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

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

  1. Michele

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

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    Trollnoda was there :shinado:
     
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  2. AaronJxD

    AaronJxD Well-Known Member

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    They did? It was played in November... Maybe they got rid of it for the American leg of the tour. Sucks. :(
     
  3. Moridin

    Moridin Death Contagious Deity

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    I really like all the individual elements of Until it Breaks, but together it just doesn't work as a song at all. Again, as with the rest of the album, it just feels like they said "We're running out of time, maybe we should just mash together these different demos & call it a song."
     
  4. polleo

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

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    Also, the thing Brad said about how Mike implemented the elements of TBT well into UIB, I don't agree with it. But that's the problem with LT- they had this cool folk thing going and they had to throw it all out to be electronic which doesn't make sense to me. That would have actually been a great direction for them to go into.
     
  5. Broman

    Broman Well-Known Member

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    My opinions are law :chuck:

    They did get rid of it for the American Leg of the tour. More than likely a permanent removal.

    [video=youtube;PQIVNBFCOHU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQIVNBFCOHU[/video]
     
  6. Tocaraca

    Tocaraca A part of me screams away silently

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    Roads Untravelled is beautiful. I feel that it';s a bit rushed though. The chorus is just a woah-ah-oh part, which is pretty repetitive, then there's another verse and chorus, then it goes into Skin To Bone, which is a great song, I don't really have much to say about it though.
    Until It Breaks...
    I always used to think this song was weird, but I've come to like it. Chester's chorus and Brad's outro are the best part of the song, while the rap just fits the instrumental perfectly.
     
  7. Josh

    Josh Met LP 8-13-14 LPA VIP

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    Until it breaks is the closest song Linkin Park has done that resembles ATS. All of the rap verses remind me of ATS and have a similar vibe. UIB is one of the best songs off of LT, and what makes it better is that Brad sings at the end. Its f***ing great.

    The only problem i have with the song is that there is too much ECHO in the beginning. Its too distracting for me. Maybe if they toned down the echo id give the song a perfect 10.

    9.5/10


    (BTW all of the demos are also unique and cool to listen too)
     
  8. Tyler

    Tyler Well-Known Member

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    UIB is awesome. I will admit that it isn't perfectly cohesive with the changing parts, but they did a solid job with piecing together four different seeds.

    I know that this is a stretch, but it is the closest thing to a "Bohemian Rhapsody" that we have gotten from the guys, with different sections (well, ALITS is another contender).
    The demos are decent as individuals, I'm glad that Mike kept the first part of Apaches out of the final product, and the echoes, weird guitar, and electronic elements of that didn't need to be in here either. But Three Band Terror is the best by far, for its simplicity and Brad's unique song. This was great with the acoustic guitar, but they improved his vocals on UIB.

    And to clear things up, I'm pretty sure that the working title for UIB was Apaches after all of the songs were pieced together, and the final name was not revealed until after the intro for WFTE became regular in the setlist. This was at the Power the World show and before Living Things was released, so they just used "Apaches intro" on it. And on that subject, it works really well over the WFTE intro. I wish they would at least play the beginning of UIB live until Chester's piano part gets finished and then go straight into the verse over the WFTE instrumental. And that gave us the Wall of Noise Outro, which is really nice as well.

    Lyrics are pretty good, especially since Mike actually becomes a rapper on this one - he makes a reference to the Notorious B.I.G., one of his inspirations. Brad's lyrics are very good too, I'd like to see him continue with that train of thought.


    I think now would be a good time to discuss what is going to happen after LT. Are we going to do ALTNC and then straight into THP? At this speed of every 3 days, we will be done in about a month and a half, possibly in time for Horizons. Are we going to cover any other collabs or LPU? I'm still banking on making my own post for We Made It if we run out of material.
     
  9. BTorio

    BTorio Well-Known Member

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    I like the Bohemian Rhapsody comparison. I listened to that song just yesterday and thought of UIB, and was suddenly disappointed in UIB lol. It feels like the appeal of the song is just that it sounds like 3-4 different songs. But those songs aren't much, they sound like they would be extremely boring at 3+ minutes if they were by themselves, versus the segments of Bohemian rhapsody which all sound very full and complex. Same goes for Mike's rap and intro/outro in ALITS. They just sound like little demo parts that were thrown in, not like a full-on "switching styles on a dime" if you will.
     
  10. Filip

    Filip god break down the door LPA Contributor

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    This song fucking rocks on so many levels, without even being a rock song.
     
  11. Captain-EO

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

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    He referenced B.I.G. in WTCFM too you know (B.I.G. said it increase the complication), and Big Daddy Kane (Kane said don't step I ain't the one). Plus, Public Enemy in WTCFM (Chuck said an Uzi weighs a motherfuckin' ton) as well as in Wretches and Kings (To save face / How low can you go). Just want to point that out.
     
  12. Gibs

    Gibs The Prog Nerd Über Member

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    Until It Breaks is a pretty neat song. Though taking multiple unfinished demos and mashing them into one isn't the most unique idea in the world, LP pulled it off pretty well, which makes the song stand out in their discography for me. Its unpredictable nature is incredibly appealing to me, a trait I wish appeared more often in their music.
     
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  13. Tyler

    Tyler Well-Known Member

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    I'm aware of that, but we don't have a lot of that in Mike's other rapping.
     
  14. Captain-EO

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

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    But you said UIB is where Mike becomes a rapper, then follow it up with his reference to B.I.G., which makes it sound like that's why he "becomes a rapper". But by that logic he would've become a rapper when he did WTCFM. It just bothers me that it sounded like you were discrediting his other works that he did the exact same thing on.
     
  15. Evan

    Evan Well-Known Member

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    I love Until It Breaks and all its individual parts as well, but my favorite part by far is the second half of verse one. Mike just has so much fucking swagger and flow there. It's so different from the first half that I consider it a second verse entirely, and given the break between them I'm not sure why that isn't a universal consensus. Just because the singer doesn't change and there's no chorus between them doesn't mean they're not separate things IMO.
     
  16. Tyler

    Tyler Well-Known Member

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    I was referring to the difference between his two verses. The first verse is his typical cocky attitude rapping, but the second verse is different in comparison.
     
  17. Atticus

    Atticus Bullets lance the bravest lungs

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    TINFOIL & POWERLESS
    “You hid your skeletons when I had shown you mine, you woke the devil that I thought you’d left behind”

    Linkin_Park_-_Powerless.jpg

    Tinfoil & Powerless are the eleventh and twelfth tracks featured on LIVING THINGS. Originally one full-fledged track, the demo name “Tinfoil” was chosen in the studio before Linkin Park decided to split the track into two separate entities. The result was keeping Tinfoil as an extended instrumental intro while Powerless became a passionate ballad in it’s own right, and the closer to the album.

    The origins of “Tinfoil” date back as early as in sessions for A Thousand Suns. Whether the song remained too undeveloped for the 2010 pseudo-conceptual album, or the band decided it was too unlike the rest of the album sonically, the demo was kept on the backburner for a few years. At one time in writing, the demo had a third part in the middle of what we know to be Tinfoil and Powerless, extending the experience beyond six minutes, reaching territories held only by The Little Things Give You Away at that time. What ever happened to this mysterious third piece of the puzzle, and why the band removed it from LIVING THINGS remains to be seen. Perhaps it clashed with the “firecracker” album they imagined it would be.

    Powerless is the third single from LIVING THINGS, and it found relative success in the UK Rock charts, reaching 40th. The single was officially released on October 31st, 2012.

    Just days prior to the release of LIVING THINGS, Powerless was featured as the main song for the credits in the 2012 vampire action-thriller Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Interestingly, it was never featured on the official soundtrack for the movie. Snippets of Tinfoil and the intro samples for Powerless were also officially revealed through an LPTV episode titled “Photo Shoot”. Although the track names were never mentioned, fans’ speculations at the time were entirely correct.

    Following in the footsteps of Hybrid Theory and Meteora, Linkin Park takes a page from their nu-metal past by using the space of LIVING THINGS’ penultimate track for an electronic instrumental. Tinfoil presents an electronic drumbeat while a flickering synth gracefully weaves in a minute long build-up alongside a light piano riff. Fortunately Tinfoil also carries dream-esque elements seen in A Thousand Suns, creating a drowning atmosphere. It also seems to carry a weight and burden that translates into pure emotion for the final curtain call.

    Tinfoil immediately and gracefully transitions into Powerless, with the same dreamy atmosphere being woven into the backbone of the sweeping ballad to come. The once light piano riff is now deep and solemn as Bennington combines affection, resentment, regret, and desperation into a brilliant vocal performance. The verse masterfully teases the impending, soaring chorus as Bennington delivers heartbreaking lyrics while Tinfoil’s instrumental laments in the background. Powerless reveals an intimate yet striking chorus as Bennington rises to the occasion.

    Suddenly Bourdon’s drum work comes into play and Powerless immediately grows with tension. The second verse and chorus that follow carry the same immaculate performance from Bennington until a stunning bridge featuring an ascending guitar riff and beautiful harmonizing by the lead vocalist as he chants a melodic “ohhhhhh” that rises and falls. Powerless becomes momentarily humble again as it touches ground for the first half of the final chorus before the piercing guitars return for a skyscraping finale. As the song reaches its climax, Powerless proves to be everything but powerless. The track concludes with another radiant segment similar to the bridge but with Bennington crying “Powerless” to the skies.

    Lyrically, Powerless can be ascertained to be a song about affectionate regret. Bennington’s persona in the song is lamenting at the fact that his (presumably) significant other basically let everything fall apart in a relationship they shared, while the persona was left powerless to help rectify the situation and set things right. Clearly this other figure was a bad influence overall, as they happened to bring out the worst in Bennington’s persona by waking his “devil” of which he had long left forgotten. Odd that the song is in fact so depressing, yet incorporates a very uplifting vocal delivery and rising instrumental.


    Used to promote the trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Powerless had its very own music video long before it became an official single. On June 19, 2012, the video was posted on Linkin Park’s official YouTube channel a full week ahead of LIVING THINGS’ release date. Showcasing a number of scenes from the thriller, the music video was first and foremost an advertisement. However, it only included brief shots of the band performing the song in a darkly lit atmosphere. As the video continues and the song builds in power, the band is finally revealed to be playing onstage to a large audience (of course, dubbed to the studio recording of the song). Much like the song itself, the band footage focuses mostly on the soaring Bennington. Unfortunately the video has a measly 2,000,000 views, likely due to the fact that the video is advertised as a trailer rather than a music video.


    In a strange turn of events, Powerless received a second music video towards the end of 2012 as a promotional tool for Power The World. The video this time emphasized the lack of electricity being provided to over 1.3 billion people. People were encouraged to donate for the cause by following links to an official website. Stranger still, while Powerless is nearly four minutes in length, the new video was only two minutes long. As such, the song was shortened to only include the second verse onwards. The video reused the same “live” footage of the band over a montage of clips of less fortunate people living without electrical power. This campaign took the title “Powerless” extremely literally.


    Recharged mutated the ambient, atmospheric power ballad into an electrically driven dance mix. The Powerless (Enferno Remix) is over six minutes long and features all the clichéd elements of a club anthem, including several patented beat drops and a high-energy beat that seems to last forever.


    Meanwhile the RELIVING THINGS interpretation, Powerless (Ascension Bound Remix) by Glen Orpheus take Powerless into trance-worthy landscapes featuring a robotic Bennington whose vocals have been significantly digitally altered. The result is a very relaxing, atmospheric take on LIVING THINGS’ closer.

    Fans hoping to find a little more on the song should watch the Powerless segment on INSIDE LIVING THINGS where Bourdon is seen working on the powerful drum beat for the song’s climax.

    Although Powerless was indeed performed in front of a live audience for the music video recording, it is completely unknown whether the song was played with the studio-backing track, or whether it was a fully organic live performance. Throughout the album cycle, several band members had gone on record to claim that Powerless would indeed be worked into the setlist, but LIVING THINGS came and went without the song being added, much to the frustration of loyal fans. Powerless could have been a sensational live staple as Bennington has always been powerful with more ‘unplugged’ intimate songs like the stripped piano version of Pushing Me Away or My December. When the song finally explodes the payoff would be incredible.


    Luckily, Tinfoil was used for nearly the entire LIVING THINGS cycle as an opener for either the main set or the encore. Though rather than transitioning into an equally stunning ballad, the powerhouse nu-metal fan favourite Faint was always the track that followed.

    ___________________________________________

    Overall I love Powerless, although I definitely think it’s a better song with Tinfoil as an opening than without. It may not be as climatic as The Catalyst or The Little Things Give You Away, but it certainly holds its own as a finale for Living Things. I also feel as though Chester’s performance here is unrivaled on the album in terms of passion, and few other songs from Linkin Park’s discography come close.

    It may not be perfect or complex, but Powerless is a stunning conclusion to Living Things.

    ...

    Now that Living Things has come to a close, does everyone agree with talking about A Light That Never Comes and then diving straight into The Hunting Party? Give me your thoughts.
     
  18. Bane

    Bane Together we'll fight the long defeat

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    Ahh, Powerless, dear Powerless. I was waiting for this one.

    It didn't strike me the first time, nor the following few times that I listened to this song. I was over ten listens by the time I was struck by how enormously uplifting the final 40 seconds of the song are. It still gives me awesome chills when I listen to that segment of Powerless. Simple, yet very moving.

    Thanks, Faint into Pieces, for this great thread!
     
  19. Michele

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

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    Here we are. At the end of my least favorite LP album.

    I have to admid, at first i really liked Tinfoil/Powerless, it was a good , mellow combo with great emotions by Chester. The lyrics are ok.
    But now, i really think its really boring , all in all i dislike the second half of LT completly (minus UIB and minus Roads Untraveled). Its kinda boring and not the "firecracker" the band wants to bring out with Living Things.
    Powerless is for me not more than In Between with CHester. Nice voice, but really meh.
     
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  20. Gibs

    Gibs The Prog Nerd Über Member

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    Powerless clicked with me immediately upon my first listen. The song is pure sadness. I really hope the 3rd, middle section surfaces eventually. You can tell just by looking at the tracklisting on the back that it was a very last minute decision to cut it, as Powerless has 13 dots with it, when it's actually the 12th track.
     
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