Great post! Great points, very interesting. Valid point, but the time and effort that Linkin Park put in to move away from the Hybrid Theory/ Meteora sound made it seem as if their transformation sonically was permanent. Again, good post.
Whenever I hear about the label stepping in on the direction, I always think of this: I still think LP is in that position where Warner will listen to them and cater to their needs. I also still think that LT is what the band wanted seeing as how excited Mike was for this album.
I just think these were the songs that they wanted to write. They don't have to make another ATS. They don't have to make another HT. And now, they don't have to make another LT. They are now completely comfortable with who they are and I think they're just gonna write songs that excite them and translate well into a live setting (I personally think the live aspect greatly influenced the direction of LT, as Mike has mentioned several times now), be they songs with familiar structures and power chords, or creative, atmospheric electro business. Sure, LT was not as creative or experimental as ATS. But who the hell said it had to be? Think of it this way. If LP's very first album was ATS, would you have wanted them to have made a second one? As in, an ATS style version of Meteora? I just think it's important that all their records sound unique. They can all sound genuinely Linkin Park, because they all do, but I don't want another ATS, another HT, another Meteora, another MTM, or another LT next. I just want another good, new, LP album. Because even if ATS (with it being so unique) is a masterpiece or LP's greatest work, LT is still GOOD. Arguably, not fantastic, though I personally think it's great. But still GOOD. And as long as my favorite band keeps making good music, I'm satisfied. Doesn't matter to me what it sounds like or if it surpasses the last record. On another note, there is no argument to be made about Mike's playlists or any music that the other members listen to. They've been naming the same bands as influences since the HT days, a few new ones now obviously, but mostly the same.
Well, Until It Breaks' first two verses are from the LT era (Apaches), as I've said before Chester's part MIGHT be Kingdom. The fact that he sings "and when the last bells ring, the poor men sing" remind me too much of Blackbirds's lyrics, and the revisitation for 8-Bit Rebellion might've inspired those lyrics during the ATS process. Chester re-recording them on the documentary smashes this theory though, lol. In the same vein, Skin to Bone might be Left Right, another demo from ATS, but this is might be pushing it solely because of the lyrics. It does have a WTCFM/W&K vibe though. I really doubt Oneforty was from the ATS era. It seems to me like it's a demo they liked from the batch of the tour ones. And Tinfoil/Powerless is Tinfoil, for sure. I've suspected for a while too now I'll Be Gone might be Primo now, but we'll see.
That's not necessarily true either. The only way to know if a band sold out is if they actually came out and said something like they were writing whatever music makes the most money. In any other case, you are assuming guilty until proven innocent. Staying in the same style doesn't mean that they sold out. If that had happened, then perhaps it would mean that they liked the identity that they created for themselves and wanted to stick with it. Kinda like having a signature style. There's nothing wrong with that. What actually happened was that the band wanted to branch out instead, and didn't want to be pigeonholed in that style forever. That's not a crime either. Speaking of guilty until proven innocent, this seems to be the attitude towards Warner nowadays. They make a good scapegoat sometimes, yes, but the unsupported theories on them seem to be going a little far. Despite the times that the band and the label actually were at odds, I think people need a reminder that they are also partners, and that their goals will align now and then. LP needs an artistic career, and Warner has longtime experience selling records. With a little negotiation between the two, it could be possible that the two of them can get a win/win scenario, where LP gets their artistic needs AND Warner gets their record. It doesn't have to be one or the other. I'm not necessarily defending Warner, but there isn't much ground to be accusing them of much, either. They've stayed invisible.
LP sold out when they signed to Warner. Not when they started making MTM or ATS. Warner might or might've not had any input during LT's process, but surely not in MTM/ATS's.
BS. Selling Out != Making a living off of your work. I'm sick of this mentality where an artist has to live in a goddamned cardboard box to have artistic integrity.
LIVING THINGS also came from the bands desire to bring some more energy into their live shows and probably more variety. In their Portugal Show , there are 8 songs from Hybrid Theory, that's over a third of the setlist.
Noone is saying that they shouldn't be on a label but Warner/Gilmore had the biggest influence on the band's lyrics to reach to the maximum amount of people and the rest is history. In case you don't know history, "I WANT TO HEAL, I WANT TO FEEL, LIKE I'M CLOSE TO SOMETHING REAL"
After some time, I'm really starting to think that Warners became heavily involved. Notice how there isn't a lot of footage for Living Things, compared to Meteora, M2M or A Thousand Suns? Perhaps a lot of it was removed because it was related to Warners. They can't just bleep "Warners" like they did in MOATS because it will raise suspicion. Linkin Park has to keep this image that the label doesn't control them as much. All major artists do, actually. Just look at the Pre-Hybrid Theory(album) stuff. The lyrics were poetic. Mike's rap had lyrics that captivated a range of emotions. Nothing felt "simplified". It was the band's GENUINE music. Then we have Hybrid Theory, and although it's an excellent album, some things feel very simplified, especially the instrumentation (compared to lets say, "Coal"). Dedicated is 13 years old, and it still feels fresh. It's extremely unusual for the band to push away from nu metal since like 2005, then SUDDENLY make this desicion to return (kinda) to their roots. If this was more gradual, it would be understandable. As a musician myself... I find this really weird. This is eactly what I mean. Even after the release of ATS, the band even said they don't care about record sales - 5 million or 5 thousand or whatever. They said they wanted to keep pushing boundaries and continue experimenting. Let's face it, the only experimentation there really was were the combination of the sounds, more elctronics and the folk thing.
There also was the desire to put out albums faster, which might've fueled the eventual need for formulaic stuff, but nevertheless whether Warner had any input remains a highly likely chance.