I could care less how long it takes them to finish the album. As long as they put out something they're proud of.
Musically I never thought the album was that bad. Yes some songs felt like exact copies of tracks on the first album (you can make an easy mashup of Papercut Vs Hit The Floor for example)...but the instrumentals were creative. It was the horrible lyrics on some tracks that sunk that album for me. There's only so many words you can rhyme with "heal".
To this point i'm so glad being non native english speaker. So often i really don't mind the lyrics at all. I can't imagine how LP sounds for a native speaker. Sometimes for me it just sounds like just a bunch of "la la la's"
That was a neat clip. I have no clue what I even want or expect from this album, but I'm not really worrying about it. One of the problems I've had is with their writing in some cases, but they're focusing on that first this time around. They seem so enthusiastic about this album, so I'm pretty optimistic about it. I'm guessing at this point it'll be around Feb-April, but they can delay it as much as they need to. If what they're making feels to them like it could be their "best album yet" as objective as it may be, then they can take all the time they need.
I just want this album to feel special, somehow. ATS is the only special album for me. All the other ones are good albums, but their formula feels common.
As long as this album is more varied than THP and not focused on balls to the wall thrash metal/hard rock with every song kind of meshing together with no real identity except for Final Masquerade, then I'm fine with it. I mean, I still appreciate THP for what it is, but it lacking in variety compared to previous albums was a disappointment.
I think that most of the songs on THP stand out from one another stylistically, even if there are things they all have in common. There are many rock subgenres touched upon throughout the album and the band was, as usual, particular about guitar tones and whatnot in order to differentiate each song and sections therein
I was thinking about this today and I completely agree. From a sound design standpoint, Linkin Park are one of the best rock bands I know. They have a fusion between rock instrumentation and electronic instrumentation that I just really adore. Unlike a lot of bands who fuse those two elements, the sounds that LP use always feel fresh, unique, and well crafted. I absolutely love the fact that on every album, the band tries to mix up their sound so much, to the point where from a sound design and genre standpoint, they almost feel like different bands. The reason why I mention this is because despite all of this, I still feel to this day that LP have chained themselves to their songwriting formula. They've experimented in one aspect of songwriting and in many ways neglected the other. Think about it, a solid 3/4 of LP's songs are around 3:30 in length, follow an ABABCB structure, have Chester singing a big catchy chorus, have no instrumental breaks longer than 15-20 seconds, etc. Likewise, almost every LP album has 12 tracks, is around 40 minutes long, and has only one real instrumental, among other recurring themes. As you said, the only album to mix all that up was ATS, and for me, that is the key to LP making another astounding album. We all know they can write great songs, with catchy hooks and melodies that'll stay in your head for days. We all know that the band can create really unique and insteresting sonic textures, separating themselves from most other rock bands that they're often compared to. The place where LP fall flat IMO is that they repeat their winning formula so often. There's the verse, the big catchy chorus, another verse with one or two added layers, another chorus, a bridge where they change things up a bit, and another chorus or double chorus to finish things up. Almost every song goes like this. I'm not asking for 8 minute progressive masterpieces. I'm asking for an album where not every chorus has to be repeated 3 times, where there are short little instrumental bits like Jornada Del Muerto that come and go without overstaying their welcome, alongside songs that are long enough to develop and expand without being cut short. I don't want to be able to predict what the end of the song sounds like 30 seconds in, I want surprises. Of course, I (obviously) love the band and I'll be perfectly happy with another great, well written album even if it doesn't satisfy all of my demands. It's not my place to tell them what to do, clearly! It's just that ATS gave us a taste of what happens when LP mix their amazing song and melody writing with big, immersive sound design, and then shake it all up with songs that are exciting and completely unpredictable, and for me, that hunger hasn't been satiated since. I love LT and THP, and I'll probably love the new album no matter how amazing or terrible it ends up being, but I just genuinely feel that if the guys made a conscious effort to break out of the 3:30, ABABCB, 12 tracks to an album cycle and composed another album with twists and turns from start to back, they could make something truly extraordinary. Easier said than done, I know, I'm not the one who has to actually go and write the music, but I really think that the guys are great songwriters with the potential to do something crazy. (Wow, that turned into way more of a rant than I expected, got a bit carried away... )
Always agree with ya. I appreciate the band releasing music no matter how much replay value there is for me. Even though Living Things was forgettable, there are things I totally appreciate about it. I would love to hear the band switch up things more and while we can likely predict maybe at least one song above the around 3 minute mark, I would prefer more interesting song structures if not 5 minute epic tracks. I would also love to hear more metaphorical imagery too. Also, as much as I enjoy Mike's braggadocio, I think he has REALLY worn it out. It was refreshing af to hear it on the Fort Minor stuff in 2005 and with ATS and LT but it definitely got old quick on THP. The dude has literally been running with the same style for 8 years now!!!! LOL Even songs were he kinda switches it up (Welcome) still tend to fall into a battle style. I would prefer he changes it again. Like you said, things are easier said than done but Mike does have a talent for story telling and conscious rap. (Spraypaint and Ink Pens, Dedicated, Hands Held High) I'm not saying he has to go back but 8 years of battle rapping is enough now. I'd prefer if he tackles topics or something more interesting. I'd regardless like it though, especially if he focuses on the technical aspects but with a new writing style for the band, I hope he evolves, not just as a singer, but more as a rapper too.
If you listen to Xero or Hybrid Theory (band), battle-rap is just how Mike started and where he came from. He did move more towards emotional lyricism for the first LP albums. I still think he does a good job of switching it up between emotional and braggadocio when appropriate, like he does on LT. Maybe it was a little tiring to hear him do just battle-style rapping on THP but it was better for those songs. We'll see how he changes things for this next album though
I said last 8 years. Battle rapping is a style of rapping where the lyrics are confrontational, usually about showing how better you are as a rapper then others. I mentioned Fort Minor as the first time he's used a battle street style/ aggressive braggadocio (In Stereo, 100 Degrees, Dolla, Bloc Party) since their EP. I should've clarified it was mostly on the We Major mixtape tho. Hybrid Theory and Meteora had conscious lyrics. In the last 8 years, Waiting For The End is an exception and so is the first verse of Lost In The Echo but the second verse loses sight and goes more aggressive for the sake of it. Burn it Down maybe too. There are some exceptions but his style has still remained the same. I Have Not Begun. When They Come For Me. Wretches And Kings. Second verse of Lost In the Echo. Lies Greed Misery. Victimized Until it Breaks I'll Be Gone (Remix) Skin To Bone (Remix) Keys To The Kingdom All For Nothing Wastelands Welcome (in a way) Nothing wrong with him having battle verses but he just needs to switch it up a bit is all I'm saying.
Totally agree with Mike's raps. Welcome was such a damn good instrumental, it's a shame that the lyrical content couldn't have been a little more interesting. It would've been a truly great track for me. As well, I would've preferred something different for Wastelands and KTTK too.
True and that worked incredibly well. The Xero/Hybrid Theory era was Mike at the top of his game imo but he kept reinventing himself as a rapper and tried new approaches. Even when he was doing conscious rapping, HT was metaphorical, Meteora was blunt emotion and The Rising Tied was storytelling. His battle raps are usually hit or miss now imo. I'm glad he did it on LT and THP but it's old as hell now. His flow/delivery has improved so much that I want to hear something fresh. Don't get me wrong, I love his battle tracks. Until It Breaks last verse, Wastelands, Second verse of All For Nothing and I fuck heavy with Welcome but I think it's time for him to branch a bit more. Hell I don't care if all he wants to do is battle rap from now on. There's actually only one thing I want from his rapping and that's to be more creative on a technical level. I'm ok with the rapping on THP being less than it was on LT since it was more rock inspired but since lyrics are the priority here, I hope he just kills it. His last verse (Like Riding A Bike) is a good example recently of him just letting loose and being interesting lyrically. I do really love his rapping regardless how simple or technical he prefers it.