. Yeah I'm biased and I don't give a flan in the face.
I understand that loving Radiohead is a matter of living on this or the other side of some great cultural divide? Interesting thought, though potentially completely unjustified.
Aside from "There, There" I really didn't care for this album. The other two Radioheads I got during this project were great. I found this mostly unpleasant, all of the beeps and bloops just didn't work for me this time around.
Decent album. Not completely sure how to rate it as this is my first album on this website, and I don't have others to compare it to. -Not as good as OK Computer, In Rainbows, The Bends, or Kid A. - Glad I listened because it was a Radiohead album I have not listened to. -The Instrumentals took the lead in most songs. - (Maybe) worst Radiohead album I've heard. - Began to grow on me - Favorite Songs: There, There and Myxomatosis
I love that every song sounds so distinct. The problem with many of the other albums I've listened to is that all the songs sound the same. It feels like I'm listening to a thirty minute long song. But in this album every song had variety. 10/10
Not really my thing but I didn’t hate it. It felt very long though. I liked There, there and A Wolf at the Door
Not sure about this one. Maybe if I'd discovered it in college, but now I just find it annoying
Wanna hear something crazy? Even though I absolutely love Radiohead, I've never listened to this album before. And what a mistake, this is another beautiful rendition of the signature Radiohead sound. What a treat. If I'm stuck on a deserted island, send me radiohead records
I may have listened to this album more than any other, except for those related to Pink Floyd and Roger Waters. I bought the CD and played it so much that it started skipping too much from scratching. I would describe it as prescient. The album cover is also really helpful.
Pretty decent. Added “We Suck Young Blood” and “Myxomatosis”
I seem to be dishing out four stars to a lot of albums lately in this project. I don't know why. Perhaps it is because I'm learning to appreciate a wider range of music? Or perhaps I just can't be bothered to ruminate fully about how I feel about a given album. Anyway, I'm going to give four stars to this album, because I like it more than Amnesia or OK Computer, and I gave three stars to both of those. Therefore, this has to be a four.
Radiohead all bangers all the time it never stops.
I've never been able to enjoy Thom Yorke as a singer. There's something I despise about how he doesn't properly enunciate any consonants ever, so he just endlessly wails indecipherable vowels. It's a style of singing that seems to have gained popularity in recent years. I just cannot stand that high-pitched yowl of his. The album is otherwise ok. Some interesting electronic sounds sputter along. Endlessly vague lyrics. The occasional burst of energy in the otherwise withdrawn and limp songs. Yorke continues his irritating whine whilst I continue to miss the supposed greatness of this group.
the flan in the face
For me, it gets a bit overshadowed by some of their other albums. But then I put it on and remember that it is another absolute banger. I love following the path the radiohead has taken...blazed even. There is so much going on here. Layer upon layer of sound, percussive and insistent, evocative and present. Sometimes a cacophony verging on unraveling at points, but poignant and beautiful as well.
I haven’t listened to much Radiohead- probably just Creep, actually, unless they have some other singles I might’ve heard on the radio- but this isn’t at all what I expected. Beautiful in its ugliness. With a great variety of sounds. I’m guessing there’s a whole lot of Radiohead on this list and I’m excited for more.
Nunca había escuchado una wea tan mala y aburrida
One of their best.
Better than the other indie rock sounding albums that I got before. I enjoyed some of the Electronic sections. I give it 2 stars only because it's not Coldplay.
I remember buying this CD.. still great.
I think Radiohead is great. One night I heard Karma Police and was thrilled. Since then, I've listened to more and more of the band and integrated them into my constant stream. And so I also knew this album and have it in my collection. But apparently I didn't listen to it that closely. I love the songs 2+2=5 and There, There. The rest appeals to me much less. That's actually a bit disappointing. This is still a good Radiohead album, but there are clearly better ones by the band. 4/5
Crap
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. 3.5⭐️
A loveable mess. I will forever die on the Hail To the Thief hill as being the last truly great album from Radiohead, and their high point in a few respects. Having initially listened to their discography in a mostly-chronological order, I can't express how gratifying it was to hear Radiohead go full menace and paranoia, being a sound that I had been teased oh-so-graciously by with songs such as Street Spirit, Climbing up the Walls, The National Anthem and all of Amnesiac. From a lyrical perspective, this is easily the highlight of Radiohead's discography, even if some parts are rightfully infamous. The themes of docility, terror and subversion are about as relevant to today's age as they were when this album released, and there's an artfulness to the symbolism and metaphor that I really dig - it's perfectly suited to Thom's wistful and intense singing voice. From a musical perspective, this is quite possibly their most ambitious album in an ocean full of heavy hitters. It lacks the fidelity and ambition of the albums I consider to be greater than this one, but it mangles, stomps and blends their sounds together into a gloriously diverse and robust package (with a generous helping of kraut rock, to boot). As an aside, I would like to say that I quite enjoy the B-Side material from this era of the band. Paperbag Writer became an instant favourite of mine with it's gloriously skittish and ungratifying sound. I am Citizen Insane and Where Bluebirds Fly are interesting curios of a post-Kid Amnesiac Radiohead and the remaining songs are all really pleasant and nice. A great break from how full-on the rest of the album's material is. It's way too long and there may be a few songs that are potentially, quite possibly, bad, but nothing can break my love for this album. It doesn't deserve to be the lowest rated post-Pablo Honey King of Limbs non-inclusive album on every music cataloging site.
I've found that I like Radiohead's earlier records much more. This one is still good and can have its place, but their older stuff just feels better to me.
Not bad
bro this shit was so BORING
nah
it was nice couldn’t finish it though
I have this record in my cd collection. Hail To The Thief was my first radiohead album, I bought it during the pandemic. Now, I feel greatful about this 1001 almbus generator because it´s been a long time since I played httt again.
Not bad but not my kind of music
Not bad if you're into that style of music. Good production, and allowing space to breathe. It's just not my vibe.
Listening whilst doing dailies. We’ll see what happens. Radiohead is cool! Melancholy though. Didn’t miss what I didn’t hear.
Some classic Thom Yorke vocals, with a huge variety of music. Fusion of electronic and guitar sounds, with some slower, more acoustic stuff too. I loved some of this but some of it didn't quite hit as much. EDIT: Upon repeat listening, the less immediate tracks have wormed their way in, and I now love them.
I've always had mixed feelings about Radiohead and this album doesn't help. Some of the tracks sound like the soundtrack to some pyschological horror movie and/or mental breakdown. Not as commercial as some of their other albums.
4.6 - Great album
This is a great Radiohead album, and it has a bit more identity than I expected. Still though… we don’t need it on the list - it doesn’t have the same importance has OK Computer or Kid A or In Rainbows or even The Bends. The drums on There, There are so good though. Most underrated Radiohead single. Probably my favourite collection of Radiohead song titles. Fave Tracks: 2+2=5, Sit Down Stand Up, There There, A Wolf at the Door 4/5
ehhh
3- sonically this album is a 5. However thom Yorkes annoying voice is a 1. Overall enjoyment of the album is a 3
nice chill vibes
Beautiful, complex, and, like all of their material, endlessly fascinating. Perhaps not as deeply memorable as some of their other work, but always a worthwhile listen.
My initial though...ugh Radiohead again. So I took a deep breath, regrouped and said, yay Radiohead, so I could give it a fair shot. Somehow I feel like they have such meaningful lyrics and dumb and repetitive lyrics at the same time. Says and the raindrops for half the song and then I will eat you alive, there will be no more lies for another. Which makes them so hard for me to like or dislike. I like Backdrifts, Going to Sleep, and There, There. But overall I don't get the total love and almost worshipness of them. On kind of a random tangent...I get it the song is complaining about W Bush and invading Iraq and the war on terror. I am not ever going defend W and the Merica dream, but I do find interesting that he bases the whole album on that and people following along like sheep. Yes W was the figurehead and a lot of people followed like sheep, but your country didn't "fall into the lie," they benefited from it, they wanted to do it as well, they knew there were no weapons...yes W was a problem, but it wasn't jus us, so in a way in retrospect this feels a little bit of money grabby and trying to jump on a bandwagon to make an album to just make money at Merica's expense.
It was an interesting album from a song writing and sound engineering perspective. Very creative. Things get so fuzzy and static charged that it's like they are inventing a new genre of ASMR rock. I think it's not an album that I take to right away but there's a lot going on here and probably deserves quite a few more listens for me to really get my ears in it. Kind of a break through for me listening to this album cuz I started thinking about the band's music more from a jazz or art perspective than from a traditional "alt-rock" genre. Sound painting.
This album was an interesting revisit because it is my least favorite Radiohead album and least listened to for several reasons. It came out at a particularly bad point in my life so it just conjures up bad memories. Second, it always felt rushed out and slapped together rather than so thoroughly thought through like the previous 4 albums. The tracklisting feels out of order. Lastly, this feels like a greatest hits album from a parallel universe. These songs range from The Bends rockers to the more experimental art pieces of Amnesiac, to the paranoid meditations of OK Computer to the pretty otherworldly compositions of Kid A. Problem is those albums did all of that way better. At the end of the day though, a less than perfect Radiohead album is still better than 99% of everything else out there. Hail To The Thief has many great moments. There There is the best song here, Sail To The Moon is a sister to Pyramid Song, whose otherworldly perfection still astounds. Sit Down Stand Up works its way towards electronic climax, and Scatterbrain and A Wolf At The Door end the album on a sublime, artistic note. A Punch Up At A Wedding is uninspiring. Its rightful place is in B-side land. And Jesus Christ, We Suck Young Blood is still God-awful! I understand it’s meant to be ghoulish, but damn. If Radiohead set out to produce the most irritating and grating song to ever exist, they succeeded with in every conceivable way. This review would be entirely different if you took those two songs off and rearranged the others. Call me spoiled, but after witnessing the supernaturally great run Radiohead had from The Bends through Kid A, and Amnesiac by association to it, I’d hoped they’d just keep getting better and better. This was the first time Radiohead proved they were human and not aliens creating a new musical art form.
I have a deep appreciation for Radiohead, but I don't love everything they do. This one was middle of the road. I like the emotion and the themes in the album, but a lot of the songs felt kind of flat and boring. Their experimentation is always interesting, but this one didn't really hit the mark for me.
I didn't expect how electronic this was, from drums all the way to synth and laser sound effects. There's even lots of atmospheric and textured layers throughout songs that lean more towards rock/alternative. I've mentioned this in other reviews, but I love synchopation and atypical rhythms/polyrythms and we have some of that in a lot of these songs. There's songs that feel like they don't stay in the same time, I assume it's on purpose or I'm wrong though. Super interesting, not really what I was expecting, low 4s because some of the electronic stuff did sorta drag on and mix together. It's made me interested to listen to more of their stuff and see how they evolved from their first few albums into this one.
Radiohead full albums just never do it for me. It is like a lesser newer King Crimson with a whinny voice. I do think they would be interesting live.
I love sad music but, not like this.
Radiohead is hit or miss for me, and this one was a big miss. Was it 16 songs or one long confusing noisy mashup designed to make me sleepy. Everything sounded pretty much the same. Pablo Honey, The Bends, Ok Computer, and In Rainbows would have all been better choices than this dud.
Whenever I hear Radiohead, I think to myself "Self, you should listen to more Radiohead." In Rainbows is the only album I REALLY know, and that one is incredible. These are good tunes. When it was over, I could have spun it again. I probably could have listened to it all day, but no tracks really grabbed me. Didn't really get the allegory of the US election or whatever, but maybe I could unpack that on more listens.
Obvious musicianship, as always with Radiohead. But I can't relax around this kind of falsetto harmonization unless it's Art Garfunkel (or maybe Axl Rose!). The great songs remain good. The rest can be difficult.
Not their best work, but a few decent songs. Overall pretty melancholy, whiny, and slow even by Radiohead standards.
There, There. Go to Sleep and think of this album.
Boring, repetitive and pretentious.
Look, I find elements of Hail To the Thief cool and very unique sonically but god, is it a drag to listen to. It's the same type of feeling I get when everyone is crowded by a film in a museum; it's fun for a few minutes but is pretty boring to sit with for long.
Don't mind Radiohead - Where I End and You Begin is probably my favorite for this album :) Album as a whole isn't too bad, very much background music though nothing special.
Oh god - I thought I was going to enjoy this one, but was not to be. Made me feel so sleepy and tired. Really nothing to write about - just blah really.
I might rate this higher on a re-listen.
I don't love the main guy's voice. I do like this artsier rock though.
This is Radiohead being Radiohead. Loud, sensitive, meandering, avant-guarde, the works. No one track grabbed me, which isn’t typical for their albums - but instead the whole thing washed over me.
I thought this would be a hard one to rate. This is a great album with plenty of bangers, including some of their most straightforward & accessible made this side of 2000, but it's generally not considered to be top-tier Radiohead. I remember liking it a lot on release, but in my mind it stands in the shadow of the albums found on either side of it. It also *feels* front-loaded to me even though there's plenty of good stuff in the back half as well. Maybe it's the sequencing, maybe it's the fact that Scatterbrain is pretty weak, and I've never been huge on Wolf at the Door either. I had to go back and bump my 4 rating to a 5. It might not be Radiohead's best, but it certainly deserves a top-tier placement among the 1000+ albums here.
Not my fav album of theirs but I still love it so
They say it ain’t as good as the best but they lie.
Remember when this album was supposed to be a jab at George W Bush because people thought he stole the 2000 election? Look how far we came. Anyway, Radiohead is like U2 where each album is a different direction taken in music. Hail to the Thief was a little polarizing for being so different at the time, but after a revisit now it feels comfortable. 4/5
I decided that this had to be one I played on my full system and not just on my phone or AirPods. Absolutely worth it. I was a fan of early Radiohead but have sort of sat back and wondered that the big deal was with later records. Properly listening to this one was key. A lot of very interesting stuff is happening on this record. Well worth the listen.
Of course, the last album I listened to I talked about bad Radiohead, and now I am given a Radiohead album to spite me. But here we go. Couldnt finish it.
Never was a fan of this album despite loving Radiohead. I see glimpses of the aspects I like but overall this is a disappointing showing. Fav Track: There, There
Underrated album in their catalog but one of my favorites.
Too experimental
Veerrrry far from their best work
Fav song was backdrift, I like the funky intro! Sounded like the shit I listened to to clean my room when I was 15 and trying to be alty - tb to my choker stage
Well it’s definitely not in rainbows 😔 🫡 sail 2 the moon does kinda slap tho
Interesting album that I can see myself revisiting Best track: Myxomatosis
Can’t say a thing wrong about this, although not my favourite Radiohead album. I already loved the song There, There but have become a huge fan of Go To Sleep on this listen. Looking forward to some hopefully less angsty and existential albums coming up next bc this really got me in a dark mood lol.
I have listen to Radiohead music before. Listening conditions: First 4 songs driving to work, then the rest of it while making a coffee, and having my breakfast. The second song sounded a bit like a more rocky DnB/edm (I normally dislike drum and bass), which I really liked. All drum and bass should sound like that. "The Gloaming" sounded like popping candy goes off right in my ear gtfooooooo The second half of the album was more familiar radiohead to me. I thought I recognised a few songs but honestly idk. Overall enjoyable listening experience for me and I added a few songs to a playlist I listen to sometimes.
I liked it, but it was far from my favourite album of theirs. I feel like it was missing the soul of the previous albums and at times sounded kinda aimless.
I’ll just never get it
Some people love Radiohead. I, for the life of me, can't understand how or why. I couldn't make it halfway through. Just awful.
I'm not really sure about that. I'll have to relisten when I grow up
Smashing. Immaculate vibes. Fave: Myxomatosis
Love this album, more than most it seems.
8.5 ★★★★
My second favourite Radiohead album. A nice blend of their electronic- and rock styles. 4.5 stars
t's a little long, but there's nothing bad here, and there's some legitimately great tunes like "There There" and "Myxomatosis". I still think it's their weakest album of the 00s, but they still sound like a band at the height of their powers. 4.5
4.5
Possibly not as great as OK Computer but in some ways even better. This is a straightforwardly super collection of glumtastic indie with an extra slollop of icy piano, beats and synths plus a few regular full-throttle rock moments like on the scintillating opener 2+2=5 , strident lead single There, There and folksier Go To Sleep. Myxomatosis towards the backend is another doomy, searing hellscape of a highlight. 4.5 stars because there are a couple of threadbare moments like on I Will and Scatterbrain but I would be inclined to round this up to 5.
some songs bored me however there are a few absolute slaperoonies. I think it was good to hear more than just creep. Truly if someone reminds me of it myxomatosis will play at my funeral.
Great! Love me some Radiohead.
Blah
I love Radiohead literally always. It’s so good and I love to listen to albums I haven’t heard before. Cos like obviously I’ve heard in rainbows and the bends and ok computer because duh. But I haven’t heard this one before and I’m a fan because it’s just Radiohead. They have a distinct sound that I love. This album did have some funky noises that messed with me and made my ears kinda hurt but that’s ok because I love the singers voice and the sound of the band.
It’s not a 5 star Radiohead album but it’s definitely a 4 star. Very good I think just not as good as the excellent ones…
Radiohead at their most political and musically diverse, mixing elements of electronic and rock. Few dud tracks in the middle. Best tracks: - Myxomatosis - 2 + 2 = 5 - There, There Worst tracks: - The Gloaming - We Suck Young Blood Rating: 7/10
Not my “cup of tea”. . .at all.
Radiohead is a band that everyone reccomeded to me for years, but I could never get into. I'm glad I finally took the time to dive into this album because I enjoyed it a lot - the songs often lead up to a wall of sound that is always satisfying to me. I only went though the album once and I'm exited to listen through again.
Not the best radiohead album but better than most albums on this list.
Production is ok not my thing
I don't love this album, but i don't hate this album either. Honestly, i think this is one of those albums that only exists, and it is pretty small compared to "the holy trinity" of Radiohead albums (OK Computer, Kid A and In Rainbows). Even when this album hits the spot, it awkwardly misses right after. Ironic, 'cause i use to consider this one of my favourites by them, despite certain duds of pure beeps and boops (looking at you, "We Suck Young Blood," "Sit Down, Stand Up," "Backdrifts" and the crown of shit, "The Gloaming") But what truly redeems this album are the singles. Oh my God, "There There" and "2+2=5" are some of the best songs in the Radiohead catalog. Also, the experimental rap of "A Wolf At The Door" deserves your love as well, and "Where I End And You Begin" is a peak example of techno + guitar-driven music. From a political view, we could argue that this collection of songs directly or indirectly conveys a "fuck Bush" kind of thing, considering the title and context. Yet some of the lyrics are lavishly idiotic and repetitive, particularly from Thom, someone i regard as one of the best songwriters of his generation...