Ok, what do you think about Hail to the Thief ? I can't believe I'm the one starting this thread, because I'm not even a Radiohead fanatic. But I think it's a kickass album. Thom sounds more human than he has in years & there are even shades of (gasp) Beck & Mercury Rev. It also reminds me of what U2 could have made if they hadn't become so obsessed with a commercial sound, or stopped taking drugs, or whatever happened to them. I did not expect to like this album so much. Maybe I'll try to see them in ATL?

I wish I could have used "pasty limeys" in my response, but I voted for best of the new millenium.

I'm actually listening to it right now! I believe it ranks just below The Bends and OK Computer. I'm very pleased with this one. You should totally go see them in Atlanta, Lauren.

(Edited by carligula at 4:43 pm on Jun. 17, 2003)

Modern masterpiece.... maybe my favorite Radiohead album, in fact. Closely tied with OKC and Amnesiac if not... but in the same league as my favorite Radiohead albums in any case.

Will

I really enjoy this album. It keeps my attention the whole way through. I'm still not sure how it ranks against the others though.

I'd put it just below OK Computer & above The Bends. But I don't even own any of the others.

I'm going with Carl on this one, but depending on my mood, I might agree with Lauren...

if anyone else has mtv2, their $2 bill is on live right now.

new mil.

I wish I had mtv2, I might go to my friends house and watch it, but he's not home, oh well he doesn't care

I bought it, but haven't unwrapped it yet. I've got some other things to listen to first. I'll let you know what I think when I get to it. I'll tell you, though, I keep hearing the single and it sounds better and better.

Though I don't want to go into the MTV2 thing and how upset I am about my circumstances seeing it, I will say that I was amazed at how "There There" comes off live: with three drummers, a bassist, and Thom Yorke singing and playing guitar. I love that they have songs where three of them drum, songs where three of them play guitars, and songs where three of them play keyboards. You can't feel like there's a void of talent on stage with that sort of thing going on.

Will

I love the album and it takes several listens (as usual with Radiohead) for some of the other songs to really start sinking in. I really can't get a song like "Scatterbrain" out of my head. I love the melody and the guitar. I love the odd time signatures which has obviously become a Radiohead trademark.

And about that MTV2 concert... as an editor, I was pretty upset with it. Of course, why am I not surprised with the way an MTV production edits something... but still I thought they'd at least use the right shots from time to time. The mix was bad as well. Still, the band shined through. Paranoid Android and Karma Police were a good one-two punch. The show ended, though, with them not only putting credits over one of Radiohead's (or should i say Thom's since he does it solo?) prettiest songs, but also cutting off True Love Waits. Bastards.

I picked "better than pablo honey, but..." because I feel that though this record has some amazing stuff on it, it has some pretty bad stuff on it too. "2+2=5" is pretty undeniable, though some of the vocal harmonies are kind of lame; "sit down stand up" is cool, "sail to the moon" is cool too. After that though, the album kind of hits a rut. "Backdrifts" sounds like a bad Bjork reject, "go to sleep" is okay, "where i end and you begin" is alright, though yorke recycles a lyric from "optimistic" about "dinosaurs roam the earth" in it. The next good track is "we suck young blood"; Radiohead at their creepiest. The next three, "the gloaming", "there there", "i will" are all good. "A Punchup at a Wedding" is awful. It sounds like bad hippie music. "Myxomatosis" sucks. The use of a cool bass tone wasn't enough to save that turd. "Scatterbrain" is great. "A Wolf at the Door," the only track with music penned exclusively by Johnny, is without a doubt the best track on the album and one of the best Radiohead songs in years. Very soundtracky, and I like the fast-picked Godfather guitar work. On the whole, I'd put this record on par or maybe a little above Amnesiac. Both records are spotty and lack cohesion though each has its amazing moments. They both have some shitters too. And I don't buy that this record "sounds more like OK Computer." It doesn't. All that said, I'm glad that Radiohead continue to challenge themselves and make interesting music. I think they fall short a lot, but that's a price worth paying when the results are often quite stunning. Oh, and "The Bends" is completely overrated. Come and get me you fuckers!

You best watch your back, punk!

I haven't listened enough to vote yet, but at this point I haven't gotten that excited about it. If The Bends is overrated, then Kid A is...something that is really overrated. Experimentation is good, however, they have now worked with Nigel Godrich on everything since The Bends and I wish they would move on if they truly wanted to explore new territory (not that Godrich isn't a genius, it is just getting played out in my opinion).

i'm just going to waste this time to say that since OK Computer, I feel like Radiohead's albums have made me feel grimier and grimier everytime I listen to them. This isn't a bad thing. OK Computer was so polished, and then the latest efforts have had the heavy heavy reverb on the guitar that makes me feel like the amp is about to give out... I feel like I should be in a bar at 4 p.m. in the middle of the summer where the a/c is broken while i'm listening to them... it's appropo.

now that i think more about it, it actually feels like staying home sick from school with a fever and watching crappy daytime tv.

(Edited by deathscythe257 at 3:14 pm on Jun. 18, 2003)

i agree with neuboy and keith.
if i had not learned from the last two records that the songs grow on you for a while and then all of a sudden you are bored of them and don't listen to them anymore, then i might be excited about the record right now, but i have passed on that rollercoaster this time around.

much props to keith's comment about nigel. to be true to expansion and exploration they should go a different production route next time

myxomatosis does not suck. maybe you are the turd.

You mean the Neil Young song? I kinda like the bass sound & lyrical topic.

You mean the Beck/eels song? I kinda like the "I-don't-know-why-I" part

You mean "She's So Heavy"? The monotone vocals kinda bug me.

Otherwise your opinions are kinda accurate.

I've found that I enjoy listening to the album as a whole more than individual tracks. I think this is a good thing, but doesn't bode well for the longevity of my enjoyment because there are no songs that I'm getting addicted to yet.

This is an interesting thing these songs do... that they can grow on you for a while then suddenly cause boredom. I'd like to know the formula for such gradual, then sudden, reactions in songwriting.

Well, for what it is worth, I think that 2+2=5, Sit Down Stand Up, Go to Sleep, There There, I Will, and A Wolf at the Door are about as good as anything they've ever done, apart perhaps from my few favorites like Street Spirit, Fake PLastic Trees, and True Love Waits. Even Then, I like Sit Down Stand Up that much for some reason. After a few months with the album (and even more with the unmastered version), I'm still not tired of any of it, and its still the Radiohead album that I choose to put on if I need a quick burst of Radiohead, and I think that says something.

Will

"hail to the thief" is merely ok......it only has maybe 6 worthwhile songs on it (but those six songs are worth the price of the cd alone). Myxomatosis is my favorite.

Im sure the album will grow on me, but I've been too caught up in listening to "Sumday" by Grandaddy and revisiting "The Who Sell Out" to give it another shot......

The new Radiohead has grown on me, but I'd still probably put it at "ok." There are three or four songs that I really like, a few that are decent, and some crap. I tend to side with Neuboy on the great Myxomatosis debate. My faves are 2+2=5, There There, and A Wolf At The Door.

I'd vote for "better than Pablo Honey, but..." but I like Pablo Honey, so none of the voting options work for me.

(Edited by Keith at 12:48 pm on Jun. 24, 2003)

Yup me too. Finally, a new album. Did you see them at Exit/In a couple of years ago? They were fantabulous- the show made me a fan.

I just recently got into them. one of my friends had been telling me how awesome they were for about a year. I found "The Sophtware Slump" for 5 dollars at CD Warehouse earlier in the summer and i absolutely love it. "Sumday" is really really good too........

(Edited by ray davies at 4:06 pm on Jun. 27, 2003)

Listening to Sumday as I type this. Pretty good so far (this is my first listen), but I never get into anything right away.

gradual then sudden? i guess with all the hype this band generates in the media and what not - with a first listen i hear things i like, but expect to gradually become classic as i get familiar, but the opposite has happened, the intrigue subdues, and i find myself looking for something else to listen to.

My two favs off this album are There There adn 2+2 =5 I tried to recommend those to people who wanted to check out a few of the new songs.

Okay, I'm in the club now. I got it last night. Pretty good stuff.