The thought that's bothering me the most is that how the heck did LP consciously go back to making bland songs like this after making an ambitiously experimental album like ATS? I've been scratching my head over this for the past few hours.
I said this before when the "firecracker" article came out, but I think this album is the band throwing the fans a bone. Like, "hey, thanks for sticking with us while we experiment, here's a reward." That said, I obviously don't know the band and I don't want to put words in their mouth, but that's just the feeling I get.
To be fair we can't really assume that just from one song. I know the TC argument was made for ATS, but what if WTFE was the lead single of that album? A lot of us would think the guys have nothing new or exciting. I predict this album will have some awesome tunes that will be nothing like BID, which I do enjoy btw.
I wouldn't jump the gun like that, but if that is truly the case then its a strike against LP's artistic integrity. You mean Waiting For The End? I would've LOVED that to be the first single. That song is a 100 times more experimental than the bland mess BID is.
I don't mean to jump the gun, and after that SPIN article came out, I feel very confident that Burn it Down is more the exception than the rule with this new album. But, even if Linkin Park DID throw their fans a bone...I dunno. It doesn't tarnish them as artists. It would be a not-so-artistic move, but if they made one album for the fans, that's not so bad. I wouldn't hold it against them.
I agree. A few of you seem to judging their new album as a complete turnaround in direction based on a lead single. They've said all along that Living Things is an album that encompasses ALL of the band's strengths into one cohesive sound. Guess what? One of the band's strengths pre ATS was making radio-friendly, catchy pop songs. Even with ATS just look at Burning In the Skies, Waiting for the End and Iridescent for more of that strength. Other than "OHHHH A GANG CHORUS" or "OMG MIKE'S SINGING INSTEAD OF RAPPING" it's the same old Linkin Park with a slightly electronic twist.
Totally jealous. Would've replaced Crawling and OSC for Blackout at the Vegas show. And New Divide too. And SHadow of the Day. Hah.
The problem with that would be, it wouldn't just be one album. Wasn't Meteora for the fans? I'm sure they would have rather made something more original.
I've been getting a similar vibe, that they've taken their foot off the gas, so to speak. Since after ATS was released and they followed up The Catalyst with the most normal songs for singles instead of the more daring/different songs - now pretty much everything I've been hearing about LT rubs me the wrong way. Wait & see I suppose. Hopefully BID isn't representative of the rest of LT.
Have you read Mike's most recent blog? Come on. Seriously. I have never seen proof that that album was not what they intended to make.
I think the truth is probably somewhere in the middle of you and Jesse. they HAVE said in interviews that they felt not only fan and label pressure to recreate the HT sound, but just the pressure of fame in general. HT was wildly successful, so they felt a bit obligated to stick with that, because it was "their thing" so to speak.
All the demos from that era suggested that they wanted to make something different, but WB said /notgonnahappenmakehybridtheory2.0
I can accept that theory, but no the delusion that WB forced Meteora down their throats. They were perfectly willing to replicate HT.
To me this is a good thing, as HT is my favorite, so I'm happy, I hope the rest of you are as well. Don't get me wrong their other albums were beyond good, but to my (insane) mind Hybrid Theory, is just tops.
Exactly. Not to mention they've stated in many an interview that they felt pressure from their fans and their label. Don Gilmore suggesting they rewrite their songs a trillion times being but just of one example. Meteora, the album was not for the band. It was for the fans. The demos on the other hand do seem to tell a different story.
I voted not bad, I don't love it or hate it, I was just expecting much more, it's too radio friendly. I was hoping they pushed the experimentation of ATS even further. Hopefully they have some experimental gems that will probably never be singles on the rest of Living Things.
Ugh... Having Gilmore as a producer is like using a car boot to enhance a driving experience. The sooner he leaves the business, the better.