Hail to the Thief

Radiohead 2003 synchronized
alternative rock art rock electronic rock
Guitars and electronics in uneasy truce: Radiohead's angriest album, channeling War on Terror paranoia into sprawling art-rock.
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Similar Albums

Grouped by the kind of closeness: sound first, then mood, era, and artistic phase.

Same Artist / Nearby Phase

Useful neighbors inside the same discography, where the artist is moving through adjacent periods.

1
In RainbowsRadiohead(2007)same artist
sound91% mood0% era69% phase100%
Same artist periodClose sound profile4 years apart
63%
2
OK ComputerRadiohead(1997)same artist
sound79% mood47% era66% phase58%
Same artistShared mood: anxiety, paranoiaClose sound profile
63%
3
AmnesiacRadiohead(2001)same artist
sound52% mood47% era72% phase72%
Same artistShared mood: anxiety, paranoia2 years apart
51%
4
Pablo HoneyRadiohead(1993)same artist
sound66% mood23% era86% phase50%
Same artistShared mood: anxiety
50%
5
A Moon Shaped PoolRadiohead(2016)same artist
sound78% mood0% era56% phase100%
Same artist periodClose sound profile
49%

Closest Sound

Albums with nearby density, space, production feel, vocals, and style.

1
HeathenDavid Bowie(2002)
sound85% mood23% era99% phase58%
Close sound profileSimilar productionSimilar vocal treatment
81%
2
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)David Bowie(1980)
sound84% mood23% era67% phase46%
Close sound profileSimilar productionSimilar vocal treatment
78%
3
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss MeThe Cure(1987)
sound84% mood0% era77% phase30%
Close sound profileSimilar productionSimilar vocal treatment
77%
4
Strange MercySt. Vincent(2011)
sound81% mood18% era88% phase40%
Close sound profileSimilar productionSimilar vocal treatment
75%
5
Vol. 4Black Sabbath(1972)
sound81% mood18% era55% phase70%
Close sound profileSimilar productionSimilar vocal treatment
75%

Same Mood

Albums sharing the emotional palette and thematic atmosphere.

1
With TeethNine Inch Nails(2005)
sound67% mood47% era97% phase55%
Shared mood: rage, anxietyShared style: alternative rockClose sound profile
52%
2
AMOKThom Yorke(2013)
sound77% mood47% era86% phase10%
Shared mood: anxiety, paranoiaClose sound profile
51%
3
MezzanineMassive Attack(1998)
sound75% mood47% era68% phase40%
Shared mood: anxiety, paranoiaShared style: alternative rockClose sound profile
51%
4
OutsideDavid Bowie(1995)
sound65% mood47% era63% phase58%
Shared mood: anxiety, paranoiaShared style: art rock
49%
5
Fear of MusicTalking Heads(1979)
sound79% mood47% era40% phase60%
Shared mood: anxiety, paranoiaClose sound profile
48%

Same Era Feel

Albums close in historical moment or in how they relate to their era.

1
Demon DaysGorillaz(2005)
sound76% mood23% era97% phase30%
2 years apartSimilar era stanceShared style: electronic rock
75%
2
Murray StreetSonic Youth(2002)
sound69% mood0% era99% phase100%
1 year apartSimilar era stance
73%
3
CruSeu Jorge(2005)
sound72% mood0% era97% phase100%
2 years apartSimilar era stance
73%
4
OumouOumou Sangaré(2003)
sound73% mood0% era100% phase40%
Same yearSimilar era stance
72%
5
EarthlingDavid Bowie(1997)
sound70% mood23% era91% phase58%
6 years apartSimilar era stanceShared style: electronic rock
72%

Same Career Phase

Similar artist-position moments: early statement, breakthrough, reinvention, mature work, or late period.

1
Músicas para Churrasco Vol. 1Seu Jorge(2011)
sound74% mood0% era88% phase100%
Same career phase
82%
2
BloodflowersThe Cure(2000)
sound68% mood0% era81% phase100%
Same career phase3 years apart
81%
3
New BeginningTracy Chapman(1995)
sound61% mood0% era88% phase100%
Same career phase
80%
4
All MelodyNils Frahm(2018)
sound68% mood0% era78% phase100%
Same career phase
79%
5
Diamond EyesDeftones(2010)
sound77% mood0% era65% phase100%
Same career phase
79%

Acoustic Profile

Density 6 Spatiality 6 Distortion 5 Tempo 5 Rhythm 6 Harmony 6

Production

Method: hybrid
Fidelity: polished
live-in-studio approachelectronic-rock hybridpolitical urgencyGodrich production

Vocal

Approach: sung
Lyrical Abstraction:
5/10

Mood & Theme

rage anxiety paranoia
Territory: political-surveillance, war-on-terror-dread, information-overload
Emotional Arc: angry-sprawl

Era & Context

2003: Iraq War, Bush era, surveillance state. Radiohead's most overtly political album, guitars and electronics in uneasy alliance.

Career Phase

Mature Synthesis 2003-2016

Recombination of rock and electronic elements into a refined, distinctive sound. Warmth gradually returning.

Distant Connections (7)

A second layer for farther resonances: connections that may not sound closest at first, but still point somewhere useful.

Heligoland Massive Attack (2010)
7/10
political-ragetechnological-anxietycollaborative-tension
Year Zero Nine Inch Nails (2007)
7/10
political-ragetechnological-anxietysonic-experimentation
Demon Days Gorillaz (2005)
5/10
political-ragetechnological-anxiety
Humanz Gorillaz (2017)
5/10
political-ragetechnological-anxiety
With Teeth Nine Inch Nails (2005)
5/10
political-ragesonic-experimentation
Animals Pink Floyd (1977)
5/10
political-ragetechnological-anxiety
Let England Shake PJ Harvey (2011)
4/10
political-ragesonic-experimentation

Influences

Absorbed from

OK Computer — guitar-electronic tension Kid A — electronic textures