Radiohead's unreleased secret
By MIKE SCHMUHL and DANIEL MCSWAIN
Scene Music Critics
Rumors of a secret version of Radiohead's sixth album, Hail to the Thief, started to circulate in early April. It appeared that someone close to the band or record company had leaked the much-anticipated album, slated to come out on June 10. Sure enough, within a few days, the album had been transferred and copied on to hundreds of hard drives across the globe.
The members of the British alternative/experimental group have publicly stated that the leaked version is a copy of earlier production work, but the matter is open to debate. Regardless, the 14-track collection floating from computer to computer is incredible and definitely worth a listen before a loyal fan purchases the official album.
For the two steps forward that OK Computer and Kid Amnesiac symbolized for the band, Hail To The Thief is their one step back. On an artistic level, this album is on par with Radiohead's best work of the past. But while previous efforts marked unrestrained experimentation, Hail brings back more traditional, accessible song structures. Older influences like R.E.M. and The Pixies are still in full effect, but the style of bands like Sigur Ros and Godspeed You Black Emperor! weighs heavily on the music, keeping in the tradition of more recent work.
One of Radiohead's strengths on this album is the facility with which the band melds the amalgam of musical influences while forging a unique substance. The band's stability as a unit and sense of cohesion, both on a personal and musical level, is what makes this album stand out from the rest of their catalog. Radiohead has achieved an incredible dynamic in their music, the ability to shoot the sonic gamut, often in one song, from painfully soft and plodding to anesthetic moments of oblivion.
"Sit Down. Stand Up" is the perfect example of this kind of range on the album. The song starts unassumingly, the double helix of its DNA unraveling slowly but predictably. Gradually, a surreptitious gurgling begins to poke through, as centuries of evolution and replication give way to mutation and splicing. Time tested genomes crumble, and the mutant sound emerges, as electronic whirrs and otherwise Galaga-esque noises take command. While other bands may fumble a dramatic move like this, Radiohead handles the dynamic shift with consummate skill and grace.
The longest song from the album is the pulsating "Backdrifts." It starts with a swaying reverberation of sonar-like tones and a vibrating beat. A mixture of fuzzed drumbeats, rattling sound effects and lead singer Thom Yorke's scheming voice, transform the track into an almost breathing, living thing. Yorke's mastery of the vocal instrument has certainly developed from previous efforts and he takes a more calculating, confident role on this album.
"Where I End and You Begin" possesses a haunting, eerie quality. The song seems to show a direct correlation between a "traditional" sound and the influence of electronics and experimentation. Shaky drums, a heavy bass line and an open resonance lay the backdrop for a struggle between guitar and programmed machine — a struggle that is symbolic of the recent directions the band has explored and the synthesis it now enjoys.
Whether or not the unreleased version of Radiohead's current effort is close to the final copy is entirely unknown. It can be determined, however, that the album is an amazing blend of their earlier and more contemporary endeavors. At times, the album seems to get too extreme with loud, aggressive songs being followed by the simplicity and quietness of a slower song. At any rate, Hail to the Thief is and will be a remarkable album … just be sure to watch out for the oil slick on Track 10.
Contact Mike Schmuhl at schmuhl.5@nd.edu and Daniel McSwain at dmcswain@nd.edu
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, April 29, 2003
