Well, I am glad Radiohead plan to ditch the old nostalgic stuff and move forward.

Still, I enjoyed the album a lot, but it was nothing really 'new'. More of a look back at old stuff they've done. Probably the first Radiohead album I've felt wasn't better than the one preceeding it. Still, great album.

This is a tough, tough listen. The last four songs save the album a bit but as a whole it just didn't excite me too much....

I also listened to this one today. Great CD! Highly recommended....

Okay I was off work today so I listened to the album four times (not all at once) and I have an early feel to it. I get a vibe from a previous album on a great amount of the songs. I will let you know about them in the comments.

Take it - I am no reviewer so if the comments sound dumbed down...that isn't a mistake.

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2 + 2 = 5

Not the best song on the album, but it grew on me and I love how Thom breaks into the alternative sound that was on Pablo Honey. 7/10

Sit Down. Stand Up.

This is an absolute killer song. I love the electronica beats in the background. Has a Kid A sound to it. 9/10

Sail to the Moon.

Another great song. It reminds me of How to Disappear Completely from Kid A. And I really like Thom's piano playing. 9/10

Backdrifts.

This is another killer song! I find it great when Thom says "So full of sleep/I'm backsliding." The beats along with Thon's voice are out of this world. IMO, it would sound great after Knives Out on Amnesiac. 10/10

Go To Sleep.

This could go way back to The Bends. Love the guitar. 8/10

Where I End And You Begin.

Love the opening but this is my least favorite song on the cd. Also reminds me of The Bends. 6/10

We suck Young Blood.

Like the clapping effect in the background and Thom soars on this song. This is a total Amnesiac song. 8/10

The Gloaming.

Amnesiac all the way. Thom's voice saves this song from being my least favorite. 7/10

There. There.

The only song that sounds like it could come from the Ok Computer era. Another great killer song. Love Philip's drumming (the ending is, again, killer) 10/10

I will.

A great "short" song, but it could have been longer. Thom vocals and Ed's backup vocal are top notch. Again it could have reached How to Disappear Completely proportions. 8/10

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At this point is where I think the album goes into its own (but the rest of the cd is on par)

A Punchup at a Wedding.

My abosulte favorite song on the album (so far after one day ). The phat ass beats along with the piano only add to Thom's exceptional voice on this track. Damn it! I cannot stop playing this one. 10/10

Myxomatosis.

Again, killer song. I read the lyrics before listening to the song and I was amazed how such a silly (not in a bad way) concept could be made into such a sick song. 10/10

Scatterbrain.

Such a great "little" song. My mom actually heard this one and she liked it (and that says a lot). I love it. 9/10

A Wolf at the Door.

Great closing track - as Radiohead is notorious for that. Philip is such a great drummer. Thom's voice sounds so distinctive in this song. Love when he sings "Get the eggs get the flan in/the face the flan in the face/the flan in the face." And I love the chorus. 9/10

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This was only after one day, but this album has really grown on me fast. And who knows -- Where I end and you Begin might be my favorite song off the album in a couple of days. That's what makes Radiohead so great.

I was the first one in line on Tuesday at my local Tower for this album and it was well worth losing my parking spot at school for.
I've been listening to Hail to the Thief non-stop since Tuesday and it's safe to say that it's my 3rd favorite Radiohead album. When I first got the leaked tracks, I was amazed and said that HTTT was my 2nd favorite album, above Kid A. But while waiting for the new album, I listened to the old albums and found that Kid A was a freaking masterpiece that was better than I thought. (well it was already my 2nd favorite album but now it's the clear no.2). Enough ranting.

Here is my track by track review of Hail to the Thief (conscience beat me to it, darn suspension )

1. 2+2=5-Continuing the Radiohead tradition of having a stunning opener and trying for the rest of the album to live up to it, "2+2=5" is one of the best Radiohead songs I've ever heard. It's at least as good as an opening song as "Airbag" and "Everything in it's right place" and that's saying a lot. Key moment: "Don't question my authority or put me in a box (or in the dock)!" Grade:A

2. Sit Down.Stand Up-One of my early favorites, SDSU is plain awesome. I love the rain effect at the beginning and the climax is amazing. Key moment: the climax, of course. A

3. Sail to the Moon-Thom's song to his son Noah (hence, "and in flood, you'll build an ark), this song is beautiful. I think it's better than Pyramid Song (which I think is one of the most overrated Radiohead songs ever). Key Moments: "How MUUUUUUUUUUUCH..." and "Know RIIIIIIIIIIGHT..." Thom's voice is just awesome during those parts. B+

4. Backdrifts-One of my least favorites. The lyrics are great but there's something about the melody that doesn't sound quite right, IMO. Key moment: "Huh Huh!" C

5. Go to Sleep -The guitars are back! Great choice as second single because fans of the Bends will love this one. Key moment: Guitar solo. B

6. Where I end and you Begin -Pitchfork said this one sounds like U2. Darn, if U2 sounded this good, I'd be their no.1 fan. Finally, a love song, the first since Lucky. Gotta love "The National Anthem"-like effects. Great lyrics. Key Moment: "X'll mark the place, like the parting of the waves, like a house faaaaaaaalling into the sea". A

7. We Suck Young Blood. Didn't like it the first time I heard it and don't really like it now. The climax is great and all that but the build up is tedious. WSYB is like doing a fat woman, you know you're going to get a climax but getting there is the problem... Key Moment: The piano climax, which saves this song from getting a D. C-

8. The Gloaming. Awesome song. I'm a big fan of the Amnesiac B-Sides and this one sounds similar to them. Key Moment: "They should be reigning (raining?)" B

9. There There. Another love song! (yay!). This is the quintessential Radiohead song. Memorable guitar riff, self-loathing lyrics (at a certain degree), Thom's voice shining (the second Just cause you feel it after the 2nd verse), the Radiohead quirkiness (3 drum sets), great Jonny solo and multiple movements (including a SICK second part). My 2nd favorite track on the album. Key Moment: (without headphones)"There's always a siren singing you to shipwreck". (with headphones) When the 2nd part comes in. A

10. I Will. Short and beautiful. Key Moment: The whole damn song.A

11. A Punch Up at a wedding The bassline on this one is great and Thom's voice is awesome. The piano,which couldn't be heard on the unmastered version, shines here. Key Moment: The intro A

12. MyxomatosisThis song is plain SICK! The Sammy "Airbag". ("Airbag" on steroids...) The chorus has to be one of the most memorable ones in Radiohead history. Key Moment: the whole thing A

13. Scatterbrain After a streak of masterpieces, the album comes to a sudden halt with this song. The lyrics are great (probably the best on the album) but the melody is too generic, especially coming off the monster that is Myxomatosis. Key moment: "Your voice is rattling on my window sill", which is my favorite line from the album. C

14. A Wolf at the Door My favorite song on the album, by a substantial margin. The melody is just incredible, the best closing "song" by Radiohead (not the best closer in terms of album though, "The Tourist" owns that title). Key Moment: When Thom sings "no no no no" and it's only his voice and the superb melody. A

Overall (not an average): A-

Last comments: Hail to the Thief is easily the best album of the year so far and will probably end up being my favorite for the year (well any Radiohead album is my favorite for that particular year...).

I've only listened to it once today, on the way to work, and I really don't know what I think about it yet. I like it, but I haven't made up my mind in comparison to the albums.

Only listened to the first 4 tracks so far... I thought the first song kicked major booty... but then the next 3 kind of hit a snooze button in my brain. I'll dig in more when I get back in my car.

I feel like I can't make up my mind about a Radiohead album in only a few days. Give me a month or so and I'll know better... I didn't know what to make of "Kid A" at first but over time it's become my favorite of theirs. Lots of great songs and amazing moments here, tho. Will be great to get lost in the soundscapes.

I can't tell if this is really my second favourite Radiohead album (OK Comp, of course, being #1) or it's just the giddy thrill of having *new* Radiohead. I held off on downloading the album when the MP3s leaked, because I heard they weren't the final mixes.

Mine too.

Have been listening to this one for about three months now, since the leak.

The album version is only slightly different. Some songs are a little shorter, tighter. The mixes are better. 2+2=5 and Myxomatosis are the only two that underwent major revisions.

And the addition of that harmony part during the chorus of "A Wolf At the Door" is just gorgeous.

The single is growing on me, especially the second half.

-- Jough

Nevermind, this song has grown on me a lot today for some reason. New grade: B
lol.

Awesome CD. Picked it up at Best Buy today. The ghetto Circuit City here was sold out. The probably only got in 10 copies or something. They have like a row and a half or rock and like 10 rows of rap/rb.

I'll have to listen to it a lot more before trying to compare it to there albums.

After one thorough listening with the lyrics in front of me, 2+2=5, Sit Down, Stand up, Myxomatosis, and Wolf at the Door really jumped out as killer songs. There were no songs I disliked though.

I really dislike "We Suck Young Blood" - I mean, I could handle it the first dozen times or so, but now it just grates on me. It's an instant skipper.

-- Jough

I just can't get enough of this disc. Simply amazing.

Where I End and You Begin is my current favorite. Just a killer song. I love how the bass line and drums kick in in the begginning, and the guitar riff in the middle is killer, as is the "X will mark the place" verse.

I love the album. The top five tracks:

1. The Gloaming
2. There There
3. Backdrifts
4. A Punchup at a Wedding
5. Myxamatosis

Don't bother arguing with me. I'm right.

I love We Suck Young Blood and even mentioned to a friend that it sounded like a drunken New Orleans funeral dirge and now I see that's how Pitchfork described it as well.

I've listened to the album somewhere around 20 times since I got it and I'd rank it up there with Kid A and OK Computer. Easily the best album I've heard this year.

It's definitely better than anything else out there right now, but it's no where near OK Computer. It *may* be just above Kid A on my list, though:

1. OK Computer
2. Hail to the Thief
3. Kid A
4. The Bends
5. Pablo Honey
6. Amnesiac

But if you get rid of the filler on Amnesiac, and make it an EP, it may rise up a step or two.

And the best songs on "Hail to the Thief" are:

1. A Wolf at the Door
2. 2 + 2 = 5
3. There There
4. Where I End and You Begin
5. Go to Sleep

There can be no disagreement, as this is an objective list based on song quality, and not simply my favourites.

-- Jough

Uh........no.

What's your problem? Sounds pretty scientific to me... I mean, it's "song quality" folks, can't argue with the facts!

from pitchforkmedia.com

Frontman Thom Yorke has told Xfm that the newly released Hail to the Thief could be Radiohead's last album, citing the difficulties and pressure surrounding making a cohesive statement. He says the band would like to resort, instead, to releasing only EPs from here on out: "When you're finishing a record, you have to confront the idea of what it's called, and there's no getting away from the fact that people are gonna be reacting in such a way... I think next I'd love to just do EPs 'cause I've had enough of this whole album thing and that sort of level of pressure and scrutiny and the way that it works in the music business."<hr>

Interesting idea......but I somehow doubt it will pan out this way.

BBP

The album has gotten better with repeated listening but "We Suck Young Blood" may be one of the worst songs I've ever heard from any band...

My top five:

Of course just my opinion. I don't know where these other guys get off saying their lists are for everyone. Yeah. sure.

1. A Punch up at a Wedding.
2. There There
3. Myxomatosis
4. Backdrifts
5. Sail to the Moon

Thom says a lot of things...

Through various forums I've read so many glowing reviews of Hail to the Thief, and the negatives seem to be the exception from what I read.

After a few listens (granted most albums I tend to need to warm up to), I'm just not feeling it. Compared to "OK Computer" and "The Bends", I was disappointed by "Kid A" and "Amnesiac". However, they made 2 albums that I have grown to love. They made the sound of these 2 albums seem effortless, a "stream-of-consciousness", if you will, process.

My first impressions of "Hail to the Thief" is that they were actually trying and it sounds like it. Many people have referred to this as a "transition" record and perhaps that's what it is. They're finding a new voice and by the judge of it they haven't found it. Everything is muddy, it's like they're trying to balance the old with the new and for me it's not meshing.

Upon further listens, I've tried to hear, to feel, to see what everyone else is guffawing about - - which makes me start to believe in a Radiohead Fanboy Syndrome.

Sorry, friends . . . I'm close to throwing this with Massive Attack's 100th Window as the most disappointing record of 2003 for me.

Duck and running . . .

Nah, Blur's new album is the most disappointing of 2003...

I was a little disappointed with HTTT. It's pretty good, but not *great*, not *classic*, and I was hoping for more from Radiohead.