With their sixth studio album, Radiohead faced the unenviable task of sticking to their guns and producing an album which fitted in with their reputation of mutating musicians, while retaining the quality of their previous work. After all the fuss over the transition between OK Computer and Kid A, it would have been quite the let down for the boys to rest on their laurels and turn out a half-measured piece. Fortunately, laziness was never going to be a factor for the Oxford band. They remain one of the most intelligent group in the business when it comes to gauging their situation and taking the correct steps towards a successful new sound.

Hail To The Thief received a great deal of press for its name alone. Many saw it as a jab at the American government, with Yorke particularly vocal in his dislike for the Bush administration. A play on the saying "Hail To The Chief", it was just too obvious to be Radiohead. Indeed, they denied such accusations, preferring to let their music masterpiece do the talking.

This isn't OK Computer. It isn't Kid A. It isn't like anything that they've produced before, and when you've covered the musical ground that Radiohead have, you could have forgiven them for crossing explored territory. They take their ball and run with it through unchartered waters and continue to turn heads with a definitive sound unlike any other band. Hail To The Thief was billed as a return to the band's original guitar-driven routes. You can just hear the laughter as they introduce a roaring rock anthem to open the album, only to deviate from the expected course down a road far less travelled. There is no genre to place this record in. The band refuse to comply with the system, and while they continue to produce fantastic music, why should they?

2+2=5 - ( It's the devil's way now / There is no way out / You can scream and you can shout / It is too late now ) - 10/10

A declaration of intent if ever there was such a thing. Slowly clicking in to life, Yorke's raspy vocals return to prominence and the track builds towards what is quite obviously the band's answer to the criticism of Kid A/Amnesiac - A roaring guitar driven masterpiece. You can just sense the ears of Bends-era Radiohead fans perking up as the Oxford group learn how to rock out once again. Split in to two halves, the second acts as a useful reminder from the boys that they still possess the know-how to make some ear-shattering noise. And they do just that. Littered with political overtones, there's an aura of uncertainty and panic in the lyrics. "Go and tell the king that the sky is falling in, when it's not, maybe not" screams Yorke. His agenda is obvious. Another classic album opener and the best track on the set.

Sit Down, Stand Up - ( Walk in to the jaws of hell / Walk in to the jaws of hell ) - 7.5/10

With the exact same structure as its predecessor on the album, Sit Down, Stand Up offers a unique if somewhat confusing listen where you can feel the desperation building towards a climatic burst of energy. It doesn't quite rival 2+2=5 in its payoff explosion of noise, but the composition is exactly the same. The vocals are enhanced and distorted in good measure as Yorke veers in to an obsession of the rain dropping, another pointer towards his disillusionment with the ruthless society that we live in. Not quite powerful enough to become a fan favorite, but a useful addition to the album.

Sail to the Moon - ( Maybe you'll be President / But know right from wrong ) - 9/10

An astoundingly beautiful song hosting some mesmorizing lyrics which float from the track as Yorke drums the piano to a lenitive beat. It's hard to ignore the exquisite song-writing behind such a piece. "I was dropped from moonbeams," insists Thom in his trademark pine, "And sailed on shooting stars". It's hard to explain the craft behind an intricate number like this, but even the most anti-Radiohead listener would be hard pressed to deny the captivating quality of the lyrics. It's a spacey sound with a sombre background, and the climax see's the life sucked out of the band as their collective noise ascends in to a pool of nothingness. An album highlight, lavished in hidden beauty.

Backdrifts - ( You fell in to our arms / And we tried but there was nothing we could do ) - 7.5/10

It'll pass you by at first listen, but over time Backdrifts is likely to grow on you with it's beautifully simple structure. Experimental by nature, no sound is needlessly included and we're left with what sounds like a chopped down mish-mash edit. Fortunately, the band have a few tricks up their sleeve and they contort the loops with subtle precision which ultimately make this more than it seems at first hearing. The lyrics are also enduring with more tongue-in-cheek suggestions that they know more than we do. One of my favorites, although it took the longest to appeal to me.

Go to Sleep - ( Someone's son or someone's daughter / Over my dead body ) - 8.5/10

Where I End and You Begin - ( I am up in the clouds / I am up in the clouds / And i can't / And i can't come down ) - 8/10

A flashback to the Kid A era with a hypnotic beat to rival The National Anthem (That's the Kid A anthem, not God Save The Queen. Obviously). It's not quite to the caliber of its illustrious predecessor but the sound is intriguing all the same. The bassline floats throughout the track without ever really imposing itself. It leaves the whining cries of Yorke to portray the rest of the message. Lyrically, it's hard to draw much from the song. You get the impression that the boys have stumbled at half measure between conveying an interesting meaning and opting for their adopted method of using words that suit an atmosphere. They'd have been better served choosing one over the other.

We Suck Young Blood - ( Are you hungry? / Are you sick? / Are you begging for a break? ) - 6/10

A strange strange song which originates from the piano with eerie clapping to kick it along in its gothic sound. It's the slowest paced track on the album and very much a return to experimental routes for the band. It never really deviates from its steady precise structure, and Yorke whines over the audio with a blood-curdling groan perfectly harmonized with the mood of the track. You won't be playing this at any parties, but it makes for an interesting listen even though you'll probably be skipping it over on first listens.

The Gloaming - ( Murderers / You're murderers / We are not the same as you ) - 7.5/10

A disturbing listen and almost entirely driven by the distorted and synthesized vocals of the frontman. Denied much in the way of instrumentational direction, Yorke pushes the track forward by bringing it to life with the many variations of his pining voice. There are loops and digital additions which make this very much a technical piece, but it would be nothing without the diversity of Thom's possessed vocals. "Your alarm bells should be ringing." he insists in his favorite paranoid cry. Mellow on the surface, this could perhaps be the best indication of what we can expect from the band's next album.

There There - ( We are accidents / Waiting and waiting to happen ) - 9.5/10

One of the best songs on the album and a concoction of Radiohead past and present, mixed together in to an unconventional yet wildly inspiring piece. Featuring both Ed and Jonny on drums, the intro booms to life at a measured pace before escalating in to a furious rock anthem with Yorke screaming and howling lines with frightening venom. With some of the best lyrics on the album, the song reaches an inspirational crescendo where the band works together to really drive the piece home. A strange song, like so many of the others on this particular album, but one which you'll be enjoying for a long time to come after you penetrate the surface.

I Will - ( I won't let this happen to my children ) - 6.5/10

Another extremely experimental piece where the band seem to be taking their music in a different direction, if that's at all possible given the circuits that they've already covered. Once again, at the center of it all is a commanding vocal perfomance from Yorke who drives the track with a rising plead, and his first reference to fatherhood. Quite what the song is all about, it's almost impossible to determine. There is no real meaning to the song lyrically, but it provides an interesting listen.

A Punchup at a Wedding - ( The pot will call the kettle black / In a drunken punchup at a wedding ) - 9/10

A completely new sound for Radiohead and one of the best examples of the new direction that they've taken. It possesses a timed rhythm, clunking along no faster than it needs to. The lyrics are addictive in their quality, building the image of a relationship built before prying eyes. Having already listen to a half an hour excerpt of Yorke's crazed mind, this song does his label of paranoia no favours. It's a bitter sing-a-long of a song. The sort which you'd love to spit at the no-good orchestrator of a broken relationship. It's new, it's strange, and it's brilliant.

Myxomatosis - ( My thoughts are misguided and a little naive / I twitch and i salivate like with myxomatosis ) - 8/10

A song with the title of a viral rabbit disease. Yes. Don't ask. This is a confused blitz of guitars that mingle together to create a raw sound the likes of which you won't find anywhere else on the album, or indeed in the band's repertoire. You have to credit them for the consistent ability of reinventing their music. It's a chaotic song with drums falling everywhere, Yorke choking on his lyrics and relentlessly refusing to be moved. Not my personal favorite, but an admirable addition to an album which revels in its experimental nature.

Scatterbrain - ( I'm walking out in a force ten gale / Birds thrown around, bullets for hail ) - 6/10

More experimental work with intriguing lyrics hinting towards a further disillusionment with the world as we know it. Yorke seems lost as his voice speaks on its own accord, preaching that we're all scatter-brained and losing its way in the storm. There's no real rhythm or melody to the track, just the floating regularity of Thom's whining distortian. A neatly placed interlude between two larger contributers to the album.

A Wolf at the Door - ( I'll never see him again / If i squeel to the cops ) - 9.5/10

Once again, Radiohead deliver the definitive "How To Close An Album" track to top their record. Inspired by the assault which Yorke suffered in the years before HTTT, A Wolf At The Door expresses the evil in the world. If Street Spirit was the desperate preaching of a young band on the road to discovery, A Wolf At The Door is the prophetic paranoia of a new father who has greeater fears to deal with. A wonderfully timed verse of tongue-in-cheek dictation followed by a chorus where the mysterious sound draws together beautifully, this song would only work where it is as the final remnants of the album. A fitting end to another outstanding musical accomplishment.

And so we're left to contemplate the passing of another Radiohead album. Does it compare to the success of OKC? Is it as courageous and bold as the daring Kid A? To be honest, it's probably somewhere between the two. But while that could be taken as a negativity that they've fallen between two ideals, it's not. Hail To The Thief stands on its own two feet and states its own claim for a place in your record collection. I'd be amazed if Radiohead can cover more unchartered territory with their seventh album (due out in May 2006), but with their last three albums, they've done just that every time. Highly recommended, if you have the patience to treasure it.