Between my drive out to Cedar Point and several trips down to Pittsburgh, I have been in the car a lot and able to spend some quality time with the new Radiohead album, Hail to the Thief. New Radiohead albums are always a fun exercise because there is seldom love at first sight. Just like most of the cool people I know, you've got to take time to get to know this music. And as you peel off each layer you find something even more amazing. I would have liked to have written my reactions down, but I was driving. I may eat, talk on the phone, or change my clothes while driving, but writing album reviews while driving is where I draw the line. So here, to the best of my recollection, are my reactions to this much-anticipated album...

1st pass standouts:

-Track 6, "Where I End and You Begin" - Entrancing vibe.
-Track 11, "A Punchup at a Wedding" - When I heard the opening groove I thought Cake had snuck a song on the album, but as soon as soon as the piano rolled in, I knew this was something entirely different. There's something beautiful about the dark humor of this song.
-Track 12, "Myxomatosis" - My initial reaction to the buzzing baseline was, "Oh no, I've blown my speakers!" but as soon as I had confirmed that my speakers were still healthy, I just sat back and enjoyed the great guitar effects.

2nd pass:

-Track 1, "2+2=5" - Usually the first track is the first song to grab me, but I didn't really see this song until the second time around. Love it when it cuts loose.
-Track 3, "Sail to the Moon" - A little slow, but great ambiance.
-Track 14, "A Wolf at the Door" - Quickly becoming one of my all time favorite Radiohead songs. There's definitely a sense of dread here, expressed perfectly by the spoken verses. Amazing.

3rd time:

-Track 5, "Go to Sleep" - The acoustic guitar is refreshingly organic. Can't remember the last time I heard acoustic guitar on a Radiohead album...
-Track 9, "There, There" - Really starting to grow on me. I wasn't all that excited about it when I heard it in advance as the first single, but it keeps getting prettier every time I hear it.
-Track 10, "I Will" - Still trying to put my finger on it. But I can say that this track is much too short.

Songs I just don't get:

-Track 8, "The Gloaming" - Just doesn't seem to go anywhere or say anything.
-Track 7, "We Suck Young Blood" - Besides the title (ew), this song irks on many levels. First off, the slow dirge pace (we're talking largo to the extreme) kills it almost immediately and then in with the eery unison handclap on the 4th beat (what's up with that?). But what really gets me is what this song could have been. The little 8-measure freakout session in the middle, where the tempo doubles and the piano pounds, just rocks. It's a perfect opportunity for the song to just rocket off into something amazing, but instead it skips right back to a slow march.

So that's my initial take, for what it's worth. I'm sure I'll spend a lot more time getting to know this album in the future. Definitely not a one-night stand.