Man missed Blackbirds. Quick comment, I really like Blackbirds for its really dark tone it had just wished it had a more layered instrumentation behind it. Now on to the Requiem and the Radiance. I really love this opening. It really is a fantastic opener for any of Linkin Park's song and am really sad it does not have a place right now on their setlist. The part before Breaking the Habit has got to be my number favorite intro to a song ever. For an intro so haunting to go into such another fantastic dark song by the band really was a fantastic choice.
The Requiem... Where do I begin? I LOVE it! Ever since I first heard it when watching the iTunes show, it has been my favourite album opener. I also really like the new mashup intros, they're quite cool. The Radiance, for me, acts as nothing more than a transition from The Requiem to Burning In the Skies. The live version, however, always makes me think about what humanity has done and if it will continue doing so. And then comes BTH. :3
I love The Requiem and it sets the mood for ATS perfectly... and even though The Radiance is good, I feel like there should be a "real" song after The Requeim instead of another interlude... maybe some dark or a heavy song to start the journey. But that's just me...
The Requiem introduces the psuedo-conceptual record with an ominous foreshadowing of the ensuing apocalypse. Subtle electronic pings and piano keys hold the dark 2-minute track together as the digitally mutated vocals of co-singer Mike Shinoda iterate the central theme of the album in a haunting message, pleading “God save us everyone / will we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns / for the sins of our hand / sins of our tongue / the sins of our father / the sins of our young”. The intro immediately segues into the first of several interludes, foreign to a Linkin Park record since the 2002 remix album, Reanimation. The Radiance features a famous speech from Robert Oppenheimer as he remembers the testing launch for the world’s first nuclear atom bomb. While only a minute in length, the interlude holds tension thanks to the chaotic electronic instrumental rise while Oppenheimer laments the consequences of nuclear disaster, comparing human beings to “the destroyer of worlds.” The introduction for A Thousand Suns is both haunting and beautiful, setting the mood for a truly ambitious record.
That's exactly was I was thinking. Have you also heard that the 'pump-like' beat that's in The Radiance (you can hear it at the end) is also in Jornado Del Muerto? I think it should also be in The Summoning. No. Why so much love for this album?! I mean, I like it (I used to hate it) and it goes well together as an album, but is there any reason why the only chat I ever hear about ATS is saying how good it is and how it's the best album they've made? Here's a fact for you. It's not the best album. Neither are any other of the albums. Linkin Park did equally well with all of their albums, unless they say themselves that one is the best album. Take into account that my fact is true, what I'm saying is not disrespecting your opinion, and I respect that for you it is the best album (but for me it's living things ), but... yeah. Everything I just said.
The Requiem is a very good dark moody piece of music. The Radiance has never done anything for me. I just have no interest in it.
The Requiem is probably my favorite opening to any LP album. So chilling and eerie, it's always great to listen to with your eyes closed and lights off. It's also one of the interludes that I consider a full song (the other being JDM) as I can easily listen to these tracks without context and thoroughly enjoy them. The Radiance is one of my most-skipped interludes on ATS, but it does a good job of maintaining the energy and mood from the end of The Requiem. It also really gives a good context to BITS, as I've always viewed the song being about the perspective of Oppenheimer reflecting on his work because of it.
You know what will go well around here? When you tell everyone that their opinion is wrong and that your opinion is a fact. Because you know, telling people that their opinion that ATS is the best LP album is wrong then claiming that all albums are good (but your opinion of LT being the best is valid) makes PERFECT sense. You definitely won't get harassed at all.
You've tried to disprove a subjective opinion with a something objective. I didn't even claim ATS to be the best album, now did I? I expressed my excitement for the discussing it. You're asking for trouble. I'm normally the type to write long, lengthy paragraphs about a point, but for sake of this thread I stand down. This is the extent of my arguing. I have a question: what about the instrumentation in The Radiance is "glitchy", as mentioned in the original post about it? There's beeps and whatnot along with the drum-like instrumentation, but nothing "glitchy" if what glitching is referring to is skipping (like "property" in In the End).
Correction: I never said my opinion about LT was valid and yours wasn't. Read my post please, before you tell me what to say and not say on the forum. Thank you for your consideration.
Well, that's how I see it anyway. Keep in mind the original posts are sometimes subjective. What I found 'glitchy' about it is mostly the kick drums with a lot of bass on them.
They are Minus, they are. Atleast he can edit his posts right now , so there is only one little thing left to fix :3
Please Read: I am just going to get this out of the way, again: opinions are not wrong, nor are they ever. Everyone on this forum is entitled to their own opinion, and no one is wrong for holding a particular opinion. Just because someone's opinion differs from yours, it does not mean that they're wrong and that you're right or the other way around. I cannot begin to tell you how frustrating it gets to have to reiterate this point time and time again. Relatedly, statements of fact can be true or false. Opinions can be based in facts, but in this particular context have nothing to do with it. There are such things as misinformed opinions. You can have opinions that is situated in falsity (e.g. Abraham Lincoln was the worst American president ever, because he enslaved millions of black people). However, when it comes to music, this is almost never the case. At this point, it is purely a matter of good ol' subjective opinion. As such, an album is neither good nor bad as a matter of fact. It is good in your opinion, or it is bad in your opinion, or it can be something else entirely in your opinion. Can you guess what the key word is here? Hint: opinion. With that said, I am seriously just going to start issuing infractions if again I have to hear another instance in which someone's opinion is wrong or if I hear again that an album's quality is a matter of fact. This shit gets so old. I know it may not be your intention to invalidate someone else's opinion, but this is why you have the capacity to do a couple of really awesome things on these forums: (1) think and review before you post - it is good to review your posts, not just for grammatical and spelling errors, but also for possible misinterpretations of your comments; (2) to revise your post - even if you make a mistake or forgot to clarify a particular point, you can edit your post. Relatedly, to address a point earlier which has been brought up before in other thread, have we ever thought that it's a matter of coincidence that a significant number of people just happen to like A Thousand Suns more than Linkin Park's other albums? You would think that, at this point, we'd be able to probably say that there isn't some ridiculous secret committee that just determines the opinions people have on these forums. Some people just really like this album, a lot. I'll say openly that it is far and away my favorite, which is why I have been waiting to return to this thread to discuss it for some time. My question is, particularly for you Tocaraca, would you be as upset if everyone on the forum loved LIVING THINGS, or any other album but A Thousand Suns? I cannot help but feel (correct me if I am wrong) that your frustration with others' opinions is just that they are different than yours. Perhaps you didn't want to indicate such frustration, but this is why you ought to revise your posts in the future before you get called out by people like Minus. I am not trying to be mean here (and forgive me if I sound harsh, it's more just that I'm frustrated), but look at your post again before you tell somebody else to read it again. It is pretty loud and clear what you are saying. [/rant] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Anyway, I am sorry for that. I am really excited that we're finally covering A Thousand Suns. I've expressed it many times on this forum before that it is my favorite album, so this just became the LPA's best thread for me. The Requiem - I sincerely love this opener, largely because it sets the tone for the entirety of the album. One of the brilliant aspects of this album is the interweaving of lyrical and musical themes and sounds. "The Requiem," in that regard, is brilliant in that it is comprised of sounds heard from the rest of the album and incorporates the lyrics from "The Catalyst." It is indeed haunting, and the way that it builds into "The Radiance" is really neat. I'm sure most of you have caught the "4...3...2...1" just before it moves on to the next track. The song (as well as the album) is full of these small audio cues that strongly reinforce the theme in really subtle ways. The Radiance - I think this song has been best incorporated live, in that I think the solemn sound of the piano and Mike's vocoder do well to complement the darkness of the Oppenheimer quote. However, even with its presence on the album, it is still a great track. I think, of course, these two tracks could have been one - but the separation reinforces the theme. The radiance is the emanation of the thousand suns, if you will - which you all could put together. With that said, I also sincerely love the quote. "I suppose we all thought that, one way or another," is an incredibly powerful line - and the way it is thrown in at the end just before "Burning in the Skies" is just perfect for me. I think these two tracks are a great way to start the album. I know some people might prefer punches to the face, much in the vein of "Keys to the Kingdom," but this album really called for these two tracks and the quote to set the tone. The way these two build and fall into "Burning in the Skies" is really the first of many rises and falls of the album - one of the album's strong suits. This album thrives off of its ability to build songs and fall away into thoughtful, more low key songs. Gosh, I am excited to talk about this album. Finally!
The Requiem and Radiance leaves listeners in awe as an introduction to ATS. It feels as tho some transcendent being is going to open a gate into the heavens. That is exactly how I felt in 2011 during the ATS tour, the huge projector/jumbotron illuminated the entire stadium with a blinding light that served as a door way for each member of the band to appear. Truly a moment I will never forget.