Thumbs up for A THOUSAND SUNS :)

"God bless us everyone
We're a broken people living under loaded gun
And it can't be outfought
It can't be outdone
It can't be outmatched
It can't be outrun"

When I first heard Linkin Park's first single,"The Catalyst" from their new album, I wondered what exactly were they trying to prove and convey with their new sound and music. I mean, I knew it is a nice song with a deep meaning to it, it's just that I did not  get them. But, slowly,  after listening to their new songs a couple of times, I have learnt to understand and appreciate their new music.

I suck. You know why? That's because I claim myself to be a die-hard Linkin Park fan, and yet, it was only yesterday that I actually managed to listen to all the tracks from their latest album, A Thousand Suns which was released two months ago, on Sept,14. TWO months! I know, wtf right? It's their new album which I have been enthusiastically waiting for the past two years, yet I was LATE two months. Anyway, I haven't bouught their album yet, and that's because I am currently waiting for the special edition which I heard will be out on Nov, 30th. I hope it will, I CANT wait to own the masterpiece! 

Truly, honestly speaking, this album is nothing like what I have expected. Ever since Minutes to Midnight was released two years back, they sounded different, in the sense that their songs are more mellow, mellodic and their lyrics are more bold, mature and makes ALOT of sense about life. I am not saying that their older tracks did not make sense, they did, of course, but those songs were more head-banging and angst-filled that would vent the frustration and anger within you compared to their new songs that allow you to let go of your pain and uplifts your spirit, hope and faith.

With their new music, I feel as if I am witnessing, in my own eyes and ears, the whole band growing up and evolving into something new, and at the same time, maintaining their integrity, their vestiges and their sound. I  DO NOT like the fact that the fan base is dividing themselves upon the old LP v/s new LP. Come on people, you cannot remain the same your entire life making the same thing. People change, and so does everything around them that indirectly influences on what they do. I have to say that I love the old LP, but I love the new LP even more as I am certainly open to new music. They new LP sounds very different from the older one, yet when I listen to their new songs, I can still say that they are Linkin Park and its their music. They are not a heavy metal band, they aint a rap rock band, they cannot be categorized as an alternative rock band or whatsoever, because they are Linkin Park, the name defines the music rather than their music defining the name. It's a genre of its own, and that's what set them apart from other band. They make their own music, they produce their songs, and they write their own lyrics, which depict their originality.

Now, coming back to their new album, A Thousand Suns, I would say that is a splendid album, shining with the radiance and light of a thousand suns. Just so you know, the album title actually comes from the Hindu scripture Bhagvada Gita, “If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one.” which indirectly represents the atomic bomb explosion.

As the name says it all, this album focuses on the warfare that have caused countless loss of lives and devastation in human history. Now, how many singers or bands out there will dedicate time and energy into creating an entire album with songs related to war? How many singers will even care to create the awareness in their songs with quotes from Martin Luther King, Robert Oppenheimer and Mario Slavo? The interesting thing about this album is that if you listen well enough, the songs are meticulously crafted and connected to one another. Along with the fillers, you’ll find the cryptic lyrics coming together that the whole album can be visualized into a story, that's if you are imaginative enough. Well, that's exactly what Mike Shinoda and Chester said in an interview about the album. Even I, myself, still trying to decipher and figure out the story interconnecting the songs even though I am aware with the fact that only the members of Linkin Park alone know the actual meaning beneath each and every song. Whatever it is, their music is truly great, superb and inspiring for it can only be enjoyed and cherished by people who know how to listen to their songs, or by people who have experienced the real life circumstances depicted in the song. Some people have even recovered from suicide attempt after listening to their songs, feeling safe enveloped in their songs and putting the pieces back into place.

" Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?
You build up hope, but failure’s all you’ve known
Remember all the sadness and frustration
And let it go. Let it go."

Their new album is more than promising, and I just wish that they will keep making the great music. You are the best band ever!

"When life leaves us blind
Love keeps us kind"