In the last 2 weeks that I'm a part of LPA, I simply couldn't find the time to read all 10,000 posts you're reflecting on, my bad. I did hear that Meteora has shitty lyrics though. And let's make one thing clear - I am not a Meteora fan. I'm a Linkin Park fan. Meteora is my favorite album. Big difference. MTM is a much more "crying in their rooms" type of record, as far as that is concerned. The lyrics are fine (phenomenal to me, but overall definitely fine), music is top-notch (Numb, Faint, Breaking the Habit, Don't Stay) and the whole vibe is much more giving than HT. The album is not bad. Maybe it's bad to you. Subjectively, I love it. Objectively, it's a great collection of songs that don't make an intro/story/outro thing MTM and ATS got going on.
Lyrics in MTM: Other than Given Up? Meaning of life, and what will be of those I left behind after I die (Leave Out All The Rest), fear of the current status of the world, knowing your leaders don't care about you (Hands Held High, The Little Things Give You Away). Stories about love, death, forgiveness. Lyrics in Meteora: YOU HURT ME, I'M PISSED, HEAR ME COMPLAIN (every song) So... no, they're not better than MTM's.
Didn't make the debate team and couldn't find anyone during elementary hide-and-seek, eh? Lets ignore "Given Up" for a moment and ask, "why"? That's fine and appreciate someone finally stepping up to the plate for the album, but I still don't understand why. For example, I can rebuttal that "Faint" includes a very simple guitar riff that enjoys taking words overused in on the same album and remaining vague with its intent on how to use these words. ("I can't feel the way I id before." "I won't be ignored." "...what I want you to feel." "...to just believe this is real.") I have no musical talent what-so-ever. I can't read music, I'm terrible at learning music, but one of the two songs I can play on the guitar is, in fact, "Faint". That doesn't say a lot for its credibility for me. So here's what I want to know from you: Why is "Faint" one of a great collection of songs? I'm serious. I'm really interested in digging in and understanding why this is a "great song" in a collection of supposedly "great songs." Help me out here.
First of all, English is not my native language and I experience lyrics written in English much differently than you. I see no problem in ''....what I want you to feel...to just believe this is real''. Second, pretty much every modern rock song is incredibly easy to play on guitar. You can learn Foo Fighters' greatest hits in a couple of hours with ease. Doesn't say anything about the quality of the song or the record(s), simply means that the core riffs or background beat is simple, and I like that in a song. You probably like Catalyst, try listening to it and thinking about music - verses, pauses, loops and such. It's incredibly repetitive (lyrics as well). But it's still great. What I've Done, same. You can analyze each and every song from Meteora and say why you don't like it, write and essay about it and eventually compose all your thoughts in a freaking book, but I can simply respond: I disagree, it's awesome. Why? Because it is, I don't need an explanation to like something, especially something so emotional and personal like a song. As for your 1st short snappy comment...it's plain dumb. I won't reply anymore, take care.
That's because subjective opinions do not require an objective rebuttal. People like Meteora because it sounds good to listen to? It's fun to listen to. That's essentially the only requirement. And I think this thread is starting to turn SRS BSNSS over this? really? It's like if I bashed chocolate milk for being too simple to make. I don't give a rats ass on how complicated it is. I care about its taste. Maybe it's even harder to write a good song with simple ingredients than complex ones. Some people will never appreciate chocolate milk. They don't need to write a dissertation explaining why. I know why and it's because they just don't like the taste.
I'm... *sniff*... so proud of you guys. 31 of you like ATS the best and Meteora the least? I just... I... *bursts out crying* I feel like... you GET me now.
No doubt much of what you're saying here is true, but I think you underestimate just how bad of a "musician" I am. I remember when ATS came out there were pages amongst pages of discussion about one a person liked a song, disliked another, felt about the album...etc... I'm sure you'll see something very similar to this when the fifth album is released. But it put everything in perspective for each other and even when there were still disagreements there were at least explanations. I have never seen such in depth discussion about Meteora and when I ask for all I get is exactly what you gave me just now: "It's awesome." At some point you need to separate the emotional and personal from whatever you like. "Numb" was a song I adored when I was a young, angst driven brat. To some extent it still means a lot to me. That doesn't change the fact it's a "Pushing Me Away" clone with weak, vague lyrics and cheesy lines that lifts structure directly from "Crawling". Period. D'aw. Have a potato with ketchup. It is called a discussion forum. I never said it was required, but I do find it odd that no one has ever bothered.
I love Meteora, but I can see and understand why many people dislike it. It has repetitive lyrics and is similar to Hybrid Theory in terms of musical style. I admire Meteora because I felt it the musical structure of HT was improved, since I believe HT suffers from awkward guitar riffs and songs that don't really cut deep enough (I believe I have stated before how much I dislike "A Place for My Head" before it was included in the bridge of "Bleed It Out"). Meteora blended electronic sounds and nu metal guitars and perfected their sound, which was imperfect at the HT era. I admired all the songs in the album (with the exception of "Figure .09" and "Hit the Floor"). If it wasn't for "Breaking the Habit", they would not experiment for their next 3 albums. I liked the boldness of Meteora. I love all albums (except Collision Course, which was a little mixed for me). No, I'm not an angsty kid who likes their old stuff better. I loved and was amazed by A Thousand Suns, despite being too bonkers and a little uneven. I'm a regular guy who loves all genres of music. And if it weren't for me, my friends wouldn't have appreciated A Thousand Suns and would be stuck in the state of "HT AND METEORA BETTER OLD NEW LP SUKKZ." One thing we can all agree on: A Thousand Suns is beyond the definition of awesome.
Okay, I see what everyone's doing, so I'm gonna do it too, haha. 1. Minutes to Midnight - it's my favorite. I think it just fits my ear the best, because it's an alternative rock record. I love how the album itself evolves - Wake makes an amazing intro to Given Up, a modern post-grunge song with a mind-blowing breakdown, and then, suddenly - Leave Out All The Rest! Old fans must have said: "What the fuck is this?!" when they first heard it, but I enjoy the song and the rest of the album as it goes over Bleed It Out and Shadow of The Day to an epic What I've Done, which, I think, is the breakdown of the record - and, with an exception of No More Sorrow, goes to mellower songs concluded with a beautiful The Little Things Give You Away. That sounded like a review, haha. 2. A Thousand Suns - mind-blowing! Everything you wouldn't expect! It is really a diverse journey, as if you'd start it in mountains covered in snow travelling towards the sea - with unexpected stuff going on in the meantime. Very abstract and strange. Great job, LP. 3. Hybrid Theory - today I still discover sounds hidden beneath those layers of hard rock guitars and electronics, screaming and rapping. It does have a very distinct sound. Nothing is repetitive. It's an amazing nu-metal record, leaving the band itself to wonder: "How did we do that?" 4. Meteora - it was my favorite Linkin Park album before, but your theories are true, and although there are great pieces of music there, it does get repetitive, not just if you remember Hybrid Theory, but if you remember a song you've listened to a couple of minutes ago - a song that is in the very album. But, I must say something: Meteora is not Hybrid Theory. I still believe it has a different, more modern sound. There's much more screaming, and not to mention Session is a much better instrumental than Cure for The Itch.^^ Also, I never ate Meteora for three days, hence I'm not that tired of it. But I know I would be if I did.
Lyric-wise I think it was the best album. The lyrics were not as wide as A Thousand Suns, but the emotions that were captured in the lyrics is so great. Other than given up, they're stuff that makes you feel so much better when you're feeling down. It's not that emo-ish either (other than given up). However, the album didn't flow well. There were some really really strong songs, but a couple others weren't up-to-par. The tracklist was really meh, too. And last but not least: It didn't have the Rap, rock and electronica that Linkin Park is known for. Hybrid theory, Meteora and ATS all have that mix. They basically lost their trademark sound with it. BUT, it was a transition album and it had to be made for ATS and the future albums.
I'll give some love for MTM. I think it's tied for the 2nd best album with Meteora (if you're not including No Roads Left). However, if you include No Roads Left as part of MTM, I would say it solely occupies the #2 spot (with Meteora being 3rd best). I'm sure a lot of people would say No Roads Left isn't good enough to make a difference like that. For me though, it is. And musically (instrumentation wise), I think MTM is probably their best album. So yea, MTM <3!!
A Thousand Suns - B+ - Surprising, stylish, inspired, incomplete. Re-Animation - B - Creative, fun, silly, familiar. Hybrid Theory - B- - Groundbreaking, polished, juvenile, nostalgic. Minutes to Midnight - C - Experimental, unsure, intriguing, frustrating. Meteora - C- - Loud, banal, trite, tedious.