Not a fan of the Pendulum version... They did some cool stuff, but I think the original version is superior, in my opinion...
August 2nd 2010: Spends ENTIRE day on LPU. Until midnight. Mike dropped in during the afternoon, too. And then I looked on last.fm and saw that I scrobbled it 100 times ._. I am a psycho.
It's the only LP song where I feel that the music speaks words other than the lyrics. I really believe that the turntable solo is like the nuclear bombs being dropped, for instance.
I'm the opposite. The music to me in the first half feels too much like it was throwing a bone to the latest pop trends at the time. Electronic dance music is what was/is popular. But that works well as a lead single.
I don't believe you're looking deep enough into the significance of the music, as well as the song in the context of the album. I ignore the fact that any of these songs were singles, and I think that's how Linkin Park intended it. They've mentioned many times that if you're going to listen to the songs, they should be listened to in their place on the album. I feel that upon doing so, and upon really taking the time to understand what sort of messages the album is trying to convey, you're going to appreciate not only the place of "The Catalyst" on the album, but how great of a song it is. But of course, we're all entitled to our opinions. So I can't blame you if you don't think of it as anything more than a trend-follower. Admittedly, Mike has stated that very recently, the big trend has been electronic-infused rock, but he's not stating that to make the point that that's why Linkin Park made the album the way it is. He stated it to make some other point regarding what fans had to say about A Thousand Suns. Also, if you're going to talk about the first half following some sort of trend, then you should be prepared to hold that statement for the entirety of the album, for the whole album is very electronic-infused. And yet again, Linkin Park has made a point there of stating that the reason why it's so electronic infused is because one, they as a band haven't done it before and wanted to explore the realm, and two, the album itself is trying to explain our incredible attachment and dependency on technology (i.e. the morphing of the MLK excerpt to the electronic, Transformers like voice on "Wisdom, Justice, and Love," as well as the morphing of the electronic voice to Mike's voice on "Fallout"). So, I don't think that Linkin Park is following some sort of trend. If anything, I think they're taking something that is a trend and not only putting their own spin on it, but taking it to tell a story and send a message. That, to me, is a part of the brilliance of A Thousand Suns, and that's why I'd say that Chester's right in his belief that it is their most artistic and creative album yet. Sorry for the long response, but I just wanted to throw that out there.
raver/techno music not = to Lady Gaga/Britney Spears of now. I don't think that's what they went for, because it'd be a huge fail if they did. The reason the song was a lead single in the first place is because the verses are catchy. Nobody is dancing to The Catalyst while in the club unless its a remix
Trust me, I agree with almost everything you just said. I'm no music lightweight. I've played through A Thousand Suns front to back tons of times and I love the album. And when listening to the album in its entirety, I understand where The Catalyst fits into the flow of the album, and I can enjoy it. But to be honest, and again I love A Thousand Suns and I think it's LP's most artistic work to date, I don't think the music on ATS is as hard to get as some people make it out to be. WTCFM sounds great on its own. So does Robot Boy. Blackout. Iridescent. Wisdom, Justice, and Love. Actually, The Catalyst is the only song I find that loses something when you listen to it on it's own. I think a great song both finds its niche on the album to make the album stronger, but can also stand alone just as strongly. Maybe it's just my own weird personal preference. And yes, the whole album has electronic elements, but none of it gets quite as dance-y as The Catalyst. Blackout comes close, but it keeps it interesting. The Catalyst is a very full-on electro song with a dancey beat that kicks in and a lot of chanting. Rocky said "nobody is dancing to The Catalyst while in the club." I agree, but it's not like they *couldn't* dance to it. I didn't mean to suggest that Linkin Park made the song sound the way it did to follow a trend intentionally, but the way it turned out is too close for me. And trust me, I have no problem with long responses explaining why A Thousand Suns is fucking brilliant. I'm usually the ones making posts like the one you made. I just don't like The Catalyst.
I don't know how anyone could look at "The Catalyst" as dancy, though. I look at it as fast-paced and hectic. If I'm looking for dancy, electronic rock, I go to Franz Ferdinand's latest album, not "The Catalyst."
This song make perfect sense. I'm not here to tell you that you are wrong and that you should like The Catalyst, However, the song, not only in context to the album, but also as a single makes perfect sense. I'm just going to point out some things... First off, what is a 'catalyst?' Well Dictionary.com, why dont you tell us? cat·a·lyst /ˈkætlɪst/ Show Spelled[kat-l-ist] noun 1. Chemistry . a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected. 2. something that causes activity between two or more persons or forces without itself being affected. 3. a person or thing that precipitates an event or change: His imprisonment by the government served as the catalyst that helped transform social unrest into revolution. 4. a person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic. So, looking at those definitions, words like "accellerates" "activity" and "change" along with the phrase "without itself being affected" really strikes a nerve. The song itself is fast. It has a high BPS. There is alot of activity in the song, especially when Joe goes insane before the piano piece starts. That leads me to change. The song is different. Perfect for the first single because it is showing another impending Linkin Park change. In the middle of the song, it drastically changes. I feel, in context to the definition of the word, as well as in the concept of the album, this is important because it is showing the true meaning of the word and the song. It's like there are two different songs molded together, however, the song is very much the same. That whole "chanting" thing that you had a problem with leads me to the 4th definition there. A person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic. This, in my opinion, is a wake up call. A major part of the concept of A Thousand Suns, again, in my opinion, was the destruction of ourselves. The 'chanting' is both a warning and a call to action to stop it. The repetition of the chanting is what's being drilled into our heads here, just like media and politicians drill into our heads what they want us to believe. That's where the "NO!" promptly tells the listener that everything that you hear need not be accepted. I feel the whole album gradually climaxes to The Catalyst. There is the brilliance with having lines from The Catalyst in the beginning of the album, at the end of "The Requiem" and the beginning of "The Radiance." The lines paired with the speech of Robert J Oppenheimer is nothing short of amazing artistical work. Oppenheimer was a catalyst with the Atom Bomb. There are a lot of underlying tones of the outcome of the Trinity tests within ATS. That's why I feel ATS couldn't have been anywhere near what it is without the use of the speeches. They all make that climax in the middle of "The Catalyst" that much more impactful. Once the catalyst causes the change within "The Catalyst," The friendly and enthusiastic "lift me up, let me go" chimes in. It's letting you know that the be all/end all doesn't have to be what's shoved down your throat. "The Messenger" further focuses on the change to be more open and loving to each other. I've looked at The Catalyst from many directions, and this is just one of the many insights I've had while studying the song. You can agree with it, or not, that's up to you. You can say ATS isn't as hard to get as some people make it out to be. I like to analyze things, pick them apart and try to figure out what really is going on or what's trying to be said. That's my nature. I like things that make me think sometimes. In doing this, I feel like I gain more appreciation for the music. If I share and can do the same for you, then you're welcome. Lastly, I would like to point out that you can dance to any kind of music. Just throwing that out there...
I remember when we all thought the album title was "Trinity" because some t-shirt design was for sale that had the words "Trinity" on it, and Trinity connected to Oppenheimer. Ah that was funny .
If The Catalyst was a "dancy" electro song, it would have had huge radio success. But, you know, it kinda didn't
I'm not saying 3 months based on any knowledge I have that you guys don't, I'm just going off of fact. The band wants to release their new album next year. Assuming the "early 2012" estimate is accurate, 3 months from now is going to be November. If the album comes out in March of next year, that means that the band should likely start hyping their album followup by late November/Early December. So no matter what, before this year is over I'm confident we'll have new details on Album #5.
I sure hope so. I can't decided what I'm more excited for most. The next Linkin Park album or all the crazy shit that will take place here and from the band leading up to the album release.
No way in hell. ATS hype didn't really begin until the messages began. By this time they had an album title and a first single and everything. They're nowhere close to that right now and I guarantee we won't experience "new album hype" until the middle of next year at the earliest.