Go Tell The King That The Sky Is Falling In (Hail To The Thief - Radiohead)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Hail To The Thief - Radiohead
Date:	12/08/03 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A much better step on in the Radiohead albums

Disadvantages: That Amnesiac was in between this and Kid A

So the last month has seen Radiohead release there 6th full length album and after the disaster that was Amnesiac they really needed to pull something out the bag. To be honest Tom Yorke has almost managed it and Radiohead after a brief de-railment they have got back on track and are once again on track. Hail To The Thief in terms of gauge falls between Kid A and Ok Computer as an album, with bits of the Bends and Pablo Honey thrown in to make it sound even better.

I shall warn you now for all those people who do not like long reviews that this shall be on and if you don’t like long op’s then maybe you should stop reading here. So without further a do lets get on with it. Radiohead are an Oxford based band made up of:

Thom Yorke: Vocals, Guitar, Paino
Jonny Greenwood: Guitar
Colin Greenwood: Bass
Ed O’Brien: Guitar
Philip Selway: Drums

The first track on the album, “2 + 2 = 5“, really opened up my eyes to the new sound of Radiohead and just what is to come from Yorke and the lads. It opens with some distortion before the guitars come in then the vocals slowly and haunting. The guitar sounds like it's been lifted from Ok Computer and had a bit of work done to it to add an extra edge to it. Just when you think Yorke's vocals are going to drift on at the same pace the song opens up with the guitar and drums kicking it into life.

"Go and tell the King that,
the sky is falling in,
When its not"

The song continues on this sort of path before abruptly coming to a halt and really shaking thinks up from the expectation. The signs of old Radiohead mixed with new are plain to see throughout this track. The next track, “Sit Down, Stand Up” opens almost straight out of the abrupt stop to the last track using a sample of the drums beating before the guitars come in faintly and the vocals arrive shortly after singing the title of the song. Vocally there
isn’t much to this song as the same lines are repeated over the top of a superb guitar and drum combination, a superb relaxation song.

This carries on for the majority of the track before you sense something really building up ready to almost blow you away. And that isn’t long in coming as it builds quicker and quicker before Yorke comes in with the simple line of The Raindrops over the top of a synthesised, sampled beat. This carries on till the end of the song. Following another abrupt track ending comes “Sail To The Moon” another track showing a third style to Radiohead for this album. it opens with a slow Piano intro along with the guitar before the drums come in. The slow mellow vibe of the song is in evidence from the start with Thom’s vocals not coming in after a lengthy intro.

“Or in the flood you’ll
build an Ark
And Sail us to the Moon”

The vocals are quite dark and haunting, with a slightly muffled sound to them, but still sound very much like a Radiohead track of old. Yorke’s voice lifts to the high notes and matches the lyrics in perfectly with the slow meandering pace of the guitars, drum and piano. We are then treated to the different styling of “Backdrifts” another change of Direction and an intro that sounds like it came more from Amnesiac. The intro kicks off with something that sounds like the DR Who theme tune mixed in and then the vocals and drums join in after a small gap in the sample. The vocals again sound a bit muffled but muffled in a The Bends kind of way.

“This far but no further
I’m hanging on the brink”

The sample from the beginning carries on throughout the track joined in places by the drums but even they take the odd break. The song is slightly odd but it really gets into your head and leaves a distinctive mark to make sure you remember it. Obviously written to sound a lot darker than other trac
ks, it has certainly succeeded.

The fifth track on the album is “Go To Sleep” a song that oddly enough last night made me do just that. It opens with a guitar and bass playing an introduction before Yorke comes in with the vocals, this time a lot clearer and that certainly helps as the lyrics on this song are actually really good. Really opening the album up a bit this song is a bit more upbeat with the guitars playing a much bigger part than on the last track.

“Something for the rag &
bone man,
Over My Dead Body”

The guitar carries it along well, with a solid, almost undetected drumbeat really adding a bit of pace to the track. The lyrics along with the track are well written and are another example of Radiohead finding their way again. So after that offering we move onto another sample induced track starting with a haunting sound we have come to “Where I End You Begin”. The song has a long intro with the drums joining in with the sample leading to almost a minute into the song before the vocals come in. Again the sample carries on with a good drumbeat accompanying it. Again we find the vocals are quite dark and haunting but sound amazing due to the backing they are getting.

After that we come to “We Suck Young Blood” another of the bizarre song titles dreamt up by Yorke and the boys. It opens with the piano on its own for about half a minute before Thom Yorke comes in with echoing slow vocals just over the piano. The bass is playing a small part but nothing significant in the track. An odd clapping track seems to accompany the vocals and piano but nothing else really makes it stand out until near the end where the drums and guitars come in and everything gets mixed up for a short burst before returning to the original pace.

This is the weirdest start to a song, with the sound of interference or something drowning out before it builds back in with the bass and drum
s to get “The Gloaming” underway. It sounds a bit like Idioteque from Kid A, with a sort of dance techno fell to it. The vocals sort of drift past you again with a haunting dark edge but again like on other tracks, Yorke’s voice really gets into your head and stays there and after a couple of listens this does become a good track.

Next up we come to the first single taken from the album, the superb “There There” was the first taste we got of the new Radiohead sound. Although the video follows the Radiohead bizarre route the song is actually really good and now probably my joint favourite on the album. It starts with a drumbeat and the guitars leading in to the vocals, which are quite away into the track. The vocals are quiet but that actually adds to the striking effect they have when they do arrive.

“Steer away from those rocks,
We’d be a walking disaster”

The guitars play the biggest part in this providing a great sound with the drums moving it along with a decent beat. Yorke’s vocals and his writing ability really shine through on tracks like this one and are the reason why people love to hate Radiohead, because he can pull things like this off. Leading on from There There comes “I Will” another slower track but this time the vocals get it underway. A slow guitar tune joined straight away by slow vocals let you know the song has started. This is where the album losses its way a little because although this is a decent enough song it is maybe a bit too much of the Haunting style tracks.

With only 4 tracks to go we come up to another strange title for a song in “A Punchup At A Wedding”. It opens with a slow drumbeat joined fairly quickly by the guitar and bass with the piano also in there. The vocals come in with just a sort of drone to start with before the proper vocals actually get underway a minute into the track. This is another decent track a
nd one of the first i liked on the album.

“You had to P*** on our Parade,
You had to shred our big day”

The vocals are a little different to the few before it and sound a bit like Ok Computer style vocals mixed with superb lyrics and musically a song from early Radiohead. A good beat accompanied by some skilful guitar playing make for a quality song.

Again we come across a song with a strange name this time we have “Myxomatosis”. It starts with a much quicker louder guitar and drumbeat combination getting the song going on a much quicker pace than most of the album. Thom comes in drowning a little but with the lyrics this sounds like the best way to sing them as otherwise they just wouldn’t sound right. This is another track that you probably wont have heard Radiohead do anything like before.

Next up we have the superbly titled “Scatterbrain”, which to be honest really describes the way I seem to be since coming back off holiday. This is another favourite, it starts with a guitar and drumbeat for a little way before the vocals come in to join them for a quicker pace than the last few tracks. The vocals are strong and clear and the sound of Ok Computer in them.

“Yesterdays headlines,
Blown by the wind”

It runs along with a faster paced guitar but Yorke’s vocals seem to give it a slower mellower feel to it than it would ordinarily have. A good all round track that is ideal for relaxing on a Saturday night with the Barbie on. The final track on the album is “A Wolf At The Door”. It kicks of with the keyboard sample and then the drums coming in followed closely by the vocals, which are quite quiet again. The lyrics again are suited perfectly to the music and Thom’s vocals really help to make them stand out.

“Get The eggs in the Flan in,
the face the flan in the face”

The lyrics in places are a li
ttle bizarre in places in the song but musically again it is a solid track with a mixture of the styles lifted from each track.

So there we go that is the new Radiohead album, a quality musical experiment that unlike Amnesiac has not blown up in there face. The album is well worth the £8.99 from CD-wow especially if your a fan of the band and are a little dubious. Not really much more i can say as your probably all bored to death.

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