About MTM: My Rant/Review/Whatever

LP~Shinoda~FM

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2006
Okay, so after listening to MTM for a few more times, I've decided that I should do this review/rant/whatever. I didn’t put any ratings because I didn’t want to judge this album with numerical values. And I’m only saying how this album occurred to me, personally.

I'm having some mixed feelings with this album. This is probably because of the different opinions that coulda influenced me before I even heard it, however hard I tried to avoid them, kinda. So being one of the few who didn't listen to the leaks, I heard the album with the lyric book in my hands, CD in my drive. My opinion towards MTM is somewhat indefinite, but it is, undoubtedly, awesome. It wasn't perfect, but as I always say, imperfection adds to perfection.

Track by track now:

“Wake” – Introduction, it built my anticipation for the later tracks. It was a nice instrumental piece. I liked the eerie feeling it gave at the beginning, slowly climaxing to something huge.

“Given Up” – This piece starts off energetically, with clapping, clanging keys and guitar. This is one of the hardest songs on this album. It supplies the anger that this album somewhat lacks. It gives a grungy feeling, with Chester’s scream fitting perfectly in here.

“Leave Out All the Rest” – My second favorite track on the album. It is also probably the most popish track. I loved the lyrics and how Chester brought it out. The melody is beautiful, erasing the anger from Given Up. It was only the last note which Chester left hanging that I kinda didn’t like. But I liked how its end connected with the beginning of Bleed It Out.

“Bleed It Out” – The first of the two songs that featured Mike’s rapping on this album. It had a very raw sound, recording how the band made this song together, enjoying the process. It is highly energetic, and I liked its feeling.

“Shadow of the Day” – One of the most mellow songs on the album. The chorus brought the song soaring from its soft verses. This song gives an empty feeling that made me see it as something intricately peaceful that comes after a climax, like a sunset. The last 25 seconds or so sounded like the beginning of a new piece, but it somewhat ties in with the beginning of What I’ve Done.

“What I’ve Done” – The only track on the album that I have already heard. When I actually listened to it with the rest of the tracks, it stuck out. Even though it fitted in, it had a unique aura that none of the others did. It somewhat reminded me of their previous style.

“Hands Held High” – My favorite track. I knew it was something big from the first 3 seconds of the song. When the marching snare came in, it illustrated a military scene. Mike’s words were carried out perfectly. They carried all of the emotions and passion. The choruses of “amen” were beautiful, and it was amazing how they backgrounded the ending verses of Mike’s singing. It was a very touching song, although it dealt with a matter such as politics. The ending was beautiful.

“No More Sorrow” – Not giving us a moment to heave a sigh for the beauty of HHH, No More Sorrow kicks in, with the ebow and drums, creating a feeling of chaos and anger. The ebow part is beautiful, and gives a solo, soaring feeling. Chester’s words second the idea of anger and hatred. The heaviest track on the album, it is an amazing song, just a little unaptly positioned in the album.

“Valentine’s Day” – Again, unable to let us breath after NMS, Chester comes back with his soft, angsty voice. I must say, that this track has something that Linkin Park has never done before. This is the closest that they have ever gone to relate a song directly to something romantic, or something in that aspect. Not that it was bad, but it was just slightly bit more out of ordinary (which is to be defined). I loved the melody.

“In Between” – The most sentimental song on the record that Mike dominates with singing. It did fascinate me, but not as much as I thought I would have been. An apology to someone, it carried a lot of sorrow. Very little support for his voice (sometimes none), except for a bass line or Chester backs it up at times, but it still worked out. And therefore it had a very light, floating, almost incorporeal feeling.

“In Pieces” – I don’t exactly know what to say about this song. I like it, but I can’t exactly say anything that occurred to me when I heard this song (other than the guitar part… that part was striking). I would say that if between In Between and In Pieces was a slightly harder song, then it would work out better.

“The Little Things Give You Away” – This song occurred to me as a very abstract song. The meaning is undefined to me, while a shape forms, unidentifiable. The longest song of the record, it definitely had a different touch to it that deserved its place as the ending piece of the album. It’s the kind of song that makes you feel like everything’s ended, but something new begins. This song definitely was placed the most correctly on the record.

First time round, Minutes to Midnight mesmerized me. Then I listened to it a few more times, and I looked at it more critically. It was definitely an amazing album, revolutionizing the fans’ idea of their sound. I must say, when people see this as something that could have taken a lot less time to finish, they are mistaken. They did not hear the complexity of this album. It may appear as a very simple, mellow record with a few harder songs, but I heard the intricacy within each and every song. Minutes to Midnight offers a lot more melodic material, so they are very easy to sing/hum to. (I’m driving my family crazy lol) Although I felt that this album could have used a little more anger and power as in “Bleed it Out” or “No More Sorrow”, and a little more Shinoda, it was an amazing album. I wouldn’t compare this to Linkin Park’s previous albums because they’re completely different things. It’s like comparing apples with oranges. It was an epic album, so congrats LP!

P.S. I missed Mr Hahn.
 
i miss mr hahn too...and mikes rapping, some songs for me coulda used a lil mike magic in there, HHH is very fort minor, im alluding to a bit of rapping sort of like in bleed it out or even to go far back as reading my eyes

it was a very good review and pretty much summed up what the album is about
 
^ Yeah, HHH is probably the best one on there. Bleed It Out is awesome too... Mike's rapping has really come a long way since Hybrid Theory.
 
Those two songs are the reason I didn't give the album 5/5. I gave it a 4/5 instead because those songs just are horrible to me. I really don't understand the appeal of them. Like I said everything else was pretty good.

Out of interest, is it the rapping you don't like or just the tracks in general?
 
Out of interest, is it the rapping you don't like or just the tracks in general?
The tracks in general. I mean I do like High Voltage, Nobody's Listening and Step Up. So it's not like I have some personal vendetta against him rapping. To me those tracks are good. I just think the songs he does on the album are just bad.
 
The tracks in general. I mean I do like High Voltage, Nobody's Listening and Step Up. So it's not like I have some personal vendetta against him rapping. To me those tracks are good. I just think the songs he does on the album are just bad.
Yeah I guess people have different personal tastes about him rapping on this album, But I think he does a pretty good job with the new style of things... And don't forget It is a way different album compared to HT. :p
 
XMelancholiaXx makes a point that makes me wanna say listen to Mike's damn lyrics in "Bleed It Out" if you really listen that is exactly why its not appealing...

EDIT:WTF why is this bold?
 
XMelancholiaXx makes a point that makes me wanna say listen to Mike's damn lyrics in "Bleed It Out" if you really listen that is exactly why its not appealing...

EDIT:WTF why is this bold?

The song is just so catchy though...

"Shotgun opera lock and load/**** it back and watch it go"
 
Honestly, in my opinion of course, every song on the album was amazing. There were no flaws. Every song was beautiful in its own way. It was everything I expected it to be, even if it was on the lighter side of what they said it was going to be. All in all, its a good album. It's different and original. Its what most artists out there these days DON'T and CAN'T do. I give it a 10/10.
 
XMelancholiaXx makes a point that makes me wanna say listen to Mike's damn lyrics in "Bleed It Out" if you really listen that is exactly why its not appealing...

EDIT:WTF why is this bold?
It wasn't even just the lyrics. It was the music as well. I mean it just completely turned me off.

Yeah I guess people have different personal tastes about him rapping on this album, But I think he does a pretty good job with the new style of things... And don't forget It is a way different album compared to HT. :p
That maybe true and all but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I like a lot of different things so the styling isn't the issue it's just that I think the song is bad.
 
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