OVERVIEW
An Album review is a first for me, especially if the album came out a while ago. A Thousand Suns is the entire album dedicated to a post apocalypse type of era. The sound is basically techno and songs tend to have the urge to feel like Peanut Butter and Jelly in a song sandwich, in other words, they're contrasting styles that actually end up decent!
Now Before you begin with the review I'd like to remind everyone that these are my views upon each song from the album so if I'm wrong about some of the song facts then that's ultimately not my fault for not getting the message 100%.
REVIEW
The First Song: The Requiem. This isn?t more than a mystifying opening where the Guitarist/Rapper/Keyboardist/Singer, Mike Shinoda, auto tunes his voice to sound like Amy Lee (Evanescence) singing a slow ritardando'd version of the Catalyst. This is the kind of song that reminds me of a foggy place where there?s no hope and something?s just going to eat you. This really fits with the next filler songs which is The Radiance where Julius Oppenheimer quotes a hindu scripture that I thought was creepy pasta at first.
From there the pants wetting ends and we get onto the actual Album.
Burning in the Skies is the third song which starts the wondering on whether this is truly about a post-atomic apocalypse scenario or if the lead singer had just recently gotten divorced. Chester Bennington sounds like a rich and skilled singer that had recently broken every promise he ever made to his wife and her mother multiple times within the same month and is using this song to apologize for it. I?ll be honest, I hate complaining about something I really like but it is the truth. After that, Empty Spaces is the next song that fills the gap with something you?d hear on a "mindfucker?s" sleeping aid. It starts quiet and serene then you hear bombs, gunfire and "Big Bad Brad", the afro man, screaming Spanish through a megaphone which in would make you wet yourself in a completely different way than earlier?
(Right now I?d like to clear the air and say that Chester is not divorced and he?s still happily married.)
This later moves onto When they Come For Me, the fifth song. (I?d like to point out that the reason I?m keeping song track is because there are almost as many interlude songs as actual songs on the album.) Back to the point, When they Come for Me is almost Mike?s way of saying ?We are not controlled by fans, we can do whatever we want to and if that means our Techno Man (Joseph Hahn) gets to write the music for each song then so be it.? The song ends with Chester singing the words "when they come for me, I'll be gone" which was interpreted as 'I'm not going to cave if you come at me.' This idea contradicts with a later song which makes him appear to completely rebel against over half the band?s motives, but since we?re not there yet let?s continue.
Robot Boy is the next song on the list putting us at six. This finally gives me a sense of post apocalypse desperation unlike the angst filled songs, the hostile songs and the shit-my-pants-o-meter breaking songs. Although the tone of Robot Boy is the same and somewhat repetitive it actually gave me the feeling that there was someone talking to me in the same room as if they were recruiting me for the Post-apocalypse rebellion which is what we know are Linkin Park?s favorite things.
Let me take a break and express some overall thoughts:
That point almost proves that LP has no clear idea of what they want to do. They try to let go and yet they really can?t but can we really blame them? They try to feed both sides of the fan base like entertainers should but they constantly go off balance because they?re Human as well. They are trying to 'rebel' like Altair quiet and actually thinking, not like The Hulk or Ghandi so why is the fan base going against change? (I really don't know but I'm off my soapbox)
That point almost proves that LP has no clear idea of what they want to do. They try to let go and yet they really can?t but can we really blame them? They try to feed both sides of the fan base like entertainers should but they constantly go off balance because they?re Human as well. They are trying to 'rebel' like Altair quiet and actually thinking, not like The Hulk or Ghandi so why is the fan base going against change? (I really don't know but I'm off my soapbox)
Number 24: Joranda Del Muerto which sounds like an empty factory that?s still working barely and the ghost of Chester sings in a different language that uses characters so let us all think Japanese or Korean. Oh, and he also sings this while messing with a semi-broken light-dimming-switch that makes buzzing sounds when turned on.
The next is number eight which is Waiting for the End. This is a PB and J song that takes us back to the freaking Divorce! Basically Mike and Chester once again contrast each other like a friend giving the other friend comfort after his famous girlfriend dumped him, stole his savings account then tweeted about how he was horrible in bed. Mike argues that it?s a chapter of life and how the hardest part of ending this is starting again but it?s also not the end, just the beginning. Chester complains like the usual angst filled teenager should, he?s holding on, wishing he could stand, and all he wants to do is trade his life for something new. The only problem with this song is that Chester?s over 30 and promised us something new and that didn?t mean to write different songs from what you normally do but write a song that almost everyone else and their mother has written about! But on the bright side, the end of this song mashes the PB and J so the second you eat it you almost orgasm at how their voices sound like they could break down the Great Wall.
Nine, is Black Out which is two songs, not meshed together, you?re basically shoving one slice of bread into your mouth with the peanut butter then jamming the slice with bread in and hoping that it turns out the same way as the last song. Anyway, this almost continues with the Love interest except now it can be about almost anything from politics, to dirt, to, yes, the freaking love story behind this! I can tell it?s based off of politics but following up the friends arguing with this doesn?t help.
By the way, this is the song I was talking about earlier where Chester seemed to just run off with Rob (the drummer) and said ?here let?s feed these trolls? and feed them they did. The entire song is of Chester scream/rapping with some snare drumming in the background. Our Asian Techno friend decided that he?d join in and add some effects in the middle then ended up betraying the duo by giving the song back to Mike. Of course, that?s just my opinion on what I hope happened.
Ten is Wretches and Kings which literally screams Politics at you which makes my assumption that Blackout is about Politics a little more correct. It?s like Waiting for the End led you down a relationship road until you came to an option of going left or straight and if you chose straight Wretches and Kings would slap you upside the head and drag you by your ear back to Blackout street then force you to go down that way. That?s all I can really say about it since it actually is something I expected from Linkin Park.
Wisdom, Justice and Love is the speech of Martin Luther King Jr. with piano in the background and it slowly fades into a deep auto tune that (oh my god we didn?t see this coming) tries to scare the shit out of you.
Now Iridescent is Twelve and it actually has a MEANING! Compared to all the other songs this is the one to actually stand out as the smooth melody I?d hear to feel comforted in a post apocalypse situation unlike Robot Boy that is so damn repetitive Britney Spears could remember it, sing it and perform it to a crowd before the LP version even finished. Basically, the hopeful and cheery sound is just what I like in Iridescent for it to be the diamond in the mud that is an apocalypse. (Which is obviously why it?s called Iridescent.)
After out is basically the deeply auto tuned of the Burning in the Skies chorus sang by Mike. (this is track 13. Fallout
Number 14 is the Catalyst and this is the one that sounds like it should be every song on the album except Iridescent. When I listen to this song, I see a riot like I should. I see the earth quaking, things breaking and all around just envisioning the world getting fucked like the entire album should?ve been talking about. This song?s meaning was complete Rebellion. The lyrics are the only feeling of hope in the entire song because the rest sounds like? well, the earth getting bum raped.
Number 15 is the Messenger which is the end credit sounding song and actually fits where it should fit. This reminds me of Iridescent but with a little bit of broken character. Chester sings with the Afroman playing Guitar and the only problem is that Chester sounds like he?s slowly cutting his vocal chords with a nail file. My recommendation is to hear this song live because that?s where it?s absolutely beautiful.
Closing
All in all, buy this if you like sweet new sounding music. If you?re into the meaning of songs I say go ahead and buy the album just don?t listen to it all at once otherwise you?ll see the angst-filled teenage boys that Linkin Park use to be. If you're one of the fans that argue that they should stay the way they were (e.g. Screaming in your face like Fred Durst) then you should probably just give up on LP overall.
-Editor's Note-
I wrote this a while back and it was meant to be a script but since my computer's having a hard time with Videos I decided to post it instead. I made a few adjustments to it so it was a little more tidy for the forums.
NOT MY YOUTUBE VIDEO
I apologize for using it if it's so wrong but I needed a good video that showed off all the songs.