I'll put it simply: TLTGYA is one of LP's absolute masterpieces. Amazing from beginning to end and that Milton Keynes performance just gives me goosebumps. Definitely one of my all-time favorite songs. I'm actually happy to say that the first time I've listened to the song, I basically lied down on my bed with chills and this plain "wow" feeling. I loved it. And I was 13. I was obviously taken by surprise over the band's sudden change in MTM (I was so used to the singles from HT and Meteora at the time) but I loved it at first listen and this song got me. I wish they'd perform TLTGYA again one day. Also, I really hope we do Not Alone as well after NRL and New Divide.
You guys are going to fucking kill me one of these days. I wanted to move on to ATS today, now it's not gonna be for another week.
it doesn't have to be chronological. feel free to jump back to tracks later on once we've got through the main discography. at least that way u can preserve the thread longer for newer releases, etc, if u wish.
If this thread is keeping you too busy or if its a burden, you can get someone else to write it I would love to help but I'm terrible at writing stuff.
Nah, I can still write this, and I want to. And we're doing it chronologically, as the schedule says. No Roads Left, New Divide, Not Alone, ATS.
[pun about No Roads Left that I've been trying to come up with for the past two days here] "No Roads Left" is the only official bonus track on Minutes to Midnight. It appeared on the Tour edition of the album, and was featured as a bonus track on Minutes to Midnight on iTunes in 2013 when Linkin Park's entire discography was re-released as the Linkin Park: Studio Collection. What a great way for Warner to pick up some of that green paper, eh? The track was the second ever to feature Mike's vocals through the entire song, first being "In Between". The songs working title was "Patients", and the Making of Minutes to Midnight documentary shows footage of Mike recording his vocals for the song for a couple of seconds. We also know Chester recorded his version, but the band opted for Mike's vocal take in the end, mainly for how emotional his performance sounded.When the song was re-released on iTunes in 2013, a different mix was released, featuring additional drums. The song opens with a guitar part recorded either by Shinoda or Delson, right before Shinoda starts singing the first verse. This guitar part (or variations of it), is played pretty much through the song. He opens the verse with a reference to the track title itself - "standing alone with no direction". In the rest of the verse, he notices that his own searching for perfection has left him behind the others, hence why he is standing alone. The guitar part gets a bit switched up in the pre-chorus, aswell as it gets accompanied by drums and a bassline from Phoenix. The pre-chorus strikes a very emotional note with the lyrics - "I let myself down again". The final line of the chorus reveals where the title of the song comes from. The second verse is a bit more cryptic than the first, but it revolves around an individual who has lost himself, and simply can't find a way how to "regain what's lost inside". After the pre-chorus, the song reaches that familiar Linkin Park moment, it just explodes. All of the sudden, as Mike sings "I run...", an incredible drumline from Rob appears, accompanied by a new guitar part and bassline from Phoenix, as well as strings, done by David Campbell. It's a truly astonishing moment. The ending of the song repeats the pre-chorus and chorus, both switched up just a bit more. Progression through songs was really something that made Minutes to Midnight so different from the Hybrid Theory and Meteora era, in which most of the time, when you've heard the chorus - you've heard it all. It was a welcome change, really. The song ends with sampled drums. As you may remember from the Bleed It Out post the band played around with that song a lot. Although No Roads Left was never performed live during the Minutes to Midnight tour cycle, a really big surprise happened in September 2011, right before the end of the A Thousand Suns touring cycle, when the band did two shows in Japan, one in Chiba, the other in Yokohama. After Chester's mega-powerful bridge, Brad kept playing the "Bleed It Out" riff, as Mike began to sing "No Roads Left". Of course, due to difference between songs, this meant Mike had to sing in a lower key, aswell as sing faster, due to "Bleed It Out"'s higher BPM. Unfortunately, we never got a pro-shot of these two shows, so "No Roads Left" never got a proshot either. I'll leave you with the only video avaliable on YouTube below. (slightly better audio, but no video here. "No Roads Left" begins at 2:10)
Cool song , also if the instumental is a bit boring in my opinion. I love Mikes voice so much in this song , just amazing
"No Roads Left" is the first Linkin Park song we got to hear where Chester doesn't provide vocals at all. Pretty special. I loved the song when I first heard it in 2007 but it's lost its magic for me now. Sometimes, I procrastinate on things and end up working on them late at night because I've left myself no choice, and, so, I kind of relate to the lyrics
So, like how the government had a delayed response to Hurricane Katrina, here os my delayed response to TLTGYA. This is honestly one of the band's greatest songs. So many new things on this song that make it stand out, especially with the acoustic intro with the sample and the guitar feedback, the outro, the drumming, and being their longest song until ALITS was released. Even though the lyrics are not very extensive, they are very powerful, and the interpretation has already been said in the main post. The demo of it is pretty good too, but the way it evolved into the album version is way better. I'm glad they kept the drums and piano from the intro and moved them into later parts of the song, but Chester's delivery is just way better for the song, plus there was the nice guitar solo getting added in there. Not too much to say about it from a playing perspective, but it's pretty. Liek Valentine's Day and In Pieces, this is another of Chester's best performances on the album, but the outro vocals might win it for being the best. Live, it is really good, and they need to bring it back one day. I like how Mike plays the guitar solo on the piano intro and then the whole thing comes in, and Rob's drumming is some of the best he had done until THP. You can see how Joe isn't even on stage in the RTR performance. No Roads Left: A nice bonus track, but it doesn't take much effect until it explodes in the chorus. Mike does a good job singing, but we know he would have trouble doing that live. I'd like to see Chester's take on it, maybe on this next LPU release. Lyrics are decent for it, and the strings are good on it. Not really much else to say about it, but I wouldn't mind seeing it live outside of BIO. The chord progression sounds good on the pre-chorus and chorus, but the live drums sound way better than the sampled beat. So when are we going to do System from Queen of the Damned soundtrack? Or Standing in the Middle? Or Thoughts That Take Away My Pride?
How the hell did I completely miss The Little Things? The Little Things Give You Away is in essence the amalgamation of everything the band strove for in Minutes To Midnight. The way in which the song transitions from somber and quit acoustics, to a mid-tempo alternative rock piece, and finally towards a beaming stadium masterpiece is magnificent. Chester provides some of his best vocals to date, along with some truly inspiring lyrics for change. Delson's guitar solo brilliantly feels like an extension of the vocals and feels like the most passionate piece of music the band has formed to date. The slow-burning solo relies on each individual blissful note to help tell the story as the journey enters it's final climax. And to close it all off, in stunning fashion the band uses Chester, Mike, and Dave to create a perfect harmonizing conclusion over a classic wall of guitar. If I had to pick just one song to represent the passion and creativity of Linkin Park to anyone, whether it be a naysayer or a curious potential fan, it would be The Little Things Give You Away. ----------------------------------------------------------- No Roads Left is significant because to me it feels entirely un-Linkin Park. They way the entire song features a repeating alternative guitar riff, and having Mike take the helm of vocalist somehow created a completely different sonic landscape. Maybe that's the reason the song never made the cut for Minutes To Midnight. Regardless, it's a shame as No Roads Left is worthy of nothing but praise. It could have easily taken place of In Between, and would have still ended up as one of the top songs on the album. The way Mike sings the chorus as if he's belting it out from the rooftops is glorious, and you can feel the passion in his voice from start to finish.
I remember thinking that having Shinoda as a bonafide lead vocalist presented a new set of exciting possibilities for the band, and you can hear on "Midnight" that they were just testing the waters (in every aspect). I think that they've done a great job figuring out when and where to use which voices over the years, getting the most out of all of them on later albums
Well I missed The Little Things Give You Away. Oh well. It's been my favorite song for years, having a more emotional connection to the song compared to you guys loving the political message. I'm actually surprised to see it get so much praise. So No Roads Left now... another amazing song. This is just a prime example of Linkin Park doing what they do best. Linkin Park is very good at bringing emotion to their songs through lyrics, vocals, and instruments, and writing very relatable lyrics that will connect to the listener. Mike really gives the vocal performance of a lifetime on this song. Just the way he sings "I run" and "in my fear and flaws" at 2:50. Mike sings it okay live. The verse was meh but the chorus actually sounded pretty good. He just needs to remember the words to the song next time While the new version with the drum loop doesn't bother me at all, I prefer the original song. I like how the first chorus is more empty. Plus there seems to be a very short guitar part at 3:00 that was taken out of the updated version. That guitar part really brought a lot of power in those short few seconds, and now it seems more empty there in the newer version.
No Roads Left is just beautiful. I'm not too fond of the fact that at the start of the song the guitar kind of drowns out the vocals, and I love the way the climax springs out into epicness. This song is waaayy better than TLTGYA. Sorry Little Things fanboys. (IMO) The way Mike sings so passionate... I just love all of it. The only part I don't like is the end, where everything stops and there is silence.
The first time I heard it I thought it was neat to hear a song with just Mike singing, now that novelty has worn off. I can't listen to it now, the guitar loop in the beginning gives me a headache. The last 1:40 of the song is pretty awesome though. Still, with that said I would still list it in my top 5 least favorite Linkin Park songs. It's probably my least played Linkin Park song besides HHH.
I was fascinated by No Roads Left the first time I heard it since I didn't know Mike could pull off those kinds of vocals. The way the music stops before the second and third choruses is amazing, though beyond that the song doesn't have too much to offer imo. It would be more interesting with one of their classic synth hooks or Chester in the bridge, but it's still good without. I'd take it over In Between any day.