The ambition at the time was insane. Even dropping The Catalyst as a first single was absolutely bonkers at the time. That vocal effect on Mike starting the song must’ve caused severe whiplash at the time. I still remember that “techno” and “dubstep” were the terms used to describe that song lmao
Absolutely. I remember Mike said something a couple years back to the effect of they had to fight the label to get it released as the lead single, because the label wanted to go with WFTE. Had to bargain with them and tell them WFTE would be a big single released later, like In the End or Numb. They really believed it encapsulated the album more than any other song.
Not just how left-field it was stylistically -- "The Catalyst" is the climactic song in the album sequence where all the themes come to a head, so it does encapsulate what the album is about. It's the big finale moment, and they used it as a lead single, to be the first taste of the album for fans I heard people everywhere claim that the song was evidence that LP "sold out", an idea thats seems more and more ridiculous (to put it politely) as more time passes.
I think Linkin park releases will always generate a bunch of ridiculous reactions, regardless of what they release. Something I though about today: "Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk" is one the best reviewed albums of the year (for good reasons, it's awesome). Now, I may be wrong, but I believe that if that record had been released under the label Linkin Park, it'd get a lot of shit. Global reception would probably still be okay but nowhere near the universal consensus of "Best stuff ever!!!!". Etiquettes do wonders, regardless of the quality. Not to say LP music is perfect, or that there aren't many fair reasons to dislike them. But still, when it comes to this band, it often feels like many reactions are quite ... misguided "LP went techno, they sold-out" "LP went pop, they sold-out" "LP came back, it sounds like the old stuff, it's a cashgrab" Yup
Yeah, that's a branding / reputation thing. In the reverse, there are probably plenty of LP songs I wouldn't give a second listen to if another artist had performed them
All you need to do is read comments about FZ on a non-LP specific space. I legit saw one person in the same sentence say that LP with a new singer is disrespectful but also gave a list of people who should have been the new singer
The live version of Hands Held High with just Chester singing the chorus is so beautiful, sounds so much better than the gang vocals.
I'm glad "From Zero" doesn't really have a track that feels like "Hey, I'm in the tracklist because we need a main single". Looking at you WID and UIG - I know UIG wasn't even the main single, but hopefully I'm making sense Each track on FZ feels like it belong with the ethos of the record. Even a nostalgic cut like TF is meant to encapsulate the fun the band had during this album cycle.
For the last two weeks, all I'd really listened to was From Zero. This week I've just thrown all the songs into my general playlist. I was worried outside of the context of the record they might not be as great but every time one of the tracks comes on I say "yup, this is Linkin Park" and love every second of it. Also of note, for the first few 4:00+ songs I was like "this song is STILL going?!" Too used to the three minute bangers.
Reanimation is legit better than Meteora, Living Things, The Hunting Party and One More Light The production on that album is just insane and every song has so many details and cool sounds and layers to them. I'd love an album of new songs but with that aesthetic.
I don't love Reanimation like I used to, but I still say it's completely unmatched among remix albums. It's been 22 years, and still nothing has come close
Slightly off topic, but watch the first 10-20 seconds. Posting because the first time I heard Two Faced I immediately thought of Paramore's Caught In The Middle, and how similarly the same phrase was sung. Seems to be a trend.
I actually can spot some sort of link between Reanimation and A Thousand Suns, especially with their experimental electronic side of both albums.
I think the quasi-concept album way in which the sequencing plays out, and the sheer variety of sounds among the tracks, are things both albums have in common as well. Reanimation had an overture-style intro and some recurring motifs, and "Pts.Of.Athrty", "FRGT/10" and "My<DSMBR" are examples of three wildly-different songs all together on the one album. In this light, A Thousand Suns is a Reanimation successor, except, this time, Linkin Park accomplished it with basically no outside help.