"Session" - Song by Song, Let's Talk Linkin Park

Discussion in 'Linkin Park Chat' started by hawk, Jul 2, 2014.

  1. Josh

    Josh Met LP 8-13-14 LPA VIP

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    Skin to bone is one of my least favorite songs on LT. Usually if I do listen to it, I play the instrumental because the lyrics are ear piercing. LT has some of the most boring lyrics written by linkin park, let alone anything MIKE/chester has ever done.
    "Right to left, left to right" come on. It sounds like it's a 2 day old demo that they just added random lyrics and decided to master it because "it sounds like fort minor." Skin to bone has a huge potential to be an awesome song (like some of the remixes.)

    LT would have been a great record if they delayed it and spent more time writing better and more influential lyrics to the bad songs on LT. Not to mention tinfoil is basically the intro to powerless, which means the album has 11 tracks of what I consider. I would like to hear some more demos from the LT era and see what else could have taken tinfoil or skin to bones spot.

    I really wish this album could have been something special comparable to ATS, but it comes up way short with the lack of lyrics, bad lyrics, and longer songs/intros/outros
     
  2. Broman

    Broman Well-Known Member

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    Skin to Bone is one of my favorite tracks off of LT and one of my favorites by LP in general. I was hooked the minute I heard the track. What a lot of people look to much into is the lyrics rather than "feeling the music" which is exactly what STB is seemingly meant to do. Even Chester was crazy about the track when describing how awesome the beats in the song were. I don't smoke weed, but if I did, this would certainly be my go to track :kappa:
     
  3. Captain-EO

    Captain-EO Also Prog Nerd Now, Thanks Gibs LPA Super Member

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    Wtf Broman
    :rofl:
     
  4. UltimateLegend

    UltimateLegend Well-Known Member

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    I should probably get more consistent with my posts in here...

    Skin to Bone is an interesting song for me. I honestly can't remember if I was too big of a fan of it when the album came out, but I'm not a fan of it now. It has interesting ideas in it, but that's about all the praise I have for it really. The folk elements seem to have been lost, and the song sounds much too mechanized. It just really doesn't go anywhere. As a lot of others have mentioned, the lyrics are pretty boring, which pretty much describes the song in itself. I wouldn't necessarily call it a bad song though, it's just as I said: boring and kind of just "there".
     
  5. BTorio

    BTorio Well-Known Member

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    Skin to Bone is easily the weakest on LT and a weak song in LP's discography in general. I found myself bored with it the quickest, and listen to it least today. The lyrics are what kill it for me, they just mean nothing to me.

    That said, the song has a special place in my heart for being the song I used in an experimental music video a few years ago, which got me into the High School division of SXSW (which was a TON of fun): [video=youtube;_aVEjk_uLhg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aVEjk_uLhg[/video]

    Other than that video I don't have much associated with this song lol.
     
  6. minuteforce

    minuteforce Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance. LPA Team

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    "Skin To Bone" does get a bit monotonous but, aside from that it's pretty different for Linkin Park in a few ways, which is pretty much always good. It took me a long time to stop disliking "right to left / left to right" :lol: and, after that, I now have no issue with the lyrics. My favourite thing about the track is just the beat in general, despite aforementioned monotony. I love the thick, crushed synths and drums throughout "Living Things".

    The rmx is okay. One of my own issues with it is that the vox from the original song didn't sit too perfectly with the new vocals or the new beat. I wish Shinoda had re-written them or at least re-tracked them. Shinoda's verse has some iffy points but is, otherwise, passable. :)
     
  7. TobinKnowsBest

    TobinKnowsBest 20.03.1976 - 20.07.2017 LPA VIP

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    As mentioned before, the instrumental in this song is very good. I like the fact that they went for something different, but different doesn't work every time unfotunately
     
  8. Shmoanator

    Shmoanator Guest




    I'm interested in hearing what parts of the verse you find "iffy". This verse is one of my favorites from Shinoda's repertoire!
     
  9. Captain-EO

    Captain-EO Also Prog Nerd Now, Thanks Gibs LPA Super Member

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    It's one of my favorites too.
     
  10. Tyler

    Tyler Well-Known Member

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    Skin to Bone is GOOD.

    The instrumental is pretty good to me, I wish it were longer though. When those loud synths come it it is really cool, and definitely a departure from any rock instrumentation. I'm not a folk fan so it took me some time to make the connection, but I understand with the lyrics and the structure of how they work throughout the song.
    I think my favorite line from it is "When your name is finally drawn, I'll be happy that you're gone" because of the way that Mike sings it. Listen to the A Capella, you can hear Chester's second chorus scream a little better there, and I never noticed it until today.

    I like the Recharged Remix for the lyrics and guest spots but I don't like the instrumental. It isn't too much of a change and it doesn't have a lot of variety. One of the parts that I like is the mention of Fort Minor and this:
    "Concept immaculate, start to finish I'm Lil Wayne's dentist
    Look at the platinum plaques I'm gettin'"
    Why can't Mike do wordplay and references like that in his rhymes?

    Mike's verse is pretty good too, that's a decent verse for his LP rapping.

    Never heard the Zwie RZ remix until today either, holy crap that is good. The band should have gone with that instead of another synth-dominated song.

    I know that Mike said that it would have to be a "stripped down" version if they played it live, but they should still give it a shot, or do it acoustically. I'd like to hear the original demo of this and Roads Untravelled.

    At least we got some if it as the instrumental for Mike's Solo Medley last year, which is cool. He does his verse part of the time on it from the Nick Catchdubs remix.
     
  11. Filip

    Filip god break down the door LPA Contributor

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    This song is fucking great.
     
  12. Atticus

    Atticus Bullets lance the bravest lungs

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    UNTIL IT BREAKS
    “The body bends until it breaks, the early morning sings no more”


    100112-054533_ltvinyl.jpg

    The experimental Until It Breaks is the tenth track featured on LIVING THINGS. Opinions on the track are greatly divided among the fan base, with some claiming it to be worthy of praise equal to that found on A Thousand Suns for its creativity, while others abolish the song for being a disjointed mess of demos that Linkin Park lazily meshed together. Regardless, Until It Breaks is an unorthodox song that captures four different sonic landscapes and molds them into nearly four minutes of music. A daunting task, but one Linkin Park was no doubt welcoming with open arms.

    Seemingly natural at this point in LIVING THINGS, a loud and jarring electronic sample sets the tone for Until It Breaks, welcoming Shinoda for his opening rap verse. The vocalist obliges, delivering a confident rhythm while the hip-hop sample continues alongside a thumping electronic drumbeat. Shinoda’s tone feels like a mixture of swagger found in his rapping from A Thousand Suns and the more confrontational force found on LIVING THINGS, as he commandingly weaves his way through a daunting verse while the distressful electronic samples break apart the background. What sounds to be a repeated sample of people chanting ensues near the conclusion of his verse, as if cheering the artist on with his rhymes.

    Suddenly his vocals begin to stutter and glitch as a brooding synth builds far in the distance. Bennington then awakens for an elegant verse accompanied by an uplifting piano line as the hip-hop landscape collapses entirely. Strings sound as though they join in with the beautiful sound in the second half of the verse. All the while a high-pitched static sample from the introductory verse ensues, keeping the ballad-esque moment on the edge.

    The cheering returns as Shinoda tramples Bennington’s peace and quiet into the dust with a staggering rap verse. The hip-hop sound is eliminated though, as in place is an atmospheric landscape featuring a piercing guitar in the background over an electric drum rhythm akin to artillery fire. Shinoda’s stunning rap verse is easily one of his highlights on the album.

    Just when Until It Breaks seems to be reaching a climax for the ages, the song makes a drastic turn for the unknown. A dreamy soundscape dripping with atmosphere appears, featuring samples of blowing winds. Linkin Park goes headfirst into this unknown territory by showcasing guitarist Delson on vocals. His delivery almost seems like a mixture of Bennington’s soaring grace and Shinoda’s somber innocence. Strings once again sound buried deep in the mix as he majestically beckons a terrific outro, featuring some of Linkin Park’s deepest lyrics.

    Although not a conceptual record by any means, Delson’s concluding verse feels as though the rising storm that ripped through Victimized, carried on through the rising melodic tides in Roads Untraveled, and delivered once last punch in Shinoda’s rap verses, finally came to a beautiful halt.

    On a lyrical sense, Until It Breaks can be fathomed an infinite amount of ways. The track bends and changes several times throughout. It can be interpreted however, that Delson’s moment reinforces Skin To Bone’s message about inevitable death. As “the body bends until it breaks” would signal there’s only so much punishment something can take before it is no more.

    All along with Until It Breaks, Linkin Park wanted to create a medley of broken ideas, inspired by Abbey Road. Delson explains to MusicRadar how Until It Breaks was eventually conceived, and how his beautiful verse found a home:

    As mentioned, Until It Breaks began as four separate demos. On LPU XIII, three of these demos were released, “Apaches”, “Foot Patrol”, and “Three Band Terror”.


    Apaches was the demo for the opening verse Shinoda presents on Until It Breaks. The demo feels very similar to what is found on the album, except it features a very exotic chorus with Bennington seemingly howling in a melodic manner. Apaches also features a very prominent, discordant guitar throughout, which was replaced entirely by electronics on the finished verse.


    Foot Patrol is the demo featuring Shinoda’s second and arguably more powerful verse. The demo carries a nearly identical instrumental with pounding beats and piercing clean guitars. Shinoda however surprises with an introductory verse that feels raw and unfinished, but sounds like a mixture of singing and rapping. The result is an unorthodox yet captivating performance. Nearly 45 seconds of the demo between verses is filler space, obviously meaning to be filled with a performance by Bennington or another vocalist.


    Three Band Terror is perhaps the most exciting demo of the three, as it is Delson’s original vocal demo. He sings a full-fledged song, backed by beautiful acoustic guitars. The song could easily be regarded as an indie solo performance from Delson. It’s that different from everything else Linkin Park has done.


    Until It Breaks is remixed twice on Recharged, first as a Datsyk remix turning the song into the dubstep frenzy while the Money Mark Headphone Remix goes into absurd territory with electronic sounds from seemingly every genre.


    Only the “Foot Patrol” verse of Until It Breaks has ever been performed live as an extended intro for Waiting For The End (oddly, the band calls this the “Apaches” intro). The verse was in fact performed in early 2012 before LIVING THINGS dropped as a treat for hardcore fans while they waited for the forthcoming album. The verse feels strangely at home with Waiting For The End, and as such has not been dropped from the setlist. Will we ever see Delson singing along to an acoustic guitar, or the rising sun verse by Bennington as a possible interlude?
    _____________________________________________________________________________

    Until It Breaks has been a slow burner for me, as it’s slowly grown better and better in the last two years. I find both of Mike’s performances on the song his highlight on the album bar-none. I also greatly enjoy Chester’s short yet poetic verse in the middle. It leaves me wishing for an extended demo like all the rest have received on LPU XIII.

    However, Brad’s moment in the sun is far and away the most brilliant piece of the track, and possibly the most beautiful moment on the entire album. I would be so down for some Delson EP in the future with this kind of sound.
     
  13. minuteforce

    minuteforce Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance. LPA Team

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    As I say at basically every available opportunity, :lol: "Until It Breaks" is one of my top-favourite Linkin Park songs, alongside "Waiting For The End". So it's pretty great for me that they pair the songs together in a live setting. :)

    Unlike everyone else, while I think the demo versions are great, I like the complete song much more. I like every single fucking bit of it.
     
  14. Captain-EO

    Captain-EO Also Prog Nerd Now, Thanks Gibs LPA Super Member

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    Until It Breaks was a jar for me when I first got Living Things. But soon I came to absolutely love the rhythm of Mike's verses, and just love the congruence of four incongruent songs on the track. Delson's verse is one of my favorite parts of the song by far. I don't know why they haven't had him sing on more songs, his voice worked great on UIB. While not a favorite of mine, I do love Until It Breaks
     
  15. BTorio

    BTorio Well-Known Member

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    UIB was BANGIN the first time I heard it. I couldn't get enough of the way the second verse started, and the ending was incredibly beautiful. Over time, I've grown completely bored of the track, and the Three Band Terror demo really makes me long for what could have been. That demo is glorious, I need more like it.
     
  16. polleo

    polleo You're gonna carry that weight. LPA Super Member

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    UIB is a great track, it's so unexpected, Mike's rapping on it is pretty fun. And just how Mike sounds rapping on the song is pretty cool. Instrumentally its kind of boring though. Apaches has that cool howling noise and guitar thing, I personally love how Mike sounds in the first part of Foot patrol, so raw. It sounds so weird and different to what he usually does. And then there's three band terror :wub: See the kind of stuff Brad comes up with when he actually gives a crap ha.


    I love Mike's foot patrol intro on WFTE live. It's so catchy.
     
  17. Michele

    Michele Praise Brad Delson, our Lord and Savior. LPA Addict

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    To be honest , my first reaction to this song was ot good, more like :WTF:

    But now i think this is a fun song. Mike raps are cool and Chesters part is really , dont know, unique :lol: The instrumenal is kind of borin, like the lyrics in STB :halfkappa:
    The endof the song , where Brad is singing i really like. His voice is maybe the most unrocky voice i ever heared :lol: But its kind of a nice , welcoming voice to save you from death. Cant wait for Brad replacing Chester soon :kappa:

    The live intro for Waiting For The End is fantastic, it really fits with the beats they add in theire live shows. Definitely one of my favorite parts of a song live.
     
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  18. lime treacle

    lime treacle You are not alone Über Member

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    UMPH.
     
  19. Broman

    Broman Well-Known Member

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    My opinion still holds the same since the first time I listened to LT. UIB is the most unappealing track I have heard off the album. I personally don't like the inconsistent flow one bit. The demos, for me, don't translate well into one another. I will say, however, that I really do enjoy the Foot Patrol and Rising Sun portions of the track, while in terms of demos, I enjoy Three Band Terror compared to its counter part.

    In terms of live settings, I am not a fan of the UIB intro for WFTE. In fact, I didn't even like Wall of Noise. We got rid of one, now lets go for the other!!! :lol:
     
  20. polleo

    polleo You're gonna carry that weight. LPA Super Member

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    The hell? They got rid of wall of noise outro? That was so beautiful. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, LINKIN PARK? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO FUCK UP EVERY NICE THING FOR SOME REASON?


    And what is wrong with you too, Broman? Your opinions are so weird :jesse:
     

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