One More Light has risen to one of my favorite LP albums I think. I find it more replayable than HT, ATS, THP and definitely LT. It is behind MTM but might be above Meteora. So it's probably my second favorite.
OML is definitely up there imo, fantastic album with way more replay value then some of the others for me. I still listen to it a lot. Maybe it's because I grew up/matured with the band, but I find it very relatable and it fits more into what I'm into now from a sonic/musical perspective. These three tracks from Mike are amazing btw, I can't say I enjoy them as such, because it's all still pretty raw, but I have huge respect and admiration for him putting something so personal, and so good, out there in what is a very difficult time.
Numbers are impossible to avoid for a band like LP, even if they don't sell that much now. From a quality standpoint, I think it would have made sense that OML had sold more copies, though. Most people must have thought it was a bad record just from the critics or maybe their album sales come from a loyal fanbase now that allows for them to sell around 1 million every time.
I continued reading and saw this already addressed, but for the record, I assumed Blake was talking about more of Mike's solo work. But StrictlyJohnD and others who responded, do have an important point and I really have to keep reminding myself of this, that they need to take their time and process in their time, but what we have learned, and I may or may not have said this already, is that the legend of LP still lives on and the memory is there and that some amazing talent is still there! I think it's only fair to say that we'd like more music from Mike as it's flattering that we enjoyed this so much, while at the same time, we still recognize the pain and hurt that went into something like this and wouldn't want Mike, or any of the other band members, to create a work that forces them to tap into difficult subject matters when it's, you know, too difficult. And I may be adding somewhat of my own bias here in what I'm about to say but personally, if and when I create something of meaning, (ie: writing) I kinda want to share it, with friends and family (well, whomever I feel could relate and understand) and especially when it's created in a dark moment, it's sometimes, well, let's call it "therapy", to share these experiences. I think between the album and him reaching out lately via Twitter, Mike has recognized the love of the fandom and wants both fans and himself to heal together, and I think that's a beautiful thing! So, whenever he's ready, and as someone else said, these are kinda like "gifts" that he shares and each piece is special and already says a lot! Am I rambling?? I've been thinking a lot lately, so I guess it spills over into deep conversations like these sometimes.
I have been my entire life Anyway, Over Again reached #1 in Kerrang's Rock Chart but its not even a rock song. Something never make sense.
Probably too off topic especially since people have moved on from it here, but I've never understood the "OML was his suicide note!" thing. Not even touching in the fact that Mike wrote most of it, there's literally no "downer" song on it. Is it literally just the title "Nobody Can Save Me", and the fact that you need to completely disregard the ending of it? Is it Heavy? Breaking the Habit is probably the "suicide note song", why's that never mentioned? Back on topic, I still prefer Watching As I Fall to Over Again and am surprised to see that OA is far and away the fan favorite.
Over Again has a more sticky chorus, that must be the reason why it got the most attention out of the three songs. I thought about the album as Chester's suicide note at first as well, but now I realize that the songs were made to sound happy and they were mostly written by Mike. The ones that must be more related to Chester are Halfway Right and Heavy, not One More Light because even after Chester's passing it became Chester song for the fans (understandable, though because of how beautiful the live performances of the song were and its meaning), but that was written for a friend of the band at Warner Bros that had passed away. All this things are debatable, what is not debatable, I guess, is the fact that OML is LP's most personal and sincere album lyrically.
Lyrics that stuck out to me in in Shinoda's Over again was the part about him basically saying "oh now you hear the lyrics?". LP's songs have always been about personal turmoil and dealing with shit. It took Chester's death for people not to just see it as angsty teen wannabe crap instead of the sincere expression of their feelings that they were. I've seen so many people comment about how it's crazy going through their back catalogue because Chester's death added more context to them.
There's another side to that as well. I heard someone say that "every [Linkin Park] album is a suicide letter", and they wouldn't listen when I explained that many of the lyrics Chester sang weren't actually penned by him.
Yeah, that's the point. Out of all the songs they assumed Chester wrote, the one where he sings probably the most blatantly about suicide is the one that seems to get glanced over most often.
The BTH lyrics are very much open to interpretation, though. I've personally never considered them to be hinting at suicidal thoughts
I remember during the Meteora cycle that Mike said Breaking the Habit was written about a friend of his. He never said who, and while you're right about it being open for interpretation, ever since Chester passed I always wondered if Mike wrote the song low-key about Chester. I'm probably pulling strings, but it made me wonder a time or two.
Not arguing any of that, you're welcome to wonder. I just don't think you (general 'you') can go claiming that the lyrics are "blatantly" about suicide when it isn't really that cut-and-dry.
I really don't see how they can be seen any other way, really. I always took Mikes denial of it as a kind of cover for realizing a lot of the bands fans were teens and pre-teens and it looked bad admitting as much, but it's not exactly a song dripping with metaphor or anything. I'd say out of any song they've done, it's probably the most cut and dry.
I wasn't insinuating that it's about suicide at all, I always thought it was just about self struggle in general. I just don't know who Mike wrote it about. Could be Chester could be someone out of the band.