Radiohead

Radiohead beef up the rock here while still playing with wacky alien soundscapes that linger in gloom. A post-9/11, snarky undertone is apparent from the start with "2 + 2 = 5" referencing Orwell's 1984 and the ominous repetition of "Sit Down. Stand Up." reflecting the social phenomenon of obedience. To match the hefty subject matter, Jonny Greenwood's eerie ondes Martenot creeps in and out as cavernous piano lurks around bouncy beats ("There There") discordant whirrs ("Backdrifts"), static, haze, pops and bleeps ("The Gloaming") and, of course, Thom Yorke's chorus-boy quivers.

Radiohead's Hail To the Thief is a product of its moment: recorded in late 2002, during the
American and British governments' slow, inevitable march to Iraq, of which lead singer
Thom Yorke was an outspoken opponent. Hail is filled with images of monstrous, Orwellian
force from which there is no escape. On "Sit down. Stand up," Yorke assumes the voice of
Big Brother, giving rote, meaningless orders -- "Sit down/Stand up" -- over and ov... More >