Been a while since I've listened to Wake -- I mean it's an intro, and I usually don't bother with them. But it's well done, and is nice for a little blip before MTM begins.
I love Wake. Super chill intro starts building into a truly triumphant little tune. The scratchy little fret noises leading into the uplifting guitar, and the absolutely fantastic bass-lines that Pheonix lays out in an excellent rhythm, truly a great little intro and I would love for it to be a longer song. The only two things to not like about Wake is that it isn't a longer song, and that it doesn't lead into Given Up as well as I feel it should, but it doesn't feel like it was really meant to, different moods entirely.
Wake builds from a serene silence as piano keys ring in the distance and distorted guitar screeches loom accompanied by a rising drum roll. Then there's that long pause, that calm before the storm, leading into the waking crescendo of a crystal clear guitar riff and then falling back into silence. If anything, the introduction serves as a statement that Linkin Park have woken from their four year slumber, and are ready to reveal their radical new alternative sound.
Next up: "Given Up". "Given Up" has the raw-sounding guitars and drums in common with "Wake" but, other than that, it feels completely different. It's a fierce, punk/industrial-influenced number that starts out with handclaps and jingling keys before launching into Delson's chugging guitar riffs and Chester's straight-to-the-point lyrics about ... being unhappy, to put it lightly. In this way, it was a standard Linkin Park album opener for its day but, in allowing this comparison to "One Step Closer" and "Don't Stay", it's easy to see how different "Given Up" is sonically to the band's earlier work. It truly showcases how "Minutes To Midnight" is "definitely Linkin Park" but totally different to the songs on their first two albums just the same. The track's biggest highlight is definitely the bridge, where Chester delivers the longest sustained scream ever performed on a Linkin Park recording at the time, atop one of the heaviest riffs ever heard on a Linkin Park song. Unfortunately, it's not easy for Chester to pull off over and over again so, quite soon after they began playing it live, he stopped trying; instead, he pauses to take a breath midway through the scream. This song's first chorus also marked the very first instance of uncensored profanity appearing on an official Linkin Park full-length studio album and marked a turning point in the band's music in this regard. Subsequent albums contained what some would call a healthy sprinkle of expletives (except for "Living Things"), in stark contrast to "Hybrid Theory" and "Meteora" which were conspicuously devoid of them. In a track-by-track run-through of the album for Kerrang!, Shinoda and Delson explained that "Given Up" was born from the ashes of a demo called "Fire In The City", and also that the lyrics in the song are "not happy". This also gives us a glimpse into a time in the band's history where Shinoda could like an idea but would abandon it if the rest of the band didn't agree with him and voted against it: "Making of Minutes To Midnight" shows us that the working title for the song was "21 Stitches", and there is footage of Delson recording the jingling keys and guitar parts. And, of course, footage of Chester making effective use of a pop filter while recording his vocals. "Given Up" was released as the fourth single from "Minutes To Midnight" in February of 2008. The song's video consists mainly of live footage shot at two UK shows at the tail-end of a European tour leg that same month, footage which was heavily saturated in post-production to give it an aged, lo-fi look, and cut with frantic pacing. Frames from past Linkin Park videos and other miscellanea were spliced in alongside this live footage for no discernible reason. The video was directed by Linkin Park's videographer Mark Fiore, and obviously aimed to capture the song's live energy. Footage from these shows, focusing on the "Given Up" video filming, appears towards the end of this LPTV episode. "Given Up" translated well on-stage right from the start and was played for fans prior to "Minutes To Midnight"'s release along with "No More Sorrow" and "What I've Done" to give people a taste of the album. Most notably, as part of the lead-up to the album release, Linkin Park was filmed playing in their rehearsal space at Third Encore for "AOL Sessions", and the performance of "Given Up" recorded there is a rare instance of Chester delivering the full, uninterrupted scream at the end of the bridge. The fact that he immediately nails the chorus right after it makes that all the more impressive! Audio from this performance was included as one of a few bonus tracks on the Best Buy edition of "Midnight". Later, Linkin Park began messing around with extended live outros more than they had in the past, and "Given Up", being a relatively short firecracker-esque song, was an easy choice for lengthening. "Given Up"'s outro brings back the guitar riffs and halftime rhythms from the bridge section: Over the years, other subtle changes have been made to the song in live settings, particularly the addition of little guitar phrases in the verses. "Given Up" still gets played live regularly because the band can't seem to remember that they have other heavy, high-energy songs that they can swap it out for.
"It felt like Brad stole my car and ripped out the stereo." This song was actually my favorite Linkin Park songs for a long long time. I love every thing about this song- the screaming, the music, the car keys and clapping, the lyrics. The first time I listened to Minutes To Midnight, I had only listened to HT and Meteora before and on the first listen I thought Given Up was a lame song. I didn't like MTM at all. Then, after a few listens, I really liked MTM and fell in love with this song. I used to listen to this song on a daily basis. I connected with the lyrics as juvenile as everyone else might think they are- it really describes how I feel sometimes. The only thing I hate is every time I try to sing this song in real life, I end up sounding like a squealing chicken.
Given Up is a cool song, I much prefer No More Sorrow, but what of it. I like the bridge section in GU better than the bridge in NMS, and I like the guitars, and the lyrics aren't bad at all, they actually mean something to me (as much LP lyrics in the old albums are aimed at 12 year olds), as I can tell he is angry about how nobody cares that he needs help.
Wake is a great album and show opener, and I really like the way it is built. The second the guitar and bass enter is like an explosion of awesome. Although, I think there could have been a better song to lead into than Given Up but it still works. Given Up was never a favorite of mine, but it is a fresh changeup from the last two albums. Yeah Chester's 17 second scream is impressive, but I'm not a huge fan of LP because of their screaming, there are a lot of other things that they do well already. One part that I like in the second verse is when Chester's voice shakes when he says " I. Hype.r.vent.i.late." Overall a good song and combo to open the album. They should really drop it during tours though, give another heavy song instead (and yet it would still give Chaz a break from the scream). Also, that LPTV link is broken.
"Given Up" took some time for me to appreciate, but I love how it emphasizes the bass in the verses, as well as Chester's 17-motherfcking-second scream. I seriously think they should eventually swap this song out for something else, like an unplayed LT or THP song.
I still remember my first time listening to Given Up on Minutes To Midnight's release day way back in 2007. From listening to What I've Done when it was released as a single I knew there was a more alternative change in sound for the band, but I never expected this to be the result. Given Up just felt so raw and in your face. I also vividly remember being completely taken aback by the swearing in the song, so much so that it completely turned me off from the song at first. Looking at Given Up now, I absolutely love the carnage. The intimate yet savage verses that rely on bass and angst alone to create an unruly tensions before that chugging guitar comes roaring back for a massive chorus. Bennington's vocals feel like they contain the perfect balance of aggression and emotion. And then there's the bridge... DAT. FUCKING. BRIDGE. Featuring gut-wrenching howls from Bennington alongside a relentless chainsaw guitar riff, the bridge builds momentum until the unruly 17 seconds where Bennington releases it all in one scream for the ages. Then without a second of breathing time, the crunchy chorus returns for one last effort. But most importantly for me, what sets Given Up apart from Linkin Park's nu-metal past, is the fact that the song is just teeming with a newfound confidence. Even though it's not nu-metal, by the third time around Linkin Park knows they're damn well good at making this heavy shit.
I fucking love Given Up. The riff, the bass, the keys, the SCREAMS. One of my favorites from the MTM era.
Given Up is intense, the bridge gets me pumped like nothing else when I'm really feeling it. And of course, it's one of Chester's most impressive feats. I do think it's about time to give it a break live though.
I really do appreciate "Wake" and "Given Up" as openers to the album. I like the build-up for "Wake" quite a bit, and I can appreciate its simplicity. I do like the bass line, as it's not as mundane as you'd see usually. "Given Up" is not the greatest song, but I really just love how heavy the bridge is. That scream is just incredible.
Given Up just makes me hyped, I listen to it, then I just wanna go kill somebody (figuratively of course). It just has so much energy! And dat scream tho...
Given Up (Along with No More Sorrow, but more on that later) is kind of what The Hunting Party was trying to be. In my mind, at least. It has a raw sound, aggressive vocals, heavy (but simple) riffs, and feels heavier then anything that they delivered on THP (Their "Heaviest Album Evarrr")... One of the main reasons I make this comparison, is because of the raw, stripped sound of Given Up. The Hunting Party tried so hard to deliver a raw, unpolished, garage band sort of sound, but failed miserably, in my opinion. Instead delivering a muddy, compressed and hollow sounding tracks with weak vocal delivery and mixing, and a less-then-impressive guitar sound (Although with comparably more impressive riffs). Given Up is an example of the sound they where trying to accomplish, done right. And I was really hoping for more of this sort of thing in THP. But I digress, I suppose I've ranted for long enough about my THP thoughts on this forum as it is... Err... Given Up is a fantastic track, I don't like it as a opener, personally, but it stands on it's own as one of LP's best "Heavy" songs. It's also the first LP song I fully learned to play on my guitar! Chester's delivery here is one of his best on a "Heavy" track, and outshines his vocals on THP's heaviest songs bar none.