Hail to The Thief

by Radiohead
(Album)



JAMES says:

Yeah! Radiohead Rock Man! Like beer that makes you wittier and more erudite the more you drink (no, wait, that is beer), this album manages to combine killer tunes with a sophisticated world view that permeates all tracks. A critique of the modern world of corporate greed and exploited innocence, Thom Yorke fashions a mood of impotence in the face of the world. However, this leads not to angry ‘I’ll get you Bush!’-style fist shaking at the naughty world, but to a kind of mellow resignation, as witnessed by the relaxed vibe of songs such as ‘There There’ and ‘Sail to the Moon’. Radiohead manage to skilfully produce an album that is more than just a collection of songs but a unified whole, without coming out with a concept album. Apart from ‘Drunken Punch Up at a Wedding’ which really does seem to be about just a drunken punch-up at a wedding. Maybe I’m just naive. Combine this with catchy tunes that are beautiful without being clichéd and you have one hell of an album. Sounds great on headphones, and you’ll still be noticing new stuff on the hundredth listen.

8.8/10

NEILL says:

Personally, I've never understood any of Radiohead's lyrics. I am, after all, the guy who thought that 'No Surprises' contained the classic line "Such a pretty ass, such a pretty garden". (It didn't). Anyway, the point is that I was delighted by 'Drunken Punch Up at a Wedding', which did seem to be quite straightforwardly and categorically about a Drunken Punch Up at a Wedding. Very good!

8.2/10