Minutes to Midnight

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Love linkin park album

I've been listening to everything since funky Rick James, to sweet but vindictive Taylor Swift. I have embraced Euro industrial and electronica, pop/neuvo-disco in American musik for the last few years. I have to say Linkin Park has been a life saver. I was taken in by Gaga, entranced by Nirvana, but the ones who touched my heart and brought me out of the darkness were Linkin Park. MTM is definitely the next chapter in their progression. How people can complain or doubt, I can understand. If you like/love a group and their albums, you hope the next will be a continuation of the former. But groups want to grow, experiment, evolve. They are getting older and have amazing new experiences that are represented in their music. MTM seems as good or better than Meteoria or Hybrid Theory the more I listen. Yes my initial reaction was along the lines of "uh, this isn't the same. Do I like it?" Geez, Chester obviously throws his heart soul and guts into everything when he's singing, whether rockin' or reflective ballading. I thought Mike's influence was lacking at first, but man he is there in bounds. I really think it was great for Mike to record with Fort Minor. Gave him opportunity to express himself and let go of what's deep inside. REANIMATION also allowed alternate expressions with guest rappers to add dimension to the emotion and expression of the songs. Then MTM. It's the expression of a maturing group. No, not every song needs a rap, as Chester soulfully expresses the immensity of feeling and throbbing of the heart in his lyrics. Then he explodes, and it just hits your soul like a tsumnami. Meanwhile Mike is throwing a heartful, killer rhyme from the heart out there. LP always has hope in the end of their songs. Yeah life is a killer and takes us for all we're worth, but we try to evolve from what we were to something useful and have hope for the future. I'm a pessimist or a realist, as you look at it, so I relate to the disappointment, fear, and lack of understanding in LP. This album just continues the feelings of rejection, fear, but hope of resilience and acceptance in a hard world. I think this is why LP still is relevant to their fans. So many artists lose their edge as they age and make big money, but LP seems to see the real people. MTM might be different than previous albums, but the more you listen, the more small touches or amazing lyricism shows through. Yeah, give it a chance through quite a few listenings. I don't think you pick it all up the first few times and have to make a judgment after familiarity as it surrounds you, before you can make a fair analysis. I think they still understand how it feels to be one of "us".

"Minutes to Midnight" is an ambitious mixture of the sound that made Linkin Park famous blended with some quieter mainstream pop sounds and serious comments on current events. In general, there is more singing, less rapping. The first track, "Wake", serves as an intro and reminds me of U2's intro to "Zooropa", which I always thought was just brilliant. The next 3 tracks sound pretty much like vintage Linkin Park, with the difference that Chester dominates 2 and 3, while 4 is mainly Mike's. Tracks 5 and 6 slow things down a little, showing more U2 influence, in the guitars, the strings and the harmonies. The next 2 tracks are overtly political. Track 7 is Mike's version of the state of the world, with a rather solemn backing, and track 8 is Chester's, very fierce hard rock; neither one is very optimistic lyrically, and I would say they both hit the nail on the head. "In Between" is a softer song about the difficulties of communication. The final track, "The Little Things Give You Away", undoubtedly is about the Hurricane Katrina disaster, with all that talk about water "...while the nation simply stares...", but I'm not sure exactly what their message is. However, as a Katrina survivor myself, the lyrics certainly hit home, and the track evolves musically into a beautiful power ballad (again, the U2 influence) which provides an appropriate cathartic effect to the song and to the CD as a whole.To be sure, some of Linkin Park's fan base will not welcome these stylistic changes. But as one who has bought the previous 2 albums and likes them both, my mind was open to the change, and I think the CD overall is an artistic success. It obviously succeeded commercially.

My favorite group. So sad that Chester is no longer with us, but his memory is always with us when listening to any of their records.

CD is a great shape, works great, fast shipping

I love Bleed it Out and Given Up! It's not my favorite album but it's a great album still. Really great guitar and drums.

No matter what all of you say, to me Linkin Park are GENIOUSES. No song of theirs was/is ever bad. There's sense in every melody and in every word they play/sing. I LOVE LP!!! The Shadow of the Day is GORGEOUS, beautiful, amazing :o) I'm in eternal love with Chester's voice ... They're very original and unlike any other band I've ever seen/heard. They're unique. They're LP :o)Just because their new album is a bit different from what they've traditionally done in the past, does NOT mean it's any worse. I actually LOVE Minutes to Midnight :o) Change doesn't necessarily have to mean something negative. Change should be welcome and is often for the better :o) Yes, the album does sound much "calmer" compared to their previous albums, but ... so what? It's still great. And the lyrics are exceptional in this album - "Leave Out All The Rest" lyrics are particularly striking. This song is so beautiful both in lyrics and melody. Also, love "Little Things Give You Away" plus "What I've Done". And ... I actually adore EVERY single song on that album, to be honest :o)LP, you rock! :o)