In promotion of A Thousand Suns, Phoenix recently spoke to ARTISTdirect about the album, the creation process, particular tracks on the album and a number of other topics, check out some excerpts below or read the detailed interview in full here. Spoilers Ahead. Did you view A Thousand Suns as a whole piece from the get-go? More than anything, what dictated how the album turned out was the process. In the studio, there were moments when Mike would bring in a demo idea. I'd listen to it, and I wouldn't know if I liked it or not on that first listen. I'd need to hear it again in order to figure out what was going on and if I liked it. That was the music that was exciting. If there were sounds we'd never heard before or structures you couldn't necessarily figure out, they were inspirational. We gravitated towards the songs that felt different from anything we'd done before or heard anyone else do before. There are ties thematically between every track on the record, and there's synergy sonically with what's going on. Some of the songs are very different. Each song pulls the album in a different direction. The intention is to really round out the experience and create that immersive 3-D feel when you sit down and listen to the whole thing. Different songs accomplish different things. "Blackout" has a vocal style that's really aggressive and heavy with music that's really delicate at points. There are songs set up more traditionally in structure. Then there are songs set up with almost three different movements. What's the story behind "The Messenger?" It's a really stripped down acoustic track. Chester's vocal performance is one of my favorites that he's ever done. His performance is pretty powerful and moving. For the entire album, you get this barrage of sounds and information. It's almost analogous to the technology and the world we live in. You're getting pounded on with what you're hearing and you're not sure of what's going on. The end is just a breath of movement and a step away from that. It's really stripped back and more personal. Read it in full here. Source: ARTISTdirect via Linkin Park
I love the comparisons to Inception. This writer really loved this album. "If you're going to buy one album this year, make it A Thousand Suns" This excites me even more, which I didn't think was possible.
I was wondering where the band got the idea stuck in their brain that they'd need to revolutionize their sound...
Thank you, Minutes to Midnight. I'm ready for you, A Thousand Suns. I hope The Messenger will be somewhat of a spiritual successor to The Little Things Give You Away.