When I said perfect, I didn't mean that the album is exactly flawless in its entirety. We are all human and were going to make some mistakes, that's totally normal. I guess I should have used the words "great" or "fantastic." No record in the world is perfect, this is true, but there are a few records that I put on and listen from front to back, and once it's over I think to myself "Wow, that was perfect." The perfect intro, the perfect outro, the perfect sounds, the perfect style, the perfect story. Perfect to me really rather means "the best that it can be" but to a degree that steps a but more into the world of universality, becoming a little more objective, if that's the correct word. Albums like NIN's "The Downward Spiral," Flying Lotus' "Los Angeles" & Evol Intent's "Era Of Diversion" I can basically say are perfect records to me. To be completely honest, LP is not an overly mature band when it comes to songwriting (not to point out the obvious), but I find the thing that holds them back from having great albums in my opinion is usually their lyrical content. They have a lot of verse lines that make me either cringe or laugh, but the way their tracks sound usually make up for it. MTM for me would have been perfect had there been a few lyric changes and if, for example, Valentine's Day and In Between would've been swapped for Across The Line and Blackbirds, which I think even as b-sides, are way better than some tracks in the album. But anyway, I'm gonna stop blahblahing.
A Thousand Suns is the only Linkin Park album I can play for other people without feeling somewhat embarrassed/self-conscious about what the listener is going to think. Which is not to say that I give a shit about what other people think about my musical taste, but if I'm going to go through the trouble of introducing an album to someone, I'd obviously like if they enjoyed it. ATS is the album where I can tell someone, "yes, this is by Linkin Park, now shut your stupid face and listen to this." And every single person I've ever played A Thousand Suns for, whether it was someone who thought they disliked all of Linkin Park's music, didn't think they liked just the newer stuff, or had no opinion of Linkin Park, have ALL enjoyed A Thousand Suns AND agreed that it's their best work. Once you strip away the biases of how "cool" it is to like Linkin Park's new music, the consensus seems to be rather clear.
I personally believe that a perfect record is rare but can exist. To me, I have given one album a 10/10, and a 10/10 basically means perfect in my opinion. I don't throw 10s out lightly when it comes to music
I'm going to go out there and say that Linkin Park is the only band that exists where I can take any one of their albums, put it on, listen to it from front to back, and enjoy every second that it is on... Even if I've heard the album a million times over. The older songs that some people find "cringe worthy" or "embarrassing" have evolved in my mind and became more than just songs. They are like old friends that you've shared memories with, both in happiness and in sadness. They are a good reflection and are still as enjoyable and relatable today as they were in over a decade of them existing. I don't care what that may make people label me as. I have such a strong connection with this band's music. I feel like it's become a part of me. Perhaps that's why the last line of Roads Untraveled cuts so close to me. "May your love never end and if you need a friend, there's a seat here alongside me."
Hybrid Theory, MTM to an extent, as I don't hate any songs on it... and definitely LIVING THINGS, it will no doubt become a classic. And although ATS is my joint favourite album, it isn't perfect. There's some songs and pointless inturledes that just bug me, and shouldn't be there, but overall it is one of their best albums ever. As a collection of songs... not so much..
Am i the first to say Living Things? In every album by now there has always been that one song that i never liked. Or something that have always been bothering me. Living Things for me.. Doesn't have any of these problems, or any other. Living Things, the perfect album.
Living Things is almost perfect for me, so if I had to chose one i'd pick Living Things but none of their albums are perfect to me.
A Thousand Suns is the only LP album I can put on in a room full of people and not be embarrassed in the slightest. And EVERY single time I have put it on, when it gets to "When They Come For Me," everybody goes "Wait... this is Linkin Park?" and comments about how good it is. Even the people who hate Linkin Park.