Not one song on Living Things made me feel as good as the first time I heard The Catalyst. I was surprised, elated, and wildly impressed. Then I heard the whole album and it was almost all of that caliber. Not many bands/artists make me feel that way, but LP managed to do it for one album. Then Living Things came out and they reminded me that they are mostly just like every other band that is content with releasing music that challenges them not even a little.
Essentially. How many ATS praise threads do we need on this forum? Especially since every single one turns into an elitist "bashing LT right now" thread. A Thousand Suns is objectively Linkin Park's best album in terms of experimentation. We know that. Living Things is objectively a lesser album in terms of structure and originality. We also know that. I love Blackout and Victimized I love Waiting for the End and Castle of Glass Can't we just get along for once?
I went back and reread this thread. Aside from some members responding to one another with their own opinions, who isn't getting along? I read an article from the New Yorker recently that spoke about Django Unchained and the controversy behind the context and subject matter of the film. In it, there was a great quote. I'm paraphrasing, but the idea behind the quote was essentially this: When someone attacks a work of art you love, it can often feel like a personal attack. It isn't. Your post just reminded me of that quote because you asked for us all to "get along for once," when in actuality, no one here was arguing. You just interpreted it that way (and not just you). Just some food for thought.
I've found myself listening to "A Thousand Suns" a lot lately. It feels special again, all of a sudden. But, then, that might also be because I'm in a happier place overall right now
You know, I was disappointed with LT for a while, but not any more. As an album, it's not as good as ATS, but all the songs are really, really enjoyable. Great album.
I know just because I don't listen to it as much as I used too, it doesn't mean I don't like it! I love it as much as I love their first one. I'm sure I will listen to ATS later today.
I know a lot of fans really don't like fighting about stuff like this, but I can't help but agree. A Thousand Suns was a incredible change from their previous albums, it really showed so much progression in the sense that Linkin Park would be making albums with more complex structure and lyrics. What it came down to though, was that Living Things was just their old stuff. It's disappointing really, you have a band with a reputation of being a radio rock crap band, then they come out with this experimental album compared to many landmark albums, with some really good reactions and then they just decide to make an album that completely disregards so much of that. If Linkin Park doesn't do something great with their next record I will be sad D:
Hm, well, the reactions to ATS were mixed at best. Not only some old fans, but also at lot of critics were pretty harsh to the records. All in all, HT certainly has a better reputation in the music world and for the casual listeners. I promise you that here in Belgium, 90% of people will say "Oohh, Linkin Park sucks you know? Except maybe their first record". So yeah, LT might have been a disappointement musically for some people, but I would'nt include reputation in the argumentation
Maybe the reason why people still have fond memories of Hybrid Theory is because that's when the band were at their commercial peak and a nu-metal album with no parental advisory sticker is easier to sell to tweens.
Or because it was simply good? Lol You don't like the record, and it obviously affects your judgement about it. (mine is also biased, but still) HT was so succesfull that it beated Britney Spears and went freaking Diamond. Nu Metal was successfull commercialy, but not that succesfull Even if you won't recognize it, there was something special about that record.
...Affects my judgment...the fuck is this? I'm old enough to drink. I sat down and listened to albums from every genre I could find. From TV on the Radio to the Upsetters, to the Incredible String Band and John Coltrane. I frankly don't want to hear a bunch of cookie-cutter, radio-rock songs with choruses like "CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAWLING IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN MYYYYYYYYYYY SKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN" from a bunch of grown-ass men who now have families. Especially grown-ass men who can have proven, with albums following and even the type of songs they were writing before, they have more talent and ambition than that. I keep hearing Hybrid Theory is good, but none of the reasons I keep getting have anything to do with the actual quality of the music. It's good because it's good? Learn what a tautology is. It was the first CD you spent money on? The first album I bought was an edited Eminem album; all it taught me was to never buy music from Wal-Mart again. It went diamond? So did two N*Sync albums and Oops, I Did it Again. The lyrics spoke to you? Simple Plan resonated with me when I was ten, it didn't make them legendary songwriters. It helped throughout a rough period in your life? Not to poke fun at you, but Pokemon Platinum did the same for me and I don't laud it as masterpiece.
Learn to respect other people's opinion. You can't say HT was nu metal shit and everyone else gotta shut up because you know it better.
So someone else is allowed to disrespect my opinion by saying my judgment is affected because I don't like an album they like, but I'm not allowed to do the same by pointing out holes in their argument? I can say I love A Thousand Suns all damn day, but without anything to back that opinion up, I'd look like a fanboy. Do I like the music and do I associate it with my freshman year in college? Yeah, but that's not gonna translate well to anyone who isn't me. Why do I like it? Because it shows a drastic progression from the band's origins. Instead of writing eleven samey-sounding nu-metal songs with a token instrumental, they're now experimenting with song structure and pulling from a vastly different palette of sounds. It displays a maturity not seen in their past efforts. The content is easily applicable to the political climate of a nation that was about to bring forth the Occupy movement. They incorporated the use of imagery instead of relying on the straightforward lyrics of their first two albums. They took their trademark layered production style and wrote an album that could only be facilitated with it. It ain't a magnum opus, but it's impressive that a band largely known for being emo as fuck wrote it. What does Hybrid Theory have other than nostalgia and pop appeal? I can throw on "Bye Bye Bye" and groove to it like I'm eight again, but that doesn't make it good. ....Goddammit, I joined the circlejerk, didn't I?
Spitz wrote the shit. Commercially succesful doesn't means that an album or a song is good, especially nowdays. Hybrid Theory special? Yeah, most of the demos from that era was way better then the ones on the album. And who gives a shit about critics and reputation, especially in this world. Seriously, HT was succesful because Nu-Metal was mainsteam those days. LP just brought Nu-Metal into a radio-friendly state. Where are the big Nu-Metal bands from those days? Papa Roach? They brought back Nu-Metal into their music back and the old-skool fans now loves them again, but I hate them now. Korn? They actually tried out something different(Dubstep) and now, they know what LP felt when most of the fans turned on them in the MTM-era. Taproot? My favourite Nu-Metal band after LP. IMO they brought Nu-Metal into another level, but their reputation went down after 2002 BUT they still making amazing songs, even if they only have a small hardcore fanbase including me. I don't care what people around me say about LP, and I don't care what critics says about an album what I like. ATS is a masterpiece, the only masterpiece from LP yet. If somebodys favourite album is HT, OK your taste but come up with the media.
I didn't say HT was better than ATS. But you keep saying that HT was commercial crap and there's no way to see quality in it and (implicitly) that anyone who loves HT as hell has no taste of music and is just a fanboy without a point. btw no one disrespected your opinion. he just said that you can't know the reason for the commercial success if you don't even see the good in it.