ALBUM: HAIL TO THE THEIF
KEY TRACKS:
THERE THERE
SIT DOWN STAND UP
WHERE YOU END AND I BEGIN
A PUNCH UP AT A WEDDING
MYXOMITOSIS
Radiohead...where to even start with this one. What other band can command the attention of hipsters, tweens, festival goers, preps, students, adults, and kids alike? And even more so what other band can make music that appeals to ALL of these groups?! When I think of the ultimate band, a band that has done everything right by not losing their identity and sound when fame came along, (arguably) Radiohead is among those few that come to mind.
I was a late bloomer when it came to Radiohead and Thom Yorke's methodical madness. I always heard people talk about Radiohead, but I never actively sought them out. I was too caught up in classical music (I know...) to look beyond what I bought and illegally downloaded from Napster (Sorry guys, I've got an iTunes account now.)
It wasn't until my freshman year in college that my roommate loaned me KID-A, The Bends, and hung an OK Computer poster on the wall of our dorm room that I had my first taste of the band that had seemingly "loomed" over me since high school. To be honest...I didn't connect with KID-A immediately. It took a few listens to get into the mindset needed to fully appreciate the moody compositions that Radiohead is known for. It wasn't until I went through some heavy emotions and downright awful experiences that come along with growing up that I began to appreciate the sadness and nostalgia in Radiohead's music: "How to Disappear Completely" and "Fake Plastic Trees"are still to this day musical haunts of those old feelings of being lonely in my dorm room. I think it takes some growing up to fully understand the underlying messages in this band's work. It wasn't until a friend of mine loaned me In Rainbows when I was fresh out of college that my perception of Radiohead began to change. "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" is still one of my most heavily played tracks on my iPod...until I discovered "Hail to the Thief" and more importantly "There, There".
I bought Hail to the Thief almost immediately after hearing it's second track "Sit Down/Stand Up". What I enjoy about this album, and what is best displayed in "Sit Down" is that each song really builds and cocoons you until it sweeps into a huge crescendo of musical bombastics. Others, also among my favorites on Thief "Where I End and You Begin"and of course, the musical triumph that is "There There". To this day I am consistently blown away by the beautiful melody that soars above the initial heavy percussions. It's hopeful and mournful at the same time...a dichotomy I've come to know well with this band. A slower, but no less welcomed track is "A Punch Up at a Wedding". Again, a wonderfully wrought melody, and Thom's impressive range being showcased, with slow and constant piano chords anchoring the song.
I first saw Radiohead live at Bonnaroo a few years back and it was one of the most glorious experiences of my life. It was so refreshing after watching new and budding acts in the tents to go to the main stage area and see such an established band play together like a well oiled machine. Also one of the most exquisite light shows I've ever seen. Every song was saturated in bloody reds and dusty oranges until at one point it got quiet and dark and then Thom's voice rolled over the crowd "we've got an old one for you" right before the stage was bathed in blue and they began picking the opening notes for "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi". That's all I needed.
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