Linkin Park - "Waiting for the End"

I know they've been lame lately.

I know Minutes to Midnight was a terrible departure from what made Linkin Park cool.

I know it's super uncool for me to say this but here goes.

I'M STILL A LINKIN PARK FAN.


Now that that's off my chest...

Linkin Park's most recent album A Thousand Suns was for me, a particularly unexpected sound. Yet, after a few listens, I found this album awesome. The reason? Because much like in Hybrid Theory (by far their best album) they're making cool music that is (conceptually speaking) new... At least in the mainstream...

Think about it. Hybrid Theory was an amazing, top-selling album because of it's new sound. In the context of music back then, music sounded super boring and overly pop-y. At least as far as mainstream music on the radio goes. Then came along Linkin Park, mixing rock, rap, hip-hop DJing, into one, oddly coherent sound. And it stuck. That simple.

They didn't make it big because they were the first ones to have this style of music. They made it big because they were able to make it work well and have it be consumed by the masses.

The influence they had on changing the way people thought of music. That's what's important.

Similarly with their newest album, Linkin Park does a great job of mixing a more contemporary style of music. Much more synth heavy, with undertones of rock and hip-hop. Today they're just as much a rock band as Lil' Wayne is a rock musician... (okay maybe a little more than Lil' Wayne)

"Waiting for the End" starts off with what sounds like a guitar riff, and as the song progresses it feels as though there is more and more progressively layered on to it. Harmonies, bass lines, melodies.

It's definitely my favorite song on the album. It has a great mixture of both synth and instrumentals that I love. Kind of like "Breaking the Habit" but not so sad. (By the way watch that music video if you haven't. Who else recorded a live music video of themselves performing, shipped it to Japanese artists and released a music video in anime style? Linkin Park that's who.)

Being an aesthetically oriented person (I'm a photographer for those of you that don't know) I find that the video editing and processing does a fantastic job at complementing their music. I almost feel as though it's a visual manifestation of their audible style.

Again, I know these guys aren't pioneers. I just find their music cool. I'm sorry for liking Linkin Park, but no matter how much you may hate, or tell me how unoriginal they are, I'll almost always like their stuff...

....Unless it's Minutes to Midnight...Fuck that album...

Enjoy: