I don't think they'll get a new singer but if they were to then it'd be a complete unknown plucked from somewhere or other I feel.
I don't think that's totally fair to say. It would just add to their diversity, we've gotten very little full-on hip-hop tracks from them. And hip-hop is hugely diverse in itself. If they made a full track like the end of UIG, stuff like FM, another track or two comparable to UIB, it would still feel really fresh. What would go against what Chester said is if Mike outright admitted that he felt like hip-hop is all they could pull off now, which is obviously not true or how he'd feel, regardless of if he felt compelled to have LP make hip hop sounds. I want more folk-influenced stuff, I think they have tons more potential and the "what Living Things could have been" always really intrigues me.
I meant if it permanently goes in that direction that it wouldn't be experimenting. Not if they do a record like that. A single album with Mike rapping more than singing, would be fine. Infact I'd probably expect it given that Mike would want something "easier" to perform live.
True. If they made 2 albums from now and the second one felt like they lost their desire to deviate from the one before, I would be quite sad. But who knows, if they made 3 more ATS-like albums I sure wouldn't complain lol.
I'd be down for a hip-hop driven record as a change - as other people pointed out, it would probably only be for one record if they did it. And remember, that doesn't mean it has to be as hip-hop driven as The Rising Tied, I think a record with 5-6 rap-centric tracks mixed in with more regular sung tracks would be really fresh and a good opportunity for Mike to really focus in on that side of his music again. Although if it were my choice to make, I'd love to see either some more folky stuff (much of my favourite of Brad's guitar work is from tracks like Three Band Terror and Sharp Edges, and I feel like he has a lot more to offer in that vein, not to mention that I think chill, folky music would suit Mikes voice perfectly), or go in a more dark, alternative and expansive electronic direction à la much of ATS, It Goes Through, etc.