Minutes to Midnight (2007)

Minutes to Midnight

• Once again, here's another album I only would’ve listened to based on suggestion, but I will say this: Linkin Park pulled out a wild card and, to my great surprise, made an album I actually (mostly) enjoyed. Although a few of the songs kind of drove me crazy, the majority of it was actually decent. The album starts off with “Wake”, which is a great buildup into the album, as well as giving a bit of a teaser of what’s to come. The next track, “Given Up”, is an awesome song, and I liked it, except for one thing: the vocals made me want to beat my head with a tire iron. All the insane screaming was a huge turnoff, even though the song itself is well written. At this point, I was thinking that if the rest of the album was this way, then I was in for pure torture. But, I was wrong. “Leave Out All The Rest” was more laid back and mellow compared to the previous song, and the screaming is put on hold, so that was nice. It had a great melody with awesome backing tracks. “Bleed it Out” jumps back into the yelling, which made my skin crawl. However, Iike “Give Up”, it’s still a good song, just minus the vocals. “Shadow of the Day” is an awesome change of pace, and I can say that I fully enjoyed this song. It was so beautiful, and if the whole album was like this song, then it’d easily be added to my library. Out of every song on here, this one was easily my favorite. “What I've Done” is also really good, and the yelling isn't present. It has an awesome beat that I rocked my head to, and like the previous song, I actually really liked it. “Hands Held High” had a good message, though I didn't like how it was kind of structured like rap. However, the choral backing vocals gave it a nice touch. It was an interesting, yet great, mix of a chorus-y feel put together with a more modern sound. “No More Sorrow" brings in another catchy melody, though the yelling picks back up again, so it was hard to sit through. The next song, “Valentine's Day”, does a great job of fitting the song with the title. It has a sorrowful message, while still keeping the song upbeat. It was one of those songs, to me, where it feels personal and almost sentimental, but the backing tracks still keep your attention to the actual music. “In Between" is another great song that's a good change of pace, and I very much enjoyed it. It was pretty mellow with soft vocals that were actually pretty relaxing. I know that “pretty relaxing” is not what you always want with these kinds of albums, but I personally very much liked it. The final note of the cello at the end was also a really cool way to end the song and a lasting reminder. “In Pieces” continues that feel (but not sound), as it picks up a bit with a much more noticeable beat, and unfortunately, some tiny pieces of yelling. Of all the songs on here, I think this one was one of my favorites in terms of giving you something to tap your foot to. The final track, “The Little Things Give You Away” is a fantastic way to cap off the album, as, to me, it's a great mix of both the more laid back songs and the very upbeat ones. It also leaves you with some great vocals, and the harmonies at the end were so good, as they built off each other and created a great lasting sound. Overall, this album was actually pretty good, and though there were a few tracks I couldn’t stand, most of it was enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it to all rock fans, and though I probably won’t listen to it again, it was a (mostly) good one time experience. This album is officially Berry Approved, so go listen to it now!