A new LPTV episode has been uploaded to the Linkin Park YouTube channel. This episode focuses on Mike playing Welcome for the band for the first time. We get to hear it in it's demo form, with not much being different from it's current released form. The audible differences include a different vocal take and a rough vocal chorus. You can check out the episode below. [video=youtube;lSzb9tX3ZOc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSzb9tX3ZOc[/video] Remember to subscribe to the Linkin Park YouTube channel for new episodes of LPTV and all the other videos from the band. So what about the song titles the band mentioned? All of Days, Cansage and Spiral. Could they be demos for the new album that the band will go into the studio soon? This episode was filmed before April this year, so they might currently not mean anything. They also mention Last Straw but the discussion around it indicates that it was the demo title for Welcome. What do you think of the episode? What about those song titles? Come and discuss in our forums! Source: Linkin Park YouTube
Just based off the fact that Mike is presenting his demos, and Welcome was part of that collection, I have a feeling the next album will stray away from the visceral sound they started with THP. Which is kind of sad, because I would love a more technical and experimental follow up to THP. I have a hard time going back to the overly clean rock production they have gone with in the past. We just have to wait and see, this is all speculations of cause.
I really think they should provide proper Youtube-captions for every episode, sometimes the guys are really hard to understand
Chester looked bored as fuck, lol. Also, I think they mentioned working titles like "All the Days", "Kansage"? something like that and "Spirals" are LP demos apparently. Welcome's working title is "Last Straw".
He did say "It's up to you buddy" also I thought the same thing about Chester seeming different, I wasn't sure what to call it, bored perhaps; until they showed his ankle. This was still sometime after Chester broke his foot, so it's likely he was still in a bit of pain at this point. I'm sure that was what was affecting his mood or, "aura" in this episode. P.S. Did Joe even say anything lol?
Well the song "Welcome" was performed entirely by Mike so the band had no input on it whatsoever. I'm sure if Rob had a play at it the drums would be vastly. The technicality aspect is up in the air. As for the style, yeah it certainly is possible the band moving away from hard rock, which personally I think is rather exciting
True, although Mike made it sound like Welcome was really different. But I do hope they move away from a heavy sound, and keep it kind of raw.
Goddammit, hearing demo titles for new tracks makes me so excited for a new album, no matter how far away it is.
I'm happy we're seeing more stuff of them just hanging out. It's neat. At this stage, it would be more ludicrous to NOT expect them to move to a completely different sound in the next album.
I'm actually interested to see what's left for them to be inspired about to change their sound. I'm sorta expecting another LT, not in terms of sound but in terms of "there's nothing specific that we want to do with this album, so here's another Linkin Park record". Not necessarily a bad thing, and of course I have absolutely no reason to believe this, they could be inspired to write a polka album for all I know.
An album that's just "another Linkin Park record" could still surprise us, though. It'd just be a Linkin Park album without a specific agenda/statement/approach/ethos/sound/whatever for the press to eat up, which I would be okay with.
Why can't they just take a break? Why do they feel the need to make an album every two years? Sure they could be inspired enough to make the next record now, (though Shinoda is leading that game within the band), but I feel like some artistic exploration would benefit the band more. Better to seek different ways of artistic growth than to just keep going at a steady pace. Don't get me wrong, I'll look forward to another LP album, but I really hope it's more memorable than the last two.
If they feel that they can deliver a good album within that time frame, more power to them. I don't get the sense that the band are racing against the clock and compromising on the quality of their work go meet such deadlines. I would assume instead that they feel creatively energised, like they could take on the world. At the same time, even if the band members themselves don't think they need one, I would like to see them take a break, maybe with side-projects if necessary. I've said as much many times. The break between "Meteora" and "Midnight" did them good, and I personally feel that they need something like that now. As fans, we just have to trust them when they say that they're still going strong and not burned out. Two years could be plenty of time to grow artistically - Linkin Park seem to think so. As long as they feel capable of delivering at that rate, I'm happy to see them keep doing that.
I would hope they are considering these alternatives genuinely believe making the next album so soon is the best decision. If they continue making records with 'safe' music, or without any evolution in their artistry, it may not work out so well in the end. Even though they're popular, headlining shows that usually have some people who are there for the entertainment rather than the band itself, their music may not be as memorable after they are finished compared to if they had truly disbanded after Meteora, for example. The music they make now will be part of their legacy and will hopefully enhance it. "Better to burn out bright then fade away"
They've switched it up with every album since "Meteora". Each album has been an "experiment" to some degree.
Had they disbanded after Meteora, their legacy would have been that they were "just another nu-metal band". Everything they've done from Minutes to Midnight to now has enhanced their legacy in my mind. They've shown real artistic growth that 90% of the other bands from that scene just don't have. I mean, listen to the new albums from most of the other popular bands during that era. They sound exactly the same, and while that may be a good thing to some, that sound gets old after a while to me. I honestly love Living Things and The Hunting Party. Tracks like Castle Of Glass, Roads Untraveled, Mark The Graves, and A Line In The Sand are songs I never thought I'd ever hear from a band like Linkin Park, who had brought us songs like Somewhere I Belong and In The End. If the band feels like they still have that creative energy to bring us another solid album, then good on them. Bring it on. I do think a break could benefit them, or even just taking a bit more time between albums, but whatever. If they're satisfied with a product, then that's that.