Minutes to Midnight = Minutes of Sheer Musical Bliss

I am raving about the new album of Linkin Park. It is just magnificent. Even the album cover rocks and they just look really hot and cool (a paradox but you get what I mean). At the beginning, listening to Wake and then Given Up, I was afraid that this album was going to be boring. As soon as I hit "Leave out all the Rest" though, the album took a turn for the better. What drew me to this album the most has to be "In Between".

During the first six notes, I was about to dread that this was simply going to sound like Somewhere I Belong, but then when Mike Shinoda started to sing with such an emotional, sad, deep voice and a simple beat joined him in, and Chester (I think) blended in with him, I immediately knew this was gonna be one of my fave Linkin Park songs. It's such a deep song, albeit the melody was simple. It just shows that less is definitely more.

I have to say that the lyrics of Valentine's Day was quite nice and poetic.

my insides all turned to ash / so slow
and blew away as i collapsed / so cold
a black wind took them away / from sight
and held the darkness over day / that night

and the clouds above move closer
looking so dissatisfied
but the heartless wind kept blowing, blowing

i used to be my own protection / but not now
cause my path had lost direction / somehow
a black wind took you away / from sight
and held the darkness over day / that night

and the clouds above move closer
looking so dissatisfied
and the ground below grew colder
as they put you down inside
but the heartless wind kept blowing, blowing

so now you're gone
and i was wrong
i never knew what it was like
to be alone

on a valentine's day
on a valentine's day
on a valentine's day
on a valentine's day

The lyrics of the song paint such a sad picture and to have such a sad scenario on a valentine's day is heart-wrenching.

Of course, "What I've done" was fantastic, no explanations needed. The whole rhythm at the beginning sets the mood of the song and it's all just musical greatness from there on.

After listening to "In Between" for 10 times straight, I listened to the whole album again and I realized that every song in this album rocked! I liked that it was different from their previous albums in that some of the songs are more mellow, instruments are a little less heavy, and yet the whole Linkin Park vibe I've loved from the very beginning was still there. The Asian influence in their sounds was still there, the haunting melodies, the great vocals of Chester and surprisingly, Mike Shinoda... Yes, Linkin Park certainly hit the jackpot with this album! For those who liked Linkin Park just the way it was before, there are still songs in this album with their signature raps and shouts and heavy instruments.

They had said in their site that they knew a lot of people were going to have mixed emotions about this album. Count me in on the Pro side.