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Hail To The Thief
06/10/2003 10:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Rob O'Connor
They want to be Artists who create Art. And somewhere along the way--long before Radiohead ever got here--it was decided that Art would be defined by its difficulty. The harder it is to penetrate the sound, the greater the accomplishment. This works in direct opposition to what makes a great rock/pop recording. Rock/pop succeeds when it's most accessible, when the tune sticks in your head for days and nothing gives you that rush but another replay of that indescribably great song. Radiohead had that with The Bends and then they marched offline with OK Computer. Each successive release separated them further from their natural gift. And while the "suffering artist" in many a listener forced them to enjoy the tension without release of Kid A and Amnesiac, I'm sure most of them are (secretly) quite glad that this album brings back many of rock's "traditions" (verses that pay off with choruses, guitars and drums that function as a living, breathing entity) and does them quite well. "2+2=5" may be bad math, but it builds and resolves with expertise. I still wouldn't trust these guys. They're too clever for their own good. But if the songs return among the rumble, well, then, by all means, fellas, take a seat and welcome back.
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