I think we can safely expect something different for the next album and, hopefully, the band can continue to surprise us. I do agree with OP, they could try cutting back on the electronic elements just a little
I think they should sound organic, but with more of a sound like the band 'Metric'. So I guess kind of like an indie-vibe. It would also be interesting to see them go 'bonkers' again.
Personally, I think an organic album is the logical progression from here. Considering they've taken it upon themselves to stay as fresh as possible with their sound, doing an album with as much electronic influence as LIVING THINGS or even ATS for that matter, wouldn't surprise me. They could do with that raw rock sound what they did with Electronic sounds in ATS, and push it to its limits, see how far they can take it, and the album after that would be a truly balanced record.
I re-read your essay and came to the same conclusion again. You are grossly confusing "organic" with "personal taste and preference" with a giant dose of assumptions of the band's process and inner working. No he doesn't at all. I assumed the same until i read his statements. He specifically mentioned HT and ATS and his only comment on MtM was this: I understand the point he is trying to make even if it is done poorly, but he is trying to pass off his personal taste/feelings and assumptions as the definition of "organic" and trying to back it up with things he could never prove to be true.
After "Midnight", where the band really sought, on some songs, to capture a raw, live feel in the recording process, I thought the logical next step might be an extremely electronic album - something on the other end of the spectrum in terms of sonics but which would continue their thread of experimentation in other ways. Going on from that, for their sixth album, it'd be at least interesting to see what would happen if the band really kept synth work to a minimum and did some cool shit with guitars and bass and drums ...
I def want their music to have a more organic texture to it. The mixing/mastering has been a big problem with ATS/Living Things for me to get past. Both the albums sound so glossy. I think I've said it before... it feels like the songs are in a glass box and you're admiring them from the outside.
OP very clearly meant he'd like to see a new Linkin Park album where Mikes laptop and hundreds of programs weren't bigger contributors than half of the band members. Whether or not he used the wrong word to express the point is irrelevant.
I'd also like a little more ballad songs, like Roads Untraveled or Powerless. I think that's what LT lacked.
Erm.. Sixth After reading all of you guys I agree.. Stripping the sound of the electronic, artificial feel for a bit would be fine. And with the VERY positive feedback they got from songs like CASTLE OF GLASS and ROADS UNTRAVELED, they might also feel less shy to try those influences in a deeper level.
MTM, to me, sounds DRASTICALLY different from any of the other 4 LP albums. I think the reason is because it was the ONLY album not recorded at NRG. Mike brought that up a few months back. Anyone else notice that? It was recorded at 'The Mansion', same place as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, Slipknot, System Of A Down and many other bands made albums at, and also, the first place that the Beatles ever took acid, and some other stories with Jimi Hendrix that I'm not gonna go into on here. But yeah, do you guys think the reason that the album was more basic rock oriented and organic was because of the history and soul of the house? I do.
Well I think LT has lot of organic stuff, many times mixed with some electro stuff. But yeah, it will be interesting to listen to an all-organic sounding record in the next years
The organic sound of MTM was great. What I didn't like was the idiosyncratic compilation of the album itself. The songs feel put together randomly. Even when Mike said, it's necessary to listen to MtM in the right order it doesn't nearly have the same effect on me like a playthrough of ATS from start to finish. For the next record: I'd like to hear an organic sounding album like MTM with the album-consistency of ATS - some Arcade Fire like guitar work - and more electronics. But more in the Radiohead kinde of style and sense. More analog synths and a more minimalistic sound. Sure LITE is a really really nice catchy song. But to be honest, it's overladed like the Don Gilmore-Meteora stuff. I don't like that very much.
Well, I do believe MTM is Linkin Park's most organic record and it's my favorite one they've ever done. So yeah, pursuing a more organic sound is definitely something I'd like to see them doing. After having two mainly electronic albums, I hope they try something completely different next time - a raw, stripped down, organic record would be amazing. You know, something like MTM, but with all the new things they explored during the past years.
IMO M2M had the best musicality out of any Linkin Park album. They should try to "jam" to create the basics of the songs, and then produce it with the ATS concept and sound.
Emote at it all you want, doesn't exactly change the fact that "Mike Shinoda Protools Experience" isn't exactly an inaccurate way to describe the later couple of LP albums.
People have been bitching about Linkin Park releasing albums that are too slow and full of boring ballads since Minutes To Midnight. I think that the tempo of Living Things was a breath of fresh air. It also allowed the few ballads on the album to truly shine. I just want an album that can signify Linkin Park as once again being a ROCK BAND, rather than an electronically-driven group of guys full of samples and drumbeats and the odd guitar line when they feel like it.