OT - New Radiohead

[QuikSand]

Okay, I just purchased and am giving my first listen to the new Radiohead album, Hail to the Thief. I feel like I ought to turn myself in to the police.

Anyone have more serious opinions? Or at least well-seasoned?

For the many of us who were blown away by OK Computer... is that band ever coming back?

[Draft Dodger]

I'm still waiting for the band who did Pablo Honey to come back.

[rexallllsc]

My gf, who lists OK Computer as one of hre all-time favorite albums, has been pretty unenthusiastic about Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail. Shame.

I prefer the Bends...

[dawgfan]

QS, I take it that the record isn't as good as you had hoped? I haven't bought it yet so I can't comment, but FWIW I've grown to really appreciate Kid A and Amnesiac for what they are. Neither is the masterpiece that OK Computer was, but they are both complex and very interesting and ultimately rewarding records in their own right.

I don't know if they'll reach the heights of OK Computer again, but I appreciate that they are a band that seems to be more interested in forging new ground rather than revisiting old triumphs. Give it some time - it may yet grow on you.

[Daimyo]

I love OK Computer, but I also liked Kid A... I didn't purchase Amnesiac or the new one yet though.

From what I've read, HtT is supposed to be a transition album.. so who knows where they are heading in the future.

[cthomer5000]

OK Computer was such a perfect album that I don't think that band can ever come back. That was a group of musicians at their absolute peak. That's Radiohead bringing it's "A game." The Bends was also a damn fine album, but more good on the individual song level - it didn't feel all that connected as an album. I definitely haven't been too enthusiastic about the last 2 albums, and instead only find myself excited by the odd song or two (pyramid song, everything in it's right place)... but they just haven't compared to OK computer.

[HerRealName]

Tuesday - first listen - its ok a few highlights no OK Computer or even Amneciac
Wed - There There is good and Myxomatosis is cool.
Thursday - Starts to grow on me even more.
Friday - Listen to it 3 times at work
Saturday - I wake up with a song in my head so I drive in to work and pick up CD for another listen while mowing the yard.

Then again I'm easily amused. I've been listening to the same Interpol CD regularly for something like a year now.

[QuikSand]

I confess, my first impression was only half way through the album for the first time... and I'm willing to give them time. I, too, liked The Bends a lot, and agree it was a good group of songs, but less of an "album" than OK Computer.

As for the last two (the dual installments of the double album, as I see it), I enjoyed them both a bit... but was (understandably) disappointed. I suspect the truth lies somewhere between my complaint (they can't get back to that zenith) and dawgfan's observation (they are choosing to go in new directions). I think there are elements of both at work.

Heh, one masterpiece is pretty good, I suppose.

[dawgfan]

It may well be that OK Computer proves to be a singular peak in Radiohead's career; however, rock music is dotted with great bands that have achieved multiple peaks during their career with albums of varied style; oftentimes those later peaks don't reveal themselves fully until a bit of time has passed to allow greater perspective to establish itself. For example:

The Rolling Stones:
Early highpoint - Let it Bleed
Later highpoint - Exile on Main Street

Let it Bleed was an instant classic. Exile on Main Street on the other hand wasn't universally recognized as a classic until some time had passed to digest this new direction the Stones had taken.

Some bands produce multiple classics that are recognized as such immediately. For example:

U2:
Early highpoint: War
Middle highpoint: The Joshua Tree
Later highpoint: Achtung Baby

Some bands produce multiple classics in a row. For example:

Pink Floyd:

Early highlight: Dark Side of the Moon
Followed by: Wish You Were Here
Followed by: Animals (though it wasn't universally recognized as such at first)
Followed by: The Wall

Perhaps Radiohead are in the midst of winding their way towards another peak. Perhaps in another decade we'll look back and decide they've produced multiple classics in a row. Time and perspective are funny that way...

[VPI97]

Eh...I didn't think OK Computer was anything more than "good". I have enjoyed Amnesiac, The Bends, and Kid A far more. As for Thief, it's catching on....at the first listen, it was just okay, but it's been growing on me more and more.

Edit-
I think it's just that the direction they have went is far more appealing to me. I didn't become a true fan until Kid A....it was only with more listening that I came to like Pablo, Computer, and The Bends....Amnesiac is my favorite, by far.

[wbonnell]

Interestingly, my favorite Radiohead album is "Amnesiac" followed by "Kid A". Of course, I also enjoy "OK Computer" and "The Bends" though the latter never really sold me emotionally- not like Amnesiac, anyway. As for "Pablo Honey", well let's just say I like the Jerky Boys skit... :)

I first got my hands on "Hail to the Thief" about 3 months ago (it has changed little since then). While there is brilliance to be found ("Go to Sleep" and "A Punchup at a Wedding"), it is holistically a disappointment.

Back to Bach's Brandenburg Concertos....

[wbonnell]

Originally posted by dawgfan


Pink Floyd:

Early highlight: Dark Side of the Moon
Followed by: Wish You Were Here
Followed by: Animals (though it wasn't universally recognized as such at first)
Followed by: The Wall

shiyat- "Meddle" is arguably their best work.

[wbonnell]

Originally posted by dawgfan
QS, I take it that the record isn't as good as you had hoped? I haven't bought it yet so I can't comment, but FWIW I've grown to really appreciate Kid A and Amnesiac for what they are. Neither is the masterpiece that OK Computer was, but they are both complex and very interesting and ultimately rewarding records in their own right.

I don't know if they'll reach the heights of OK Computer again, but I appreciate that they are a band that seems to be more interested in forging new ground rather than revisiting old triumphs. Give it some time - it may yet grow on you.

IMHO, Radiohead has as good a chance as any modern band of being remembered 100 years from now. They are the only non-classical music I listen to anymore.

[dawgfan]

Originally posted by wbonnell
shiyat- "Meddle" is arguably their best work.

I like Meddle a lot as well, but it's a bit uneven - I would consider a lot of Side A as filler. Enjoyable filler, but not great stuff. Echoes is brilliant, as good as anything they've ever done, but as a whole album I think it's a notch below the ones I listed.

[dawgfan]

Originally posted by wbonnell
IMHO, Radiohead has as good a chance as any modern band of being remembered 100 years from now. They are the only non-classical music I listen to anymore.

I think Tool is in a similar position - brilliant music from a group determined to challenge themselves and their audience.

[ShovelMonkey]

IMHO, Radiohead displays an evolution of sorts from their first album to the latest. Someone who really liked the first might not enjoy the others as much due to the fact that the style of Radiohead is always changing.

I enjoy all of them, the creativity displayed in their is something that is sorely lacking in day and age of template bands.

[wbonnell]

Originally posted by dawgfan
I think Tool is in a similar position - brilliant music from a group determined to challenge themselves and their audience.

Tool, huh? I don't know that I've ever heard any of their music. Perhaps I'll check em out. Would you recommend a starting point?

[dawgfan]

Originally posted by wbonnell
Tool, huh? I don't know that I've ever heard any of their music. Perhaps I'll check em out. Would you recommend a starting point?

Well, they're probably not for everyone. Their first album Undertow is probably the most commercial and accessible. It's an intelligent blend of hard rock/metal with some progressive tendencies. Each successive record has delved further into the progressive category - lots of unusual time signatures, extended songs with multiple movements. Aenima is their second album and Lateralus is their most recent. Given their growth as a band I prefer Lateralus, but I think it might be more interesting to discover them in chronological order.

Take all the FWIW...

[QuikSand]

I'm currently living the FOFC life. Perusing the forum, playing $3/$6 hold 'em online, and givnig Hail to the Thief another listen. It's growing on me - especially the second half.

[Daimyo]

I really like this CD now. It took me several listens to really appreciate it, but I like it a lot now (although there are a couple tracks I skip pretty often).

[Leonidas]

Originally posted by dawgfan
Well, they're probably not for everyone. Their first album Undertow is probably the most commercial and accessible. It's an intelligent blend of hard rock/metal with some progressive tendencies. Each successive record has delved further into the progressive category - lots of unusual time signatures, extended songs with multiple movements. Aenima is their second album and Lateralus is their most recent. Given their growth as a band I prefer Lateralus, but I think it might be more interesting to discover them in chronological order.

Take all the FWIW...

To me, Aenima is the metal equivalent to Dark Side of the Moon. A revolutionary piece of work that will never be topped or duplicated. Undertow is very good, but a bit more conventional and closer to the punk scene. Lateralus is very good. Kind of like what Wish You Were Here was to DSoM for the Floyd. Easier on the ears than Aenima, but maybe not quite as good. Still a very fine album.

[Butter]

I think HttT has as many high points as recent Radiohead releases, but the low points are truly awful. Take "We Suck Young Blood" for example. It's barely a song. Worst Radiohead song ever, with the second worst being the Amnesiac version of "Morning Bell". Sometimes they're spectacular, sometimes they're spectacularly awful.

More good than bad for sure, though. Kid A, Amnesiac, and OK Computer are all in my top 20 albums ever.

[ShovelMonkey]

Originally posted by Butter_of_69
I think HttT has as many high points as recent Radiohead releases, but the low points are truly awful. Take "We Suck Young Blood" for example. It's barely a song. Worst Radiohead song ever...


Worst ever? Different people like different things, I guess. Radiohead has displayed such an evolution throughout their career that I guess everyone is bound to dislike one or two of 'em.

Personally, "We Suck Young Blood" is my favorite song on the new CD, followed closely by "2+2=5."

I have noticed lately that Radiohead is not sunny day music, however. They are defintely getting darker and weirder as they go. Of course, dark and weird can be and is a good think with Radiohead.

[Qwikshot]

I still enjoy OK Computer the best...followed by Kid A. I have the Bends, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief (though I was a bit resigned on buying it, simply because I felt it was going to be too political or pontificating).

OK Computer was my first experience with Radiohead after "Creep" on the radio. It is by far, the one album I enjoy the most from them, from the start with "Airbag", "Paranoid Android", "Exit Music (For a Film)", "Karma Police", "Electioneering", "No Surprises" and "Lucky" are all songs I enjoy greatly.

My girlfriend is a Kid A fan...she enjoys it better than the others. She especially enjoys "Morning Bell", but hates the Amnesiac version.

I've listened a little to Hail, but I'm more apt to but something else on, right now I'm more drawn to Coldplay, QOTSA, or two really cool Mojo magazine compilation CD's, one with the best music soundtracks, and one of the best batch of present day singer-songwriters...

[lcjjdnh]

After having purchased OK Computer a few months ago and really really enjoying it, I went out and purchased The Bends today. After giving it a listen to, I think on a whole I enjoy the songs from it better than OK Computer but OK Computer has a much more "albumy" sound to it. Anyway, I remembered this thread so I figured that after almost 3/4 of year, how people are feeling about the album. Is anyone still listening to Hail to the Thief or have you put it down as a good but not great album. And if not, what album of there's would you recommend next for someone like me who has enjoyed OK Computer and The Bends.

Sorry to bump this very old thread but I figured my question doesn't really justify a thread to itself.

[Groundhog]

I'd rank HttT just below OK Computer and Amnesiac (both albums I rank very highly on my top album lists), perhaps tied with The Bends. Kid A a close fourth. 2+2=5, There, There rank up there with their best songs, and the rest of the CD aint terribly far behind. Myxomatosis took some time to grow on me, but now I consider it a great little track.

If you enjoyed OK Computer and The Bends I think Hail to the Thief is an excellent pickup. It's certainly a little stranger than both those albums and definately less rocking (with a few exceptions), but it's no where near as harsh as either Kid A or Amnesiac and is a great purchase.

[AENeuman]

It takes me about a year and a half to get into a new Radiohead album. Which I think just means that they are not very pop. While their earlier stuff my be considered pop their new stuff deff. is not. I think the biggest result of their new albums is that they do not translate well live. I saw them in on their bends tour in sf and they were great, esp. compared to last years tour.

[Nyarlahotep]

After having purchased OK Computer a few months ago and really really enjoying it, I went out and purchased The Bends today. After giving it a listen to, I think on a whole I enjoy the songs from it better than OK Computer but OK Computer has a much more "albumy" sound to it. Anyway, I remembered this thread so I figured that after almost 3/4 of year, how people are feeling about the album. Is anyone still listening to Hail to the Thief or have you put it down as a good but not great album. And if not, what album of there's would you recommend next for someone like me who has enjoyed OK Computer and The Bends.

Sorry to bump this very old thread but I figured my question doesn't really justify a thread to itself.


I listened to it today. In fact I've been listening to Radiohead almost exclusively the past couple weeks (with some Blur and Gorillaz thrown in). You pretty much can't go wrong with any of their albums.

[Ksyrup]

I don't know what it is about this band, but I simply can't get into them. I even own 2 of their albums that just collect dust (so much so, that I can't even tell you which ones!).

I think it's probably because they fall in some "black hole" of my musical tastes - they're not heavy, not overtly musical (in a prog rock or jam band way, I mean), and there's no poppish harmonies/melodies. I'd say that 95% of what I listen to has one or more of those elements, and I don't think Radiohead has any of them.

I guess I solved my own puzzle....

[PilotMan]

Am I the only one who loves Kid A? I listen to it more than the others.

[cthomer5000]

Heh, one masterpiece is pretty good, I suppose.
This really sums it all up. The OK Computer era band doesn't appear to ever be coming back, and I'll miss that. All that said, the newer albums (including the latest) I've found "interesting" and with some songs I really like... but I'd be fooling myself If I said I liked any of the last 3 as much as The Bends or OK Computer.

Still, one of the best (and easily most original) bands of the last 10 years.

[Butter]

Kid A is probably my favorite as well.

[QuikSand]

Hail to the Thief has really grown on me - there are a number of tracks there that I now like an awful lot. It's still not their best, but it's among the dozen or so albums that I carry around to fire up from time to time.

[dawgfan]

It takes me about a year and a half to get into a new Radiohead album. Which I think just means that they are not very pop. While their earlier stuff my be considered pop their new stuff deff. is not. I think the biggest result of their new albums is that they do not translate well live. I saw them in on their bends tour in sf and they were great, esp. compared to last years tour.

Interesting observation. I saw them live a few years ago after the Kid A and Amnesiac releases, and was skeptical about how they'd pull those songs off live. They greatly exceeded my expectations - it was a fantastic show. I hadn't seen them before, so I have no basis of comparison, but I'd see them live any time now after that show.

As for Hail to the Thief it has grown on me - it still gets a lot of time in my CD rotation. I find it a little tighter as a record than Kid A and Amnesiac, both of which I've grown to like quite a bit. Maybe not quite as much as OK Computer, but not far behind.

[John Galt]

Am I the only one who loves Kid A? I listen to it more than the others.

I'm also of this mind. I've never understood the almost fetishization that Radiohead fans have with OK Computer and The Bends. At first I thought it was like most fans who always like the earlier stuff because they want to prove they were there from the beginning (Nirvana fans always seemed to be the worst at this, in my mind). However, I think the love of OK Computer is different and I still don't fully grasp it. I really like OK Computer and it is a great album, but Kid A is one of my all time favorites. Amnesiac added a few more good tracks from the same time period and all told, I think they form a masterpiece collection.

Maybe my background being a little more electronic than most Radiohead fans made me really love Kid A or maybe it was something else. Either way, Kid A is still my favorite Radiohead album.

[cthomer5000]

I'm also of this mind. I've never understood the almost fetishization that Radiohead fans have with OK Computer and The Bends. At first I thought it was like most fans who always like the earlier stuff because they want to prove they were there from the beginning (Nirvana fans always seemed to be the worst at this, in my mind). However, I think the love of OK Computer is different and I still don't fully grasp it. I really like OK Computer and it is a great album, but Kid A is one of my all time favorites. Amnesiac added a few more good tracks from the same time period and all told, I think they form a masterpiece collection.

Maybe my background being a little more electronic than most Radiohead fans made me really love Kid A or maybe it was something else. Either way, Kid A is still my favorite Radiohead album.
OK Computer was just a monster leap forward for the group, and the whole album from start to perfect is just outstanding. It also seems to mesh together better than 99% of albums in existence.

[Maple Leafs]

I think Tool is in a similar position - brilliant music from a group determined to challenge themselves and their audience.I'd throw Trent Reznor into the pile of artists who aren't just sitting back and churning out formulas.

Too bad that means only one NIN album every five years or so...

[dawgfan]

I'd throw Trent Reznor into the pile of artists who aren't just sitting back and churning out formulas.

Too bad that means only one NIN album every five years or so...

Bjork also fits that category for me, though I suspect many people either love her or hate her, with not so many on the love side...

Aphex Twin is another one.

[Butter]

Bjork also fits that category for me,

I either love or hate individual projects from her. Loved Homogenic, hated her 1st couple of efforts.

[Ksyrup]

I'd throw Trent Reznor into the pile of artists who aren't just sitting back and churning out formulas.

Too bad that means only one NIN album every five years or so...
Maynard and Reznor's Tapeworm project is supposed to be released this summer. But the project has taken forever to complete, so who knows when it will see the light of day.

[ageofquarrel]

Originally Posted by dawgfan
I think Tool is in a similar position - brilliant music from a group determined to challenge themselves and their audience.

If you like Tool you should do your self a favor and check out Quicksand. Most people I know who never heard of them think that they're listening to Tool. They put out a 7"(now a cd ep) in 1990 called Omission on Revelation Records, and have 2 full lengths "Slip" and "Manic Compression" on Polydor Records. I would rate Omission as the best (I have 3 copies of the 7" on orange vinyl limited to 300 copies), followed by Slip and then Manic Compression.

[John Galt]

Bjork also fits that category for me, though I suspect many people either love her or hate her, with not so many on the love side...

Aphex Twin is another one.

Bjork is another of my favorite artists. Aphex Twin is very hit or miss. I gave up on Trent Reznor for everything he has done after Downward Spiral. Tool has been alright, but still isn't among my favorites.

I still find more innovation and interesting work in the electronic area. Relatively mainstream artists like Moby, Fatboy Slim, Crystal Method, Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, and Basement Jaxx create an array of different songs, some of which can be masterful. More obscure artists like Lemon Jelly, Bent, Underworld, Death in Vegas, The Art of Noise, Oakenfeld, Van Dyk, Lo-Fidelity All-Stars, FischerSpooner, Tricky, Thievery Corporation, Postal Service, and Les Rythmes Digitales are pushing the envelope in directions that have really provided most of my listening enjoyment over the last few years.

Sure, I still listen to Coldplay and the like, but I've found most of my enjoying, yet innovative music in the electronica genre.

[John Galt]

I either love or hate individual projects from her. Loved Homogenic, hated her 1st couple of efforts.

The song Hyperballad alone should make everyone a Bjork fan. It is truly one of the most unique and beautiful songs ever made. I could listen to that song all day long.

[Calis]

I place Radiohead on top of the list of bands I respect but don't like. I just can't get into their music, not sure what it is. I think it's great though how well they keep redefining themselves and trying new things.

Trent Reznor is also up there as someone who I have a lot of respect for musically but don't listen to his music.

Big fan of Tool, and I love Bjork and Tricky. Lets not forget to mention Bjork's talent as an actress. I thought she was great in Dancer in the Dark. :) She's also one of the few people I can think of who makes videos that I can actually stand to watch.

I will agree that Bjork is rather hit and miss with her stuff, and I think Tricky's last album was a little more blah than his past outings. It really sounded about the same throughout to me, still a good one though.

[dawgfan]

Bjork is someone I've always found to be interesting; the Sugarcubes were an intriguing band, one that was definitely not following mainstream conventions. Her solo records have gotten progressively more interesting to me as she's really pushed her musical landscape. Her last 2 full-lenght releases are brilliant IMO.

Aphex Twin is very challenging at times, but I have a huge amount of respect for his work. Interestingly, I find some parallels between his work and Bjork's - they both explored fusing symphonic sounds with electronica around the same time, and much like Bjork's Vespertine incorporated music box sounds, so did Aphex Twin's Druqks.

I find electronica to be one of the most interesting genres of music right now, with wildly different styles and tangents from that moniker. I'm a big fan of Underworld, though I think they've become less experimental and more polished; I like the Chemical Brothers, though I think Dig Your Own Hole was their peak; I feel similar about the Crystal Method and Vegas. I'm intrigued by Squarepusher - I have his Music is Rotted One Note which is like a modern update of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew IMO.

For those of you that enjoy electronica, I wonder how many of you know of, have listened to, and might be fans of Brian Eno?

[Leonidas]

Tool, Radiohead, and any other art/prog rock fans, give a listen the The Mars Volta. Think King Crimson with a more modern sound.

[Groundhog]

I think The Mars Volta's album is pretty decent, but live it's a whole nother story... excellent live show... they basically jam for the entire length of the concert. Very psycho stuff. I guess the King Crimson comparision is a bit valid, throw in some Santana-esque sections as well.

[dawgfan]

The Mars Volta is fascinating stuff - I'm not sure how much I like it, but I'm transfixed whenever I listen to it, if that makes any sense...

[Ksyrup]

The Mars Volta album blew me away. I heard good things about them, but only got the album about a month ago. I have one bootleg of theirs, and it just didn't translate live. Maybe being there is a different thing, but it sounded like a mess. I'll stick with the album - not like they'll be coming to Tallahassee anytime soon, anyway.

[Ksyrup]

Santana is a valid comparison, but since it's hard rock, I MOther Earth is probably a closer sound. The Ssntana-esque percussion sections sound very much like I Mother Earth, a great relatively unknown Canadian band.

[Cecil Fielder]

The reason I Mother Earth are so unknown is because they suck.

and they're canadian.

which, I guess, is basically the same thing.

[Ksyrup]

Well now, that was uncalled for. Although I must admit, I liked the band much better when Edwin was the singer. But he was Canadian too, so I guess that doesn't help you much.

[HerRealName]

I still listen to HttT, probably once every month or two. It certainly isn't my favorite Radiohead cd but an average Radiohead cd is still better than most.

Quiksand, have you picked up The Wrens, The Meadowlands yet? It looks like we have similar taste in music and I've been blown away by The Meadowlands. I haven't liked a new cd this much since...well, OK Computer.