I think Mike honestly said it best in the LPA podcast. Meteora is just incredibly melodramatic. It fit in perfectly in 2003-2004 when nu-metal was at its height but now the whole "I'm so sad, feel bad for me" core of the album just feels out of place and part of that has to do with the simplicity of the lyrics. The best Hybrid Theory tracks are able to demonstrate these same lyrical core values but shroud them under layers of metaphors, giving the songs some vivid imagery or an entirely different outlook, whereas Meteora's metaphors are usually downright cliche and whiny. That said, I feel as though Meteora has some insanely powerful instrumental pieces and the pure energy from the album is amazing. Faint and Lying From You are masterful in what they set out to be.
Interesting, I was quite young back then so I never experienced carrying discs around. This reminds me, for people who listen to vinyls, I noticed that for ATS Iridescent in on one side of the vinyl and Fallout and The Catalyst are on the other. Doesn't it greatly reduce the effectiveness of an interlude track when you have flip the vinyl? So I guess my question is, what changed? Did LP just get lazier or was Don Gilmore making them re-write the lyrics to make them more simple for 5 year kid or whatever he talked about. I did notice the lyrics in songs like Forgotten are so abstract I barely even know what the songs means. I didn't notice the contrast between Hybrid Theory and Meteora specifically until you mentioned it though. I agree, the energy and instrumentals are what really make the album special to me.
I like to think that Linkin Park were, at that time, a step or two beyond nu-metal. As a result of that, they were and are at least a little better than any other definitively nu-metal bands. And, so, if you pit "Meteora" against any other nu-metal release from its time, it will be better even just on the strength of the production quality. Similarly, if you pit Shinoda up against any rapper from a nu-metal band ... they'll be stomped.
I think the reason why LP sustained their longevity during that time was because they weren't deliberately trying to be a nu metal or rap metal band. The hip hop, melodic singing, and aggressiveness in their music was the band just being themselves; it was how they always sounded. Their authenticity and sophistication helped them achieve tremendous success. At that time, you could really tell what bands were trying to ride off the nu metal trend and what bands were being themselves. They were also really smart when it came to the press, media, and promoting themselves. Also, creatively, Mike had (and still has) incredible foresight into the climate of the music world. That combined with being a proficient and sophisticated song writer is what helped LP maintain their longevity. And like you said, he is also a genuine child of hip hop. People could sense he was a real rapper, even if he didn't write about the typical things rappers do.
I completely agree. And we can see the steps beyond nu-metal in those early 2002-03 demos that sound slightly more... sophisticated? I know Mike said there's never been an album that they've been forced to create, but I was really hoping he'd mention Meteora, considering all signs point to a different direction up until the album released. Meteora is a superb album for its placement in time. However, by 2007 it had passed its prime. Now everything but the production quality has aged.
I think most people will disagree, but I feel like the song "Papercut" is an abstract metaphor for the rejection and self doubt the band had when they were trying to get in the music industry. Maybe that's why it's the first song on their debut album. I could be over-analyzing it though. I'm certain the "Lost in the Echo" is definitely about the media and music industry, only it's from the perspective of someone who's gone through the highs and lows of success.
That's an interesting perspective on Papercut, but I feel like you really can interpret their music any way you want. Mike and Chester have said various times that they often have completely different ideas about what a song means. That's what I love about their lyrics, there are so many ways to interpret them, and none of them are the single 'right' way, because there is no right way.
If I remember correctly, around the HT and Meteora era, Chester and Mike would write lyrics together or at least share them. But they wouldn't discuss what exactly what they were writing about - it was more of just helping one another change words or give ideas. So a lot of the times they were talking about different things in the same song. Mike is definitely more vocal about the press and music industry than Chester is. You can hear it on Nobody's Listening in Meteora. Living Things - LITE, LGM, Victimized, BID A Thousand Suns - WTCFM The Hunting Party - KTTK, AFN, Wastelands And he is extremely vocal about it with Fort Minor's music. Chester is the more personal and introspective writer.
...I hate the internet sometimes. [video=youtube;l9dEZ0hRlF4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9dEZ0hRlF4[/video]
Nah, they've always stated that open communication about those topics was important, and that they'd try to find a middle ground that fits what they both want to express in a given song.
OK, that video was somewhat disturbing, yet it sort of fit the theme of Crawling (oddly enough ). That had to be the creepiest model of Shrek I have ever seen, and that Shadow the Hedgehog looked bizarre, too.
Somewhere right now... HybridT is listening to Fort Minor. Well, obviously, if you haven't done in a while. I discovered that I've overplayed ATS over the years, which means that sadly it has become a bit boring for me. Back in the days ATS kinda was the highlight of the day, just sitting down once in a week in the evening and listening to ATS, doing nothing else and just letting it sink in. It was perfect.
It's by far my favourite LP album but I haven't listened to it in a few months for the same reason. On a bit of a detox from LP in general right now, so I can play the shit out of their music when I'm hyped up for LP7!