There's no ghostwriting happening on this album. The band has been nothing less than completely open about the fact that they've enlisted some extra writing and production muscle to help them explore new territory as artists. Fans won't always be comfortable with the band taking new approaches, and that's whatever. Seen it happen every album cycle for almost two decades straight. One day, it might be me
It's not like those people wrote the songs for them to just come and sing, it was a group effort, so I'm okay with it.
I'm imagining right now: The house is empty, it's that heavy silence caused by no sounds reviberating. Sometimes you can hear a distant car moving by from far away. Gently you take the case out of your bag. You look at the playing children for some moments. Then you lift off the lid and put the disc cautiosly in your player. You hear the sound of the sea slowly fading in. Children are laughing, seagulls are flying in the distance. A woman talks. The male's answer is nearly inaudible. Something splashes on the ocean. Then suddenly the coast fades out, replaced by some mellow synth reminiscent of the outro of WID. The synths get louder, they sound aggressive and you feel shivers rolling down your spine. And then it all aprubtly ends. A calming sound slowly fills the room and Chester starts singing anxiously. After a while a female voice starts harmonizing with him, the song fills with life and ends in a bombastic, euphoric climax, giving you new strengths and hope.
I just feel like it is hypocritical to get such people on board after criticizing excactly what they stand for during the THP-cycle. I know they can do whatever they like but it leaves me with a strange feeling.. Feels like all the talking during the last cycle was just to get attention.. and that they were not being honest and authentic. "It's like songs that could be on Nick Jr. and the Disney Channel. I can't see myself writing music like that. I don't want to follow that trend. Forget it!" M. Shinoda Next record: Writing Songs with Songwriters of Bieber and Spears. Come on.. you can't tell me that I am wrong to be disappointed.
That's kind of a separate point, I think, which is more related to "The Hunting Party" and how the new album is (or will be) framed within that context. You can make the point that it's hypocritical, for sure, and I agree with you. If you ever get into a Q&A, you should bring it up and watch Shinoda squirm Beyond that, let's not judge the songs too harshly before we hear them.
Very considerate. One question I'm asking myself: Why has the LPA even posted before the official "announcement" that this is indeed the album cover? Did you guys know something, or did you experience an enlightement? Or was this just a shot into the blue to challenge the band?
Btw guys... A 30sec clip of Heavy already leaked on Youtube. Sounds kinda messy, but it's def. Chester singing the lyrics of the chorus.
I will most likely like the songs as songs. But on a personal level I am a little disappointed by them as artists and I think they lost some integrety.
This is just how they've chosen to experiment with their process this time around. It's never what you want them to do, but it's good for them. They don't have to prove anything to anybody at this point, so they're just doing whatever they feel will be creatively stimulating and fulfilling. If they wanted to, they could stop making new music, and still make bank just by playing "Numb" 20 consecutive times a night on a national live tour to critical acclaim. At the very least, when they make another album after this, you can be sure they'll have picked up valuable things from their experience. And, also, this isn't the first time they've co-written songs with outside talent ... and, therefore, not the first time people have complained about it. I remember fans mindlessly panicking over a Busta Rhymes song that members of LP guested on in 2008 ("We Made It") like it was the end of the world
If it's the video I've just seen, it's just a small remix made by popular LP mixer zwier.Z., not part of the actual song.
They collaborated with a pop songwriter on Final Masquerade, and that's one of their stronger ballads imo. I get what you're saying, and I'm not going to tell you that you're wrong to be disappointed, because you're welcome to have your own feelings about the band's apparent change of mind. But this is also nothing new. The band has been constantly changing their minds since their third album. On MTM/ATS they strived to go away from the 'old Linkin Park sound', even made a point that they were done with it. Then on LT, they said they became comfortable with their old sound again and wanted to make a mix of old and new. Then on the next album they trashed the songs they were writing because they felt 'derivative' and they wanted to make an exciting rock record because rock wasn't visceral enough. And now? Who knows. Point is, Linkin Park contradict themselves all the time. It's part of the fun of being a Linkin Park fan .
In a way, you are right. And I also like them changing all the time. It's fun to never know what is going to happen next.. I should rather look at them as a new band with each cycle. Let's see what the album has to offer. My favorite one is ATS maybe the Songwriters of Justin Bieber help them to do better this time around? You never know
Those people are good at what they do, although I guess they had quite a daunting task trying to wring good lyrics out of Linkin Park
Considering Bieber's last record is way better than anything else he's done in his career I would say the sing writers are doing a good job