Hail To the Thief
“That’s a nice way to start, Jonny,” mutters Thom Yorke, backed by the introductory blast of feedback on “2 + 2 = 5”. It’s a fitting opening for *Hail to the Thief*, a sixth record that sees Radiohead relinquish some of their trademark fastidiousness for something more rough-hewn, spontaneous, and freeform. It’s an approach that, in keeping with the atmosphere of political turmoil, yields skittering, richly complex songs that perhaps peak with the heady, bitter march of “There, There”.
When ‘OK Computer’, Radiohead‘s third album, swept aside all competition in 1997’s end of year polls, it did so for a good reason.
Radiohead’s Hail To the Thief is a product of its moment: recorded in late 2002, during the American and British governments’ slow, inevitable march to Iraq, of which lead singer Thom Yorke was an outspoken opponent.
AllMusic provides comprehensive music info including reviews and biographies. Get recommendations for new music to listen to, stream or own.
The album sits comfortably somewhere in between the computer-generated Kid A and the prog-rock splendor of OK Computer.