Post your reactions here when you hear it! Also: this thread may contain spoilers so avoid it if you are waiting until the album releases.
I'm listening to UIG for the third time now (the music/lyrics video is already up) and I love it. Just...PERFECTION.
Lyrics are pretty terrible for the most part. The chorus would've been so much more epic if it didn't use that overused saying. Really lazy songwriting. And it brought the song down a notch for me. I can see why they need a poppy yet guitar-washed song like this in the record (despite how much of them saying "Oh this album is gonna be in yo face!!!") ... but I would be disappointment if there is more than one of these tunes on the album. I expect the rest to be edgier than this.
Yeah I agree, the poppy sound really surprised me, since they've been banging on about how heavy the album is, why is this so clearly not? Also what is going on with Chester's vocals?? It was the same as GATS, meaning weak! I hate to say that more than can be put into words, but on both tracks his vocals are weak. There I've said it. Shame considering I loved the lyrics, and the song by itself is awesome. Where's Mike however?.
It sounds a lot like a Dead By Sunrise song to me. The verse melody and lyrics make me think of DBS. When the lyrics aren't some variation of "you don't know what you've got until it's gone," I kind of like them. Also, between the verses here and the chorus of GATS, the vocal melodies on this album look like they're going to be pretty strong. I love the organ sounds. It's cool. I'll be playing this more than Guilty All The Same, though that isn't saying much.
I've listened to it four times. It's a good song, but not something that overwhelmed me with excitement. I agree with everyone else about how repetitive the lyrics in the chorus are. I really dig the synth throughout the song. Also, I think Chester's vocals in the verse are great! I say its a 7.5/10 or 8 at best. I do believe that this was just the one poppy song that was made for commercial purposes. Still have hopes that the album will be heavier.
I hope this is one of the only "pop" tracks on this record. If not, it would totally makes Mike look bad in regard to what he has been saying recently. It's such a pretty standard radio-friendly LP song. On the bright side: instrumental in the verses + verse melody + bridge. Overall not bad, but not for me... I'd give it a 6/10, while GATS is probably a 8,5. Edit: you might find those words surprising coming from an HT/Meteora fan. Whatever ahah
My review finally: This song feels like it could've ended up on Living Things. It's not that great at all on it's own. I'm not that big of a fan as I want to be. I'm trying to get psyched on it, but I just can't. I like the vocal melodies in the 2nd chorus but that's about it. I honestly can say this, I enjoyed BURN IT DOWN much more than this track. The difference is that track summed up what Living Things was about. This song does not sum up The Hunting Party from what we have been hearing. For a number score I'd give this a 6/10 for now.
Chester's delivery is top notch Brad has some really great guitar stuff going on, stuff that really stands out against his traditional approach Lead synth is catchy as hell Lyrics are... lyrcs There are a ton of background synths and other keyboard instruments that add a lot to the song and really fill out harmonies nicely Drums round everything out nicely, Rob is amazing as usual THAT BEING SAID: I think this song was a great step toward being a harder edged, carnivorous version of later LP stuff, but then the mixing people go a hold of it you can't hardly hear any of the things that give this song so much potential There's so little room for the guitars that they have to constantly change the stereo field to make them have any punch or dynamics. If it was one little background riff being played, that would be fine, but there are multiple high gain tracks that should be up front and just can't compete with the massive limiting. These kind of mixes jump out at you, yes, but they fatigue the hell out of you and sound like a blend of sound instead of a bunch of parts working together. They have synths that use the same key parts of the spectrum as distorted guitar "bite" and rob the guit fiddle of any heaviness. They are writing better and better instrumentally, but using dumb ass combinations of sounds and not giving anything any space to breathe. I couldn't listen to this on repeat for very long without it just wearing my ears out. This is what happens when you mix with the speakers all the way the hell up. It only sounds good when it's loud as hell. It's a basic rule that if it sounds good at low level, it sounds better when louder. It actually can be made loud. This kind of mix is only decent when it's loud. There's no punch or anything when it's quiet and when it's loud it just sounds normal.
I liked it after the first listen. Now that I keep listening to it, it keeps growing on me. It's not GATS, and that's okay, because I want variety, not the same song 12 tracks in a row.
Nope. But IMO it still has some great moments. I think what really annoys me the most(beside the mixing) is the whole: "You don't know what you got until it's gone" because it gets repetitive fast and it is really a over used cliche. With that said - It's still a decent song. I will give it a 7/10 for now - but it's hard to say at the moment. In comparison I would give GATS 8,5-9/10. I really love the vocals + verse melody. I really like the intro riff but the guitar, synths and drums float too much together for the chorus and bridge. Overall not the worst LP song but not the greatest either. The loudness war is strong in this one.
Personally, I love it. Thematically it reminds me of What I've Done, but refurnished for a new generation of listeners. Sonically though, I think it's drastically different from anything LP made to this point, which I applaud. Extremely catchy melody, phenomenal guitar parts, nice balance of pop/heavy. Nothing spectacular and Earth-spinning like most of ATS was for me, but great song nevertheless. Great choice for a radio single.
I think Linkin Park has been suffering from the loudness wars since ATS, thought it wasn't obvious until LT (think Castle of Glass and In My Remains), so it doesn't surprise me that this song is going to have it too, especially considering it's a single. Radio singles will be radio singles I suppose.
Disclaimer: We all fucking knew what this song was. This is the EXCEPTION of the album. It's meant to appeal to the masses, and that's absolutely fine. People who were gearing up for another head banger like GATS were bound for disappointment. Judging this song on its own merits, I'm very pleased with it. Having one song like this on the album (there could be others, it's entirely possible) is a good thing, in my opinion. It's in the middle of the album, sort of like a break in the action. The obvious highlights of the song are ones others have already praised: the synth, the melodies, the "orchestral backdrop", those are all awesome. I think the message is a good one, and the verse lyrics are above average for LP. For fuck's sake, there have been much worse chorus lyrics than UIG has. I'm fine with the simplicity of the message the chorus brings with it. I'm also continuously fond of the "raw" way in which Chester's vocals are being presented. The verse presentations are top notch, and the aggressiveness in the chorus really has a live feel. The lead guitar riff in the beginning is really cool. Unfortunately (and for now, I'm blaming this on the quality of the YT upload I've been listening to), it gets completely buried in the mix. It's not mind blowing, and I personally like GATS more than UIG, but this song is good. It's really good. It's LP's typical lead single, but that's fine. Do I want an entire album full of songs like UIG? Not a chance. However, this being the exception, I can appreciate it so much in the midst of all the energy the rest of the album will bring with it. I give it an 8/10.
In enjoyed it. I'm at a point where I'm almost falling out of love with the band but this was good. Cheesy lyrics (to be expected), poppy sound builds into something a little heavier (I liked it), though not really the missing ingredient in modern rock.
It's an alright track. The structure is a little different and the synth is great. The lyrics are alright in the verses but the repetitiveness is what makes it lack a little bit. Hopefully this is one of those albums where all the songs work together (like A Thousand Suns) and not so much where the songs only do well on their own and can barely get through the entire album without shutting it off (Meteora; Living Things).