HAIL TO THE THIEF

Dear fan of progressive rock, here is an album that far too many have overlooked, and far too few have given a proper chance. Not since the 1970's has a band compilled a more diverse and engaging piece of work. For any who were the types to smoke and turn out the lights while listening to your favorite songs, here you go. This is the work of a band that has had three deffinitive works preceding this one to mature along with theirs, the best producer in the music industry, Nigel Godrich. Textures collide, harmonies sweep around you in circles and drums pulsate in perfect clarity. Among these colliding textures is a grand piano over heart-beat stereo electronics of Backdrifts. Acoustic guitars meet digitized voices and crunchy bass lines in Go to sleep. One song, Myxamatosis, gives you the distinct impression that your speakers can barely hold it in. Each provides somthing intersting and fresh. Many are scary. NOthing here compares to some of pink floyds longer sound effect freakouts with maniacal laughter and all that, but the album on whole is quite disarming. The lyrics of this are just a pollitically thoughtful and claustophibic as Thoms others. The deepest political music since bands of the 70's. A simple "Fuck the govornment" just wont suffice. The songs are about propaganda, feeling as if you're being watched and that somthing is not quite right about the mechanized world in which you live. Wonderful. The guitarwork is somtimes so seemlessly integrated that you can barely tell where it ends and the rest of the song begins. It sounds sonic, similar to some of steve howes work, though less in your face awesome. The melodies are amazing and haunting. The album is long long long. Worth every penny. Must....go....listen.....now.