A Thousand Suns: One Year Later

[hahninator]

On September 7th, 2010, Linkin Park's first album since "Minutes To Midnight" in 2007 leaked online. The name? "A Thousand Suns". Officially released one year ago, on September 14, in the US, the album was a huge departure from the band's previous works. Evolving with each album, LP chose to make ATS a huge mixture of electronic sounds, rock elements, ballads and much more. With this one-year anniversary, we say - Happy Birthday, "A Thousand Suns"!

 

Live, this album is on track to have the shortest touring cycle of any of LP's other albums. Kicking off with a few scattered shows in 2010 before embarking on a world tour that started in South America, the touring cycle for "A Thousand Suns" is slated to end on October 16 this year in Pensacola, FL. It's also the only album Linkin Park has made that has toured North America and Asia ONE time each. Finally, "A Thousand Suns" looks to be the only album so far to not have every song played off of it during the (short?) touring cycle.

 

'The Requiem', 'Empty Spaces', 'When They Come For Me', 'Jornada Del Muerto', 'Waiting For The End', 'Wisdom, Justice, & Love', 'Iridescent', 'Fallout', and 'The Catalyst' have all pretty much been setlist staples since the beginning of the world tour.

has undergone the most transformation out of any song live, turning into a new outro for 'Numb' and encompassing a keyboard piece with Mike singing vocals from 'The Catalyst' into his vocoder. 'Wretches & Kings' was played at every show for the first few legs of the world tour (South America, Europe, and Australia), was rotated a bit in North America this year and then was dropped; it hasn't been played since February. 'The Messenger' is about the same, having appeared at just one show (and one LPU Summit) since then. 'Burning In The Skies' and 'Blackout' both made their debuts in Australia in December and have remained in the setlists since then, but are still both pretty rare to catch at a show. Finally, 'Robot Boy' has not been touched in any shape or form and with the touring cycle coming to a close with less than ten shows left, many fans are thinking it won't be played. It will be the first song on a major album by them ("Hybrid Theory", "Meteora", "Minutes To Midnight", and "A Thousand Suns") to have not been played live.

 

Regardless, "A Thousand Suns" has changed both the musical direction of the band as well as their live shows. Brad and Chester now play drums during certain songs, the full band sings on some songs, Mike has his own permanent keyboard in the middle of the stage, and more.

 

What do you think about "A Thousand Suns" one year later? Does it still have the same effect when you listen to it now versus when you first heard it? What are your top songs from the album? And how does this album compare to the previous albums by Linkin Park for you? And finally, will 'Robot Boy' ever see the light of day on a stage?

 

Discuss!

[Legend]

I love the idea knowing that Linkin Park can make different kinds of music and make it sound good. To date, as a band showing their creativity and skill, this is their best album yet. However, this was my LEAST favorite album from them. I have been a hardcore Linkin Park fan for many years. Chester Bennington being my idol. So anything that ever comes from him, or this band, I am quick to jump into. When The Catalyst first came out, I bashed on it hard. A few months later, I took back my statement. It is one of the best tracks on the album, but that isn't saying much. Every song on this album is great in its own way, but to me personally, it doesn't have much replay value.

 

My favorite songs on the album are The Requiem, Burning In The Skies, When They Come For Me, Blackout, Wretches And Kings, and The Catalyst. All the other songs are automatic skips for me whenever they play on a CD or MP3 player. And out of all of these songs that I like from the album, none of them make it in my Top 10 favorite Linkin Park songs. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a crazy Hybrid Theory fan. I can't stand that album either. I LOVE Hybrid Theory live, but can't stand the album version anymore. My favorite CD from LP is Meteora & Reanimation. Liked a few songs off of MTM. One of the main reasons I liked Linkin Parks older work is because it was more "in your face", and most of the songs were CATCHY as fuck. Thats what I like. ATS doesn't have many songs that fills my desires in their music. One of my biggest gripes with the album is that a HUGE fan favorite of the album is the kind of stuff Linkin Park is doing less and less of (Blackout, with its screaming). Don't care much for screaming, but ehh, damn.. this album was a disappointment.

 

I remember when the album came out, I was worried if Linkin Park would beat Trey Songz or not for the #1 spot. LP did beat him for the spot, but I would have never imagined I would be at a point in time where I would worry about Linkin Park barely overcoming another musician.

 

ATS was my least favorite album from them song wise, but my favorite from the creatively. I feel these songs gave them better live shows and live show sets, but I also feel like these last two albums completely changed their fan base. It is what it is. Im not bitching. Ill always be a fan of their work. I just hope that they will stop with the slower shit and start raising the tempo. Not asking for guitars, or screaming, or anything. Im just tired of all this music that I can fall asleep too.

 

Now that that is said, I'll go pop in Hybrid Theory and crawl in my closet and cut myself like the emo little bitch that I am.

 

Next album needs more Figure.09

[psykotaitai]

1 year later i still think its friggin epic! everytime i hear a song from ATS its like being splashed with ice cold water...all of my senses are just at 100% taking in every detail of the music and enjoying every single second of it...my top songs are wretches and kings, blackout and iridescent...i dont really have a fav album from u guys so its up there with all the other albums....jus as epic! u guys seriously need to come Trinidad to perform! u got tonnes of huge fans here!

[sotrix]

I tweeted earlier, only after a year of listening to ATS am I finally grasping its grandeur and brilliance. Hard to believe that I completely dismissed The Catalyst when it premiered over Medal of Honor and now I rank it near the top of their catalog. Few of their other songs sound as good live in my opinion. Additionally, ATS music videos just took it to a whole 'nother level.

 

 

If Minutes to Midnight was LP rediscovering themselves and A Thousand Suns was them getting comfortable, the next album is sure to exceed my highest expectations.

[RiderSSPU]

Copied and pasted this post I made in he it leaked thread not that long ago: Ok I feel like writing a after one year post. Get ready for a couple paragraphs.

 

A Thousand Suns leaked an it was the hardest album I have ever had trouble finding on the Internet, I pre ordered the cd/DVD version so I didn't rip off Linkin park, I got the dl of the cd just to listen to it earlier.

 

 

First thee album process started out with releasin the single the catalyst. I thought the catalyst was an amZing song when it first came out but It quickly lost my interest and is now one of my least favorite songs the band has ever made.

 

The album came out and the first time I listened to it was actually through YouTube, I thought it wasn't that good. When I finally got the actual dl of the album I thought it was good, I listened to it one more time and thought it was the second best LP album ever. One thing I thought were that the songs were really good. The vocals of bits, the style of blackout, the still epicness of waiting for the end, the lyrics of the messenger, and so on. The only two disappointments I had were not enough real songs and the crap that is robot boy. Robot boy I thought was the second worst song of LP history, now I think it is the worst song of LP history. I saints realized that the many interludes on the album were cool on the first listen but have ^no replay value whatsoever and are just really annoying and space wasters, the interlude most people call re biggest space Easter is actually my favorite interlude, it's short, awesome, and to the pout- it's empty spaces! I began to hate the interludes and wish their were more actually songs on the album.

 

When it comes to interludes there are many different typesof interludes in my opinion. The first type of interlude is interludes that you actually enjoy to listen to and sound good (attack attack, Kanye west). The next type of interludes are interludes you like but prefer not to listen to because they bring no value to the album (Eminem). And the thirdtype of interlude is the interlude that sucks, that you wish were never made, and are a drag to listen to and if bad enough can put you to sleep or make you want to kill yourself (I'm not gonna kill myself over interludes but in my opinion Linkin Park and the lonely island fit this category.) the interludes are boring, annoying, and I wish they were never made.

 

When I first heard the cd I was able to listen to the whole cd minus robot boy, shortly after the interludes got annoyig and I couldn't listen to them anymore. At this point I could only listen to 8 songs and empty spaces. As time went on (this is a while later), I started to dislike more and more of the cd. About month after the catalyst came out I got tired of it. But in the far future I even started getting tired of other songs- i got tired of the messenger, even wretches and kings got old.

 

Now as it stands the only song from ATS I still listen to (and very rarely at that) is waiting for the end, I still think it's one of their best songs wherewithal but it is not even close to my top favorites of LP anymore.

 

Too many things web wrong with this album that had never happened before in a LP album. The first of these is a crappy first single. This is the only album where I feel they picked a bD song to be the first single. The catalyst is not that good of a song and a bad choicefor a single. The net thing that went wrong was only 9 real songs. Wait pisses me off so much that there are only 9 real songs and one is robot boy, cmon LP. Enough with stupid interludes please. Another awful thing that happened is songs got old. I've gotten oldof LP as a whole before but that was me just going trough changes, but besides numb I have never before gotten tired of LP songs until this album hit. I got really tired of a lot of these songs, and I got tired of them fast. That never happens. Im all for LP changing sounds as I liked Mtm but this was just bad.

 

I used to think it was the second best LP album after Meteora when it came out, but now I see it in a much different light. It's the only LP cd I physical own, and it was a waste of money. I got the cd/DVD version and I never watched the DVD And probably never will. I am still a fan of the band and am hoping the next album will be better but I now think ATS is the worst LP album ever created. ATS isn't totally crap but it is a piece of crap for a Linkin park cd and a piece of crap compared to lots of other CDs from 2010

 

Sorry if there are lots of errors or things that don't makesense, I didthis on mobile

[JZLP-Benningstrong]

ATS is a good album but only that it isnt really great or a master piece

 

as a collection of songs it sucks

but to date this is the best album to listen to beggining to the end

 

I hope that they can do something better than this i dont want heavy riffs or screaming i just want an upbeat album faster tempo

 

thx ATS for the good moments now lets bring a million suns of of power in the next studio album

[FearOfTheDuck]

As an album, I still absolutely love A Thousand Suns. It hasn't got the same level of consistency of songcraft as other albums, and doesn't have all the obvious hooks of their older material, but taken as a single piece of music, ATS is greater than the sum of its parts and perhaps a borderline masterpiece.

 

A year on, I'm still finding new things on this album I hadn't noticed before, like the countdown on The Requiem. As a bit of an electronica nut, I love all the little samples and synthy sounds hidden across the album. My favourite tracks initially were-

Burning in the Skies

When They Come for Me

Iridescent

 

Now, the latter two remain two of my favourite Linkin Park songs, but my love for BITS has waned somewhat, replaced by a deeper appreciation of seemingly everyone's favourite ATS song, Blackout. I didn't really appreciate Blackout at first, but as time has gone by I've assimilated with and come to appreciate the contrast between electronic backing and screamed vocals, while also discovering a new-found love for the final section, which- like many other things on this album- is beautiful.

 

As a collection of songs, I'd give ATS a 6/10. But as an album, and EXPERIENCE (which is what they guys were intending to make), it's a 9/10, bordering on classic.

[Geki]

I actually forgot that today was ATS first birthday, and I was playing ATS in my car and I realized it was September 14th! Needless to say, at first, I wasn't a huge fan on this album, but I've actually been listening to it a real lot lately and I love it and I'm proud LP made this album. I'll play this album for many years to come.

[LinkinMark]

By far my my favourite Linkin Park album and I would say their best work too! I love hearing all the cool sounds in the album. When you listen to the instrumentals you can hear things you don't even notice in the songs. A year later, I still listen to ATS everyday and it's still just as epic!

My favourite tracks would have to be The Catalyst, Jornada Del Muerto and Iridescent. I'm gonna listen to it on my way to college right now

[Mr X]

Wow that year flew by

[Jen88]

When I first heard A Thousand Suns, I wasn't really sure what to think. There were a few songs I liked, but the rest I was unsure of. It took me a while to warm to the album, but now I do enjoy the album whenever I listen to it.

 

Although I did like the album in the end, it's my least favourite Linkin Park album to date. Meteora still remains my favourite album.

 

As for Robot Boy, I really hope they do play it live. It's probably my favourite song on A Thousand Suns, and I'd be interested to see how they pull it off live.

[Pez]

I wont say too much. This line should sum up my opinion.

 

"ATS is the best shit I have ever heard in my life!"

[JozM]

The album has definitely grown on me. I remember hearing The Catalyst for the first time and not liking it much however after many listens and seeing the song live I actually don't mind it now, the same goes with some of the other songs such as WTCFM and Blackout.

 

I appreciate and respect what LP have done with every album so far and knowing they are not trying to create the same sound every time makes it just the more exciting.

[DecanoLP]

Right before the release, I was really afraid of what I had to expect because there were lots of people bitching around and running the band down.

Although I loved "The Catalyst" from the beginning (one of their best songs ever in my opinion), my heart was beating so damn fast while I was putting the CD into my player (didn't download the leak a few days earlier)...

 

Well, the next 45 minutes I just listened to the CD. Right after that, I was like "What the fuck was that?" 14 seconds "songs", lots of speeches by amazing personalities, weird beats etc. etc. , but I didn't need a long time to realize that Linkin Park created a great masterpiece in the last years.

They don't need heavy guitars, screaming and hard rapping to sound good since they're such a talented and chameleonic band. I listened to the album one or two more times and from that on, I loved it.

 

Favourite tracks: Blackout, Wretches and Kings, The Catalyst, The Messenger

 

It's very hard for me to describe my feelings about A Thousand Suns, I just love listening to it. It's so relaxing because everything fits together so perfectly. I especially love Mike's voice on this record, the Blackout breakdown is outstanding the best part on the album!

[JIM_ATSHATER]

STILL FULL DISAPOINTED FROM THE BAND

 

JIM

[hungnumetal]

Happy birthday A THOUSAND SUNS!!!

And now I want to share with all u guys something special performed by us - Vietnamese fans . This is the video of "Happy birthday + The messenger" taken from our Acoustic cover show - Tribute to Linkin Park, which was held at the beginning of August this year in Hanoi, Vietnam.

[Spin]

STILL FULL DISAPOINTED FROM THE BAND

 

JIM

*reads your sig and your username* Well gee, I wonder if you like ATS.

 

In my opinion, ATS still holds up rather well. It's a solid album, not my favorite of all time. It's probably tied for my favorite LP album with HT though.

Edited September 14, 2011 by Spin

[appukhare]

My favorite Linkin Park album. Still a great listen from start to end.

[Sucre06]

Primarily, Happy Birthday A Thousand Suns.

 

A year later, my opinion about this album really changed. Now ATS for me is one of the best albums Linkin Park.

 

Meteora > ATS > HT > MTM.

 

- favorite songs: Burning in the skies, Waiting for the end, Blackout, Iridescent, Robot boy.

 

Robot boy Live in the future ? who knows, maybe.

I'd like to see Robot Bot Live.

 

As Mark said: "LP chose to make ATS a huge mixture of electronic sounds, rock elements, ballads and much more."

 

That's true i want to say. but on the next album linkin park I'd like to hear more original piano songs. At the moment Linkin Park doesn't have original piano songs. And so, in the future i want to hear great piano playing by Mike Shinoda, with complex chords.

[NickDuffy]

A year later I like this album way less than ever before. People look at this album as gold, just because it's a concept album. Those who do not like this are instantly labeled as metalheads who can't appreciate good music and an album, not just a collection of songs.

 

First of all the 'Empty Spaces' to 'When They Come For Me' transition is the most awful transition i've ever heard in music history. It's too sudden and abrupt, and ruins the flow of the album. 'Blackout' and 'Wretches And Kings' do not flow in and out of each other, meaning you can switch the tracks up and play the album that way, and it would still flow at the same pace. This album doesn't flow as smoothly as people would like to believe it does.

 

Some songs on this album feel as if they lack certain members of the band. 'Wretches' feels like it's missing Rob, 'Robot Boy' feels like it's missing Joe, and all 6 interludes are missing Chester.

 

This album was a nice change of pace for Linkin Park and a breath of fresh air. The song structures became odd, the sounds in this album became more electronic, but new isn't always better. Minutes To Midnight was a great step into better things. The rapping was there when it needed to be, the vocals were a bit more realistic and not drowned in effects, and the music itself felt more melodic and stripped down. This album is cacophonic chaos, and tries too hard to be different.

 

7/10

 

Recommendations: Robot Boy, Blackout, The Catalyst, The Messenger

Edited September 14, 2011 by FleshIntoGear

[gtrnowak4tkd]

Gotta say when it first came out, it did impress me. Yes it was different, but thats what I was looking for at the time. I was about a month into my freshmen year of college and I was looking for something new, some new style of music to go along with the changes that were going through my life..

 

I never liked Hybrid Theory....in fact I completely despise it. It was a very mediocre album to say the most. Meteora was much better. It featured the experimentation that I've come to love in music in general. Then Minutes to Midnight came out and at first I hated it.....but now that I'm older I can truly appreciate the album. It personifies the music that I love. Then there was A Thousand Suns. It currently stands as my second favorite LP album behind MTM....but it is quickly rising as I listen to it more and more. I absolutely love the maturity about it. There are alot of nuances in the album that most kids wouldnt get.....hell I just realized them in the past month.. The album has a deepness to the lyrics and instrumentation that not many bands can actually accomplish. It is the very personification of a musician. That is to create an album for the sake of music itself. Thats what it means to me to be a musician.

 

So yes I love ATS. In time it will be one of those albums that is remembered and praised by most, even if they originally hated it.

 

Favorite Tracks:

Burning in the Skies

The Catalyst

Iridescent

Robot Boy

and Blackout.

[stl22]

I was very nervous before this album came out. I knew it was going to be a lot different, but other than that, I wasn't sure what to expect. When they came out, I loved The Catalyst, liked Wretches And Kings and loved Waiting For The End, so so far things were looking good.

 

I didn't (and never do) download the leak and instead waited until September 14 when I went and got the CD. I remember being pretty disappointed at first, but it grew on me. Now I think it is just as good as their previous three albums, but in a different way. Individual-songs wise, I don't think it's quite as good, but listening to the whole thing top to bottom, it's great because of the overall experience of the album. While I would probably never add them to a playlist, the interludes add a lot to the overall album and help songs blend.

 

With A Thousand Suns, I found myself enjoying the slow songs more than the faster ones. My four favorite songs from the album are probably Iridescent, Waiting For The End, The Catalyst and The Messenger. Meanwhile, I don't like When They Come For Me, Blackout, and Wretches And Kings as much. i think the main reason for this is, I can enjoy a slow song without a lot of guitar. But for me, there has to be some guitar on the faster ones, which WTCFM, etc. lack.

 

As far as Robot Boy goes, it's my least favorite song on the album, but I still hope it gets played live before the ATS cycle wraps up, to keep the "every song" tradition going.

 

So, to sum it up, A Thousand Suns is a great album, but not my favorite all time. My main issue is that IT NEEDS MORE GUITAR. Not background/quiet guitar. Like loud, obvious guitar like past albums have had.

 

Favorite Songs:

Iridescent

Waiting For The End

The Catalyst

The Messenger

[Thor]

a thousand suns by far is my favorite LP album. their artwork on a thousand suns is by far THE MOST EPIC SHIT I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!! heres my thoughts on my favorite ats songs. burning in the skies has some of the best lyrics linkin park has ever written in my opinion. and the way chester sing the chorus is unbelieveable. u can actually "sing" along with it. waiting for the end is like one of my favorite lp songs of all time. total number of plays this song has recieve is 791 plays on my itunes library. and it is bound to get even more plays. what i love about waiting for the end is the way mike and chester sing back and forth, just like the old days. and the lyrics are fuckin awesome too. the beat is fuckin dope. and once again chester nails it again on the chorus, the way he hits the notes on the chorus is fuckin awesome. i love iridescent, the messenger, the catalyst, wretches and kings, robot boy and when they come for me, but im not gonna write all of it. AND I LOVE A THOUSAND SUNS, FUCK YOU HATERS!!!!! just because its not your taste in music doesnt mean it sucks.

[Vdalem]

I love all their music! I have it in my car. Play when going to work and play it when I'm driving home! My favorite!

[MONDREUS240]

I'm still listening to this more than all of LP's other albums. I guess its pretty self explanatory which album of theirs is my favorite.