5/15/2023 0 Comments Hail to the thiefIn this album they managed to combine the experimental elements of their last two contributions with the straightforward forms of their earlier works (especially The Bends and OK Computer).it's like the missing link, but truly this album sounds extremely refreshing and modern. While praising Coldplay and insisting that it's the best rock group that exists at the moment (.forgive them Father.), it's Radiohead the ones who wants to take their musical art one step further. their empathy towards Radiohead is well known. ![]() In Brief: Excellent album!!! Judging by the reviews that have been appeared in the Metacritic so far, I really didn't expect from most In Brief: Excellent album!!! Judging by the reviews that have been appeared in the Metacritic so far, I really didn't expect from most of "professional reviewers" to treat it fairly. Persevere in getting to know the songs intimately, and be rewarded with the emotional power and musicianship of Radiohead at their very best. Of all their studio albums, Hail to the Thief is likely the most difficult to digest and comprehend, but to do so is certainly worth it. ![]() The Upshot: All these factors combine to make an album that's success is due to the right mix of original sonic experimentation and elements from their previous albums. Stand Up, the soaring slowness of Sail to the Moon, and pure vocal harmonies in I Will. Hail to the Thief also has its share of Radiohead's signature melancholic beauty, in the piano and glockenspiel opening of Sit Down. However, there are plenty of nods to previous albums in Hail to Thief Johnny Greenwood's shimmering octave-up guitar effects on Sail to the Moon are reminiscent of Subterranean Homesick Alien, and his playing on Go To Sleep could easily belong on The Bends. As ever, Radiohead are breaking a lot of new ground here, as is especially apparent in tracks like A Wolf at the Door, and the dance-like Backdrifts. Given this, it is no wonder there is a lot going on, sonically. The fact that O'Brien and Greenwood have picked up their guitars again as well as the band continuing to use electronic sounds means that Hail to the Thief can be likened to Radiohead around the time of The Bends/Ok Computer playing at the same time as Radiohead circa Kid A. Not only does this mean that more plays are needed to get to grips with, and appreciate, the power of the songs and their many subtleties, but also that listening to Hail to the Thief is exhausting - a result of the dense texture combined with a sense of melancholy and heaviness that saturates the 14 tracks. ![]() Compared with the sparser textures of Kid A and Amnesiac, which made these records more accessible despite the music's experimental nature, Hail to the Thief is thick with sound and heavily layered. It would appear that many of the lukewarm or negative reviews of Hail to the Thief have more to do with the density of this album.
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