'Thief' purebred Radiohead

When the beautiful people breed, their offspring are either endowed with an otherworldly genetic code of perfection, inheriting all of the best qualities, or they become Frank Stallone. With its sixth studio album officially out, Hail to the Thief is purebred Radiohead and a swaggering culmination of the band's best features. The Oxford-based rockers have delivered an album that draws from its critically acclaimed past and leaves us wondering where it'll go next. \nAs guitarist Ed O'Brian commented to ateaseweb.com, "You know that time when bands begin to swagger… In the last two years, I think we've done that. To me, this record feels like a culmination of the best bits of The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A and Amnesiac…" At the suggestion of longtime producer Nigel Godrich, Radiohead recorded its latest album at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles, Calif. Reportedly recording a track a day, the band soared through the album in two weeks. The atmosphere of sheer confidence felt by the band in the studio has easily transferred to Hail to the Thief. Talking to Q Magazine, drummer Phil Selway said, "I don't think we've ever felt so self-assured in the studio…"\nTaking the raw energy and angst of The Bends and OK Computer, the nervous electronic blips of Kid A and the enigma of Amnesiac, Radiohead's newest release performs a masterful balancing act between using the past as a foundation and using the past as a formula. \nOpening with the prog-rock shredding of "2+2=5," lead singer Thom Yorke's breaking-point falsetto announces, "Don't question my authority/Don't put me in a box." The listener is then invited to "Walk into the jaws of Hell," as automatons are commanded to "Sit Down. Stand Up," and it is revealed that "We can wipe you out anytime." The first two tracks of HTTT build to climactic breakdowns that immediately establish the nearly schizophrenic nature of the album, descending into a world of either guitar-grating chaos or computer-generated paranoia. Following these is one of Thom Yorke's most beautiful and intimate songs, "Sail to the Moon," dedicated to his infant son. Drawing comparisons to the epic "Street Spirit," the piano-driven "Moon" takes us on a starlit journey of hope. Approaching something completely new for Radiohead, the stand-out track "A Punch-Up at a Wedding" becomes the Gospel according to Yorke, with its funk-driven bassline and the final track, "A Wolf at the Door," feels like a sweet '50s ballad gone bad, with Yorke ranting poetics over the top of guitarist Jonny Greenwood's naively simplistic melody.\nRanging from allusions to Dante, referencing Levin's "The Stepford Wives," political commentary, to intimate dedication, Radiohead's Hail to the Thief comes as a welcome reminder as to why the band is at the forefront of rock. Its new album can be listened to from as many different perspectives as the listener is willing to contribute and is an album that nearly demands to be listened to without stopping. Yet, this maybe the end of the road for the sounds we've come to know and expect from Radiohead. \nIn an interview with XFM, York declared, "Radiohead will be completely unrecognizable in two years… It's the only perspective of the future that I can live with." For those who have followed Radiohead and seen its progress over the years, this makes Hail to the Thief a bittersweet farewell, setting the anticipation and buzz for where we will be going next.