Five Star: A look at albums
that are so good that they impress even the most cynical of critics. Very
few albums are superior enough to obtain a five star rating but occasionally
a band slips through the river of mediocrity that is the modern music industry
and they produce an album that restores our faith in the future of rock!
This series is a look at such albums.
I can remember a time that I used to totally
LOATHE Radiohead. And, I admit, I loathed them having never heard their
music all that much. My hatred was born out of a belief that nothing as
pretentious as this band could EVER be good. What can I say....I saw the
error of my ways.
For those who have heard Radiohead's last
two albums ('Kid A' and 'Amnesiac') then you know that Thom and the boys
weren't content to sit around just be the gods of standard Brit-Pop. And,
if we've learned anything from Metallica, change can be a bad thing apparently
(at least as far as SOME 'fans' are concerned.) But, Radiohead more than
silenced their critics and released two of the most critically acclaimed
albums of the last few years. "Hail To The Thief" is just the natural progression.
But, for all you fans out their hoping
for "The Bends Rebent" or "Ok Computer Rebooted" or some such thing..don't
worry, they've brought back the guitars and found a happy medium as far
as combining the two distinct sounds they've created over the years. And,
by doing this, they leave no doubt; Pretenders to their crown (*cough*
Coldplay *cough*) will have to wait a few more years until Thom Yorke goes
completely insane and decided to stop making music. Hopefully, that day
is a LONG way off.
CD Info
Radiohead
- Hail To The Thief
Rating:
(I'd give it more if that were possible)
Tracks: 2 + 2 = 5
Sit Down Stand Up
Sail To The Moon
Backdrifts
Go To Sleep
Where I End And You Begin
We Suck Young Blood
The Gloaming
There There
I Will
A Punch-Up At A Wedding
Myxomatosis
Scatterbrain
A Wolf At The Door
Posted by dontcallmejerome:
everyone who doesnt like Radiohead doesnt know how to feel. Not everyone is smart enough to comprehend the more complex and artistic emotions that Radiohead create with their recordings.
Posted by Harder Faster Faster Harder:
I hate how Radiohead craps out an album and everyone goes awole, if you hate the sh*t that music is today, check out John Frusciante, now that's music.
Posted by Thom:
some like radiohead, some don't
there's no right or wrong answer, it's all about taste.
Posted by mellow yellow:
i'm pretty sure everyone here is gay.
Posted by Qwerty:
For all you idiotic radiohead fans out there. Radiohead sucks. If you want real musicians who can actually play their instruments listen to Dream Theater / Steve Vai / Yngwie Malmsteen / and others of that kind. Instead of some nerds who somehow got on MTV and started to get famous all of a sudden. Screw radiohead and all the other MTV bands.
Posted by radio:
head
Posted by :
yeh
Posted by Zabs:
Patrick will you go out with me? xoxo MWAH! F^ck me hard hunni!
Posted by Amazing Aird:
Hey kitty Hey nellie do u wanna go into town tomorrow? luv haz
Posted by Airdy:
Radio head are not ripping people off. The album just rocks! you gotta hand it to those guyz! luv haz a shout out to nellie and kitty my two best friends in the world
Posted by Anuj:
I own The Bends. It just gets better and better with every listen.
Posted by Anna:
This album is amazing. i definately do NOT think Radiohead are ripping anyone off, they are really original, like one of the most original bands around today. and this album is almost as good as OK Computer (which i previously thought was impossible). Radiohead Rocks!
And btw, about this Coldplay vs Radiohead thingo, i like them both (radiohead way better though) but coldplay do ripp stuff off radiohead a bit. the start of nice dream (on the bends) and god put a smile upon your face? they are basically the same! and radiohead did it first.
Posted by King:
Remove the word Young from the track listing, and you have a perfect, truthful Radiohead song.
Posted by Reno Vorhias:
This is a GREAT album. Better than any other album released at the time it was.
Posted by Anuj:
Has anyone ever noticed any similarities between Radiohead and Tool? Mysterious frontmen? Prog-like experimentation? "Exit Music for a motion picture" vs. "Inetmission'? Cool artwork ? (OK Tool's is better but still... Radiohead's is better than your average band). Also did anyone ever notice the fixation on cars? I read somewhere that Thom has an intense dislike of automobiles.
Posted by Mellow Yellow:
This review was shorter than my limp biscuit.
Posted by Diego:
Radiohead and deftones are the best bands in the world
Posted by Diego:
Radiohead and deftones are the best bands in the world
Posted by ydnar.:
I do believe that Thom Yorke has recently surpassed John Lennon as my musical idol... he is far uglier, and yet recieves the admiration of so many millions of people. I should aspire to such heights (especially with my none-too-pretty bug). Anyway, as for the band and this album in particular, I really really love radiohead's music. I do not love it because it is original... I do not love it because it is different... I do not even love it because of thom yorke. I love it because hearing it makes me feel good. Their talent can be questioned a million time over... it matters not. What takes precedence to technical ability in my mind is the atmosphere created by music... and I love the atmosphere Radiohead create time & time again.
Oddly enough, the often slow tempo and dark lyrics of this album make me feel extremely good. Call me pretentious... but I guess I like feeling sorry for myself, and this cd, from the odd studio-play beginning of 2+2=5 to the rousing pseudo-rap and simple sing-alongable chorus of wolf at the door, this album makes me feel a whole lot better about myself. Like radiohead or hate radiohead... you can't stop me from enjoying the feeling this album provides.
That is all.
Posted by myxomatosis:
Holy shyt, this band is AWESOME!! they've been around for how long????and they still manage to create the most beautiful music in the world. Thom Yorke is the most talented person ever. I dont think Hail to the Thief is their best album though, I still love it, but I like Amnesiac more. p.s- to all of you who hate this band, well that just to bad because you are obviously oblivious as to what meaningful music is all about and you can never convert the great respect I (and millions of other loyal fans) have towards them.
Posted by john:
radiohead make me feel better when i listen to them
Posted by radioheadfreak:
anyone who says radiohead sucks doesn't have a clue what good music is. Radiohead is the most genius band of all time. it's not even an argument.
Posted by neon:
from what i've heard of this album it seem pretty good...but i am sort of getting annoyed by the radiohead critics...it's like the band will forever be "masterful" and perfect....all because they are unique...oh well they are good...and i give up to them in some respects...but it's getting old.
Posted by Jesus:
dannywilde, you are a fool.
Posted by dannywilde:
THESE GUYS SUCK A$$ NO TALENT HACK GUITAR PLAYING CRAPPY SINGING SHI$$Y EVERYTHING FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE TOO F$$KIN STUPID TO REALIZE THAT EVER SINCE THAT COBAIN FAGGOT MADE IT OKAY TO BE UGLY AND SUCK THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAS GONE DOWN DOWN DOWN TO AN ABYSS TAHT IT WILL NEVER RECOVER FROM I REMEMBER WHEN YOU ACTUALLY HAD TO BE INCREDIBLY TALENTED AND ATTRACTIVE TO EVEN BE IN A COVER BAND OH YEAH THAT WAS THE 80'S . NOW ALL THESE BANDS SUCK A$$ ID PUT MY BAR BAND AGAINST ANY ONE OF THESE HACKS FOR ANYAMOUNT OF MONEY ANY PLACE ANYTIME IM FRONT OF ANYONE IF YOU CANT PLAY GO THE F$$K HOME AND PRACTICE AND THESE GUYS DEFINITELY NEED TO GO THE F$$K HOME AND SELL THEIR GEAR
Posted by actium:
radiohead=god.
Posted by anon:
Radiohead are not, in my opinion, "ripping" anyone. Unless you've been living under a rock for the majority of your life, chances are your music will have been influenced by something or other. Even if it hasn't, every chord sequence has been done before, nothing is original. Whatever musical direction you take will be criticized by many fans and reviewers. Radiohead are not stealing anything from anyone, they make their own music and I like it. Stop trashing everyone elses bands, and just get down to listening to who you like.
Posted by the grand A*SS of music:
hi. pink floyd are sh*te. they are boring their songs sound the same , the lyrics are crap, they are boring. they are probably badger f*ckers (under party hats) Pink floyd do nothing....they eat from my cornhole and still i would pay them no attention. MARS VOLTA do everything pink floyd are praised for+are 10000 times better so take that pief*ck and eat it. PINK FLOYD = NU METAL = TELEVISION'S A*SS. radiohead are good too.
Posted by Radiohead:
Radiohead
Posted by Ned :
You are only a proper 'head fan if you were at South Parks in Oxford 07/07/01
Posted by RadioQueen:
just felt like adding a HELL YEAH THEY ROCK.... to Max's last post.
p.s. can't wait for Muses new album to be released..it's coming out this september isn't it?
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
Posted by RadioQueen:
Radiohead r GREAT to me they come only second to Queen. luv them...
Posted by Max:
Radiohead,Coldplay and Muse RULZ!!!
Posted by Hyon Nyquil:
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Deftones... that's the first time I've heard that one....
funny..
Posted by calm the f**k down :
ahh.. ppl CALM DOWN
radiohead is a very good band .
coldplay is a very good band.
stop the freaking " whos better thing"
personnaly i dont think there soo alike .
they both rock
i applaud both.
:)
plus there both sex gods, id f*ck them both
Posted by ??:
PS, they are not gay-alternative. Because they are not alternative to being gay, they ARE gay! But I am sorry to Fred Durst for comparing this crap band to his crap band.
Posted by ??:
Typical lame response. You accuse me of listening to trendy crap music, while defending trendy crap music. YES THE DEFTONES ARE TRENDY CRAP MUSIC! Maybe when you grow up you'll get a new arguement. Until then, to steal a line from Scott Slapp, The Deftones suck so much ass they have hemoriods on their lips.
Posted by I:
?? you have just proved that you know absolutely nothing about good music. Your comments are not needed, I bet you listen to corporate pop music. Let me clue you in on something dumba**, the Deftones are one of the greatest bands in the world. How dare you compare them to that faggot Fred Durst? Go back to listening to your Backdoor Boys and N'Stink you queer.
Posted by ??:
the deftones suck more ass than Fred Durst at midnight romp at the YMCA!
Posted by I:
iD2 thank you for that, but you better not be calling Deftones gay-alternative!
Posted by yeah:
anyone with any sort of true honestly open music taste doesnt have to love this music but should still appreciate it for the bands ability to venture into unchartered waters everytime they make a release, so anyone who pays radiohead out is really just showing the severe lack of music taste they have
Posted by iD2:
Radiohead.. what an awesome band! And how dare you compare radiohead to deftones. Deftones are NOTHING compared with radiohead.. wait 10-15 years down the track and see who is remembered. Gay-alternative is bland and boring. Radiohead COULD be like everyother band and make songs like Just, Creep etc.. over and over and be a huuuuuuge success with the teenagers but instead they choose to be more intricate and creative in their music and this makes them the highly respected band that they are...
Posted by I:
This is directed at ID, Don'tCallMeJerome (Jerome! Yes, I did that just to piss you off, what are you going to do about it? That's what I thought) and anyone else that says bad things about Radiohead. Your comments are not needed, you are ignorant scum that fall off the stinkest of poo. Your opinions do not count, you are musically-declined. Take time off from your teenybopper lives and actually listen to the true music that Radiohead churns out constantly. Radiohead does NOT rip off from anyone, and saying such a dumb statement only proves even more that you know absolutely nothing about what you are talking about. Which also proves in turn that you are ignorant beyond repair. Just shut the hell up, Radiohead is one of the best bands out there, and that's a fact, as well as everything I have just said about you. So just deal with it and act mature about it for once in your pathetic lives.
Posted by penguinintheroom:
yet i do agree they are outnumbered immmensely by those who lack substance.
Posted by penguinintheroom:
original bands: dredg, the mars volta, a perfect circle, deftones, sigur ros...
Posted by Nj from Canada:
Radiohead is the best band of my generation. Like someone said above, there are not a lot of oringinal artists/groups like this anymore.
Posted by penguinintheroom:
ah, radiohead is a good band but i find dredg to be as intelligent and talented (a bit more) only with more energy and far better singing. thom needs to pronounce and speak up. listen to dredg, youll soon be converted, guaranteed.
Posted by DeezNutz:
Radiohead is over-hyped. Radiohead sells more albums than any other band on the planet. In the end, who really cares. No matter what anyone says about the band. It does not matter. They are a solid band that has made many years of "original" music. Originality, as every true music fan knows, is very rare at this day and time.
The only question that I have is how did Radiohead rip off Dredg and the Deftones. They are totally unalike. Trust me, I know more about Dredg than most people. I have been out promoting them on their street team for years. So this message goes out to anyone who wants to compare Radiohead to Dredg. Please pull your head out of your ass when talking about stuff that you obviously know nothing about.
Posted by dust:
.....I will eat U alive......
Posted by bruiserx:
I think this is my favorite album this year, followed by Chimaira's new album. Radiohead never ceases to amaze me and I disagree that they are ripping anyone off.
Posted by Schmidtay:
Radiohead-The Bends (because compilations don't count) and Sunny Day Real Estate-How It Feels To Be Something On... are the only two for sure cds that would be on my "desert island" (you know, provided I had plenty of electricity, amps, and a stereo)
Coldplay rules, Radiohead is "it,"
SDRE beautiful. That's it for now. Comments?
Posted by iD:
What is there to understand about radiohead? Oh, I know, since his head wiggles around like its about to fall off he's a genius. Riiiight. Radiohead sucks, so does coldplay.
Posted by sadlk:
Coldplay are a great band. Radiohead are an awesome band... thats the difference.
Posted by Shaddup:
Only people who dont understand radiohead dispise them. Ever since i started listening to them every other form of "new" music pales in comparison (dont tell me youve heard OK computer and The Bends and not been impressed!)
Posted by GreenPlastic:
Zip it! Radiohead sells better than 99% of the other crap on the market today.. If they're not the best band in the world, they're bloody close
Posted by LUiSKa:
The thing is that in order to be able to really understand thom yorke and ehs band, you really need to be patient,quite a strong ear and a really wide taste, you need to be prepared for anything, and really apreciate the nature of their utter originality.
Posted by MikeyD:
How is Radiohead ripping off King Crimson or the Beatles? I think they're just doing their own thing, why can't it be left at that? They may sound 'wierd', but thats just what retards say about anything that is unfamiliar. If anyone else likes 'wierd' music, listen to some Ozric Tentacles, they will blow your f***in head!!
Posted by Greg:
Wow. Every time I think "radiohead is ripping off deftones" I laugh harder. wait...need...air...breath...slowing... *gasp!*
ok. got over that bit. Beyond that, all I can do is think "Radiohead" and swoon. Oh, and go grab the cd from my car so I can fall asleep to it.
Posted by SMIC:
ripping off the deftones? HA
Posted by Alice Cooper's Dead Baby:
Radiohead is ripping off the Deftones? What the hell are you talking about buddy? If anything there ripping off classic bands like Pink Floyd, The Beatles and King Crimson which is actually admiral. I just wish Thom would sing his lyrics more clearly because thy are quite good.
Posted by Noah:
You have no sense of musical style or taste. Radiohead's songs are anything but boring, and they can rock out. Look at songs like Paranoid Android, or My Iron Lung. There's nothing wrong with being weird. Weird is just another word for different, + I think it's refreshing to see a band trying something other than the usual "verse, chorus, verse" style. Look at Pink Floyd, would you call them weird and overly pretentious?
Posted by DONTCALLMEJEROME:
Radiohead sucks. They are just ripping off other bands like Dredg and The Deftones. And their music is so pretentious its not even funny. I mean who do they think they are? They are so over hyped and they are not even that good, their songs are boring and they dont even rock out that hard. I dont get why people think they are good, they are just weird.
Posted by NoTimeForLoveDr.Jones:
I completely agree with LUiSKa on one very crucial topic... what the hell happened to Oasis? Why did they stop aspiring to be the Beatles and start aiming for McCartney, or worse yet Ringo, solo material. Such wasted potential.
Posted by LUiSKa:
strong, profound release i was doubting they could improve their previous cds but once again i was proven wrong....great hear-by-yourself-in-the-dark music
i also was deeply satisfied with coldplay΄s rush of blood to the head,and i do think that they hold brit-pop crown, radiohead doesnt play in that league anymore, oasis is not that good or it has lost its momentum anyway coldplay it is for me.
Posted by ritalin:
im gonna have to pick this one up.
Posted by Razjml:
Well, to be fair, you could easily make a case that post-Soft Bulletin Flaming Lips are the other side of the Radiohead coin, both attacking similiar themes and musical ideas but in different ways. Despite this, however, talk of Flaming Lips as Radiohead wannabes is just utter nonsense. And as for Radiohead themselves, despite the occasional song like Paranoid Android, I'm mostly drawn to their Bends-era Brit-Pop. I admire them as a band and see their talent but I'm just not a huge fan of them, what can I say.
Posted by Guru:
Wilco seems to have picked up some blipping from Radiohead on their last album but have many great albums before that that are straight-up rock, definitely no relation to Radiohead there. Jeff Tweedy has been doing his folk-rock thing since before Radiohead was around. The Flaming Lips have been around since the early f^cking 1980s and again there's no wanna-be there, that's ridiculous...
Posted by aird:
rain drops part in sit down stand up is i think the best bit of that song mate...
Posted by NoTimeForLoveDr.Jones:
Ok, ok... yes, Coldplay started out as a bit of a re-hash of Radiohead... but that's not a bad thing. They're evolving into their own thing, which is cool. Just as long as we can put up with the many other forms of "Radiohead Wannabes". "Jeez, Dave" you must ask, "Who could you be talking about?" Well... there's Wilco(radiohead, alt-country style, Travis(radiohead for college chicks), Sigur Ros(radiohead trapped in an iceberg), David Gray(radiohead for middle-aged mothers), Starsailor(radiohead for coldplay fans that also happen to be hyped-out dumbasses) and -of course- The Flaming Lips(radiohead on large amounts of acid). Clearly, Radiohead is all around us and we love them for it. Great new album. Yay.
Posted by arg:
i want to kill "the rain drips" part in Sit Down, Stand Up. it's so annoying
Posted by Dr Fever:
Hey, Mr Huh, I too like Coldplay and I love "rush of blood.." But, until Thom gets commited or martyrs himself then Radiohead shall continue to crush all pretenders to their throne.
Posted by Hmmm:
Yes...
Posted by radiohead kicks ass!!:
.
Posted by Hobo:
Radio head ey?
Posted by Mr. huh? saying, "My Generation Sucks!":
How dare you insult Coldplay in such a way. Their Rush of Blood to the Head album proves that they themselves have the goods. And, yes I am a big Radiohead fan too.
Posted by Keavin:
Nicko, that's because it was original submitted to be part of a Tag-team review (multiple reviews) but the good Dr., was the only one to turn in a review.
Posted by Nicko:
It's a very very short review,isn't it?
Posted by Kyle:
Hail to the Thief is an audio work of art(Not that the other albums aren't). The instruments and effects are crisply placed in the songs and flow with the sweet harmony of vocals. Definitely another smash hit for Radiohead.
Posted by Scott:
I too really love this CD. It's much better than the last couple, which were great. This is definitely one band that actually gets better with time instead sucking out like some bands that start with the lets met...
