Radiohead - Hail To the Thief (2003) V0

Hail to the Thief[nb 1] is the sixth studio album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, produced by Nigel Godrich and released on 9 June 2003. Following the electronic and jazz styles of Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), Hail to the Thief returned to the guitar rock of Radiohead's earlier albums, but retained electronic elements such as drum machines, synthesisers and digital manipulation. To avoid the protracted recording sessions of previous albums, the band recorded it quickly, employing a live, "spontaneous" approach.

Many of the album's lyrics were written in response to the War on Terror and the resurgence of right-wing politics in the West after the turn of the millennium. Songwriter and vocalist Thom Yorke said the album expresses "frustration and powerlessness and anger, and the huge gap between the people that put themselves in control and the people that allegedly voted for them."[3] Although it was interpreted by some as a protest album, Yorke downplayed any political intent.

Despite a high-profile internet leak ten weeks before its release, Hail to the Thief debuted at number one in the United Kingdom and number three in the United States. It produced three charting singles: "There There", "Go to Sleep" and "2 + 2 = 5". As of 2008, the album had sold over a million copies in the US and approximately two and a half million copies worldwide.[4] It was praised by critics and became the fifth consecutive Radiohead album to be nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. It was the last album released under Radiohead's six-album record contract with Parlophone.