They could add some instrumental part anywhere and it would make the song more interesting (and better). For example, after Kiiara sings "why is everything so heavy" in the first chorus, they could add some instrumental break like in Final Masquerade, and that would peak listener's interest, and then Kiiara would go into second verse.
To me, it's like he's improving while Chester is (arguably) worsening. In a sense, he's relatively new as an out-and-out lead singer in the band's career as recording artists and, so, I think he might still be discovering more and more as he experiments with his singing. Once Shinoda began coming into the spotlight with his lead singing for the band's studio recordings, it opened up this whole new dimension in terms of possibilities for the music, kind of like a multiplier.
I think Chester's singing is a hit and miss. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it isn't. The live shows for THP period certainly shows that, and I think it does depends how much rest he has before performing. Another side note is Brad's singing as well. His singing isn't that bad at all. LT is actually the 'worst' album for me by the band, but it did has some pleasant surprises like Brad's singing in UIB.
That's very true actually, in fact I'd say Kiiara's introduction at the end of the first chorus is the highlight of the song, not to mention the fact that the first chorus is sonically so different to the later two. As you said though, after that the song just stagnates a bit IMO, especially since it repeats the exact same chord progression throughout. Totally agree! I have no idea if this is true or not, but I remember hearing that people with higher pitched voices tend to sound best in their twenties, while bases can sometimes sound their best as late as their 50s. Mike's relatively deeper voice is probably just hitting its peak now, not to mention the fact that, as you mentioned, he's only started to properly train it relatively recently. That being said, I'll need to hear how Chester sounds on tour to properly judge for myself. I think he sounded incredible in Heavy, although that could just be studio wizardry.
Agreed. What is interesting is that a lot of people say Chester sucks on the new track, which is something I don't get at all. Sure he sounds different, and one can dislike the style, but I don't see why anyone would say it's weak.
There was a time when hearing Shinoda sing anything was automatically fresh and exciting, and I'm not even sure if that era has truly ended. There's a little less criticism and comparison when it comes to his singing, we're pretty lax about judging it as fans. I'd say Shinoda's consistently on point with his singing because the bar is so low for him and we don't expect much; as long as he's in a comfortable register and doesn't sound terrible, it's cool. I think the standard is a bit higher for Chester. A huge component of the band's success early on was his vocals, so there's that history and context
I have to agree with this, I would have loved to see how the song would have turned out if they went in a somber and softer direction with Heavy. After hearing that clip, I immediately imagined Mike singing the verses while Chester did the chorus. But this is not to say that I don't love what we got!
I wanted to react to this thread but it took me a while to read 52 pages. I like the song very much but its not their best. I like the personal themed lyrics even though some would argue its their worst. I liked THP when it came out but most of the songs are no where relatable. That made me listen to THP less over a period of time. Even though i'm in the minority, Living things is my favorite album by the band because its very relatable and special for me. But i completely disagree to people who are saying that LT was pop. There are songs like Lost in the echo, Castle of Glass etc which are far from being pop.Coming back to heavy, this isn't really anything new since LOATR was as poppy as heavy imo. In the end (no pun intended), I just like the song and don't really care about the genre. But you won't find live drums and some guitars in mainstream pop. Even the lyrics is better than 90% of today's trending music even though its not the best the band has written.
I think the reason I'm not upset as some people are over this change is because I saw Linkin Park's turn to 'pop' coming a WHILE ago, and are actually kinda shocked it took 17 years for it to occur. Chester has just turned 40. That might not be old, but between live performances, and studio albums (yes even ATS), he's been screaming/aggressively singing in his music for almost two decades. I figured there would eventually come an album where there was no screaming at all, and while it feels weird to have that come right after an album that arguably has some of the most screaming he's ever done, I wouldn't be surprised if that was kind of a 'last hurrah' for that version of Chester. And I wouldn't be bothered by it. I have 6 albums that feature Chester's aggressive or screaming vocals on at least one track (if not the majority of the album). If I want that version of Chester I can just put those albums on. I'd honestly prefer for this album to explore a side of Chester vocally that we've never seen, and by the looks of things we're gonna get exactly that.
Pop elements are blatant on "Living Things", IMO. "Castle" has other things going on, like folk vibes in the melodies and progressions, but a pop mindset in terms of structuring and arrangement is still evident in the final product. Pop music just a really broad influence that inevitably weaves its way into the band's songwriting sensibilities. They spoke a lot about trying to write strong hooks while promoting "Living Things", for example. On some releases, particularly "The Hunting Party", that element of the band is more subdued, but it's never completely absent.
Mike said that One More Light (the song) is only made by guitar riffs and piano without any drum percussion. May it will be a kind of "The Messenger"?
Exactly. I fail to see where this song is drastically different than some of their other songs. I hear elements of LIVING THINGS, MTM and even ATS (synth in the bridge when Chester's voice breaks) in this song. People act like the band did a legit 180 on this track...and honestly, they really didn't. This wouldn't have been out of place on LIVING THINGS.
I think he didn't said Guitar riffs at all . just sampled loops, piano & maybe acoustic guitar. but i hope that this song is the new TLTGYA (without drums) rather than The Messenger.
Its really sad that people are comparing this song to Chainsmokers/ Bieber. I didn't find anything different than any other soft song that the band has written (except for the lyrics which is a little underwhelming).
There's nothing wrong if those comparisons are accurate but I don't really feel that they are. Stylistically, Jack Ü and The Chainsmokers are already pretty different from one another - they're definitely different to what "Heavy" is in terms of style.