First Impression: Linkin Park – “The Catalyst”

At long last, after numerous clips, previews, and an uncomfortably jingoistic video game trailer, Linkin Park unveiled the full version of “The Catalyst”. My expectations for the song have been in a state of flux, to the point where I mentally prepared myself for hearing the song by playing the first few tracks from Reanimation. A lot has been said both in favor and against the song, and now after hearing the song four or five times in the three hours since its release, I’m here to take a stand. So here goes.

Linkin Park – The Catalyst [iTunes]

I like it, and yet at the same time I don’t like it.

Yes. That’s my first impression of the full song. I don’t particularly like the song itself. I think it’s a disjointed mess. At first listen I thought each individual piece of the puzzle (the anthemic chorus, the frenetic percussion, the trippy synths, etc.) was solid, and in some instances among Linkin Park’s best. But combined, the pieces don’t really fit together, and its easy to lose track of the beat and get caught in a swirly, muddled pile of static. Over the course of a few listens it got better, and I started to see that there is, in fact, a damn good song in “The Catalyst”, but for the first time in a decade, Linkin Park have made you work at listening to them.

More importantly, from the first listen, I liked what the song represented more than the song itself. I’ve said many times that I will always support an artist or band that seeks to stretch themselves beyond what they’ve done in the past, regardless of success or failure. With “The Catalyst”, Linkin Park is doing exactly that. It’s a departure from the comfort zone, so if nothing else, they deserve credit from their fans for doing that.

Over the last week or so, I’ve read plenty of complaints about the new direction of the band, primarily focused on either a) the lack of guitars on the song (valid to a point), or b) the desire of some for the band to go back to their Hybrid Theory days (not valid whatsoever). On point b, I think I’ve made it clear that jumping backward ten years and essentially recording Hybrid Theory, Part III: The Return of the Son of the Hybrid Rides Again would be wholly uninteresting and worthy of more scorn than “The Catalyst” has wrought. There’s nothing to be gained from it other than an easy paycheck. But with regards to point a, I can see where the lack of guitar work on the song (though I think I hear some very subdued action in the chorus) can be distressing, but:

1. Let’s be real; Brad Delson’s contributions to LP in the past haven’t exactly been revelatory (with few exceptions, most of them on Minutes to Midnight). For the most part, it was loud, crunchy chords to compliment Chester Bennington’s screams. I can honestly say I didn’t really miss what Brad Delson might have brought to the table for this one.
2. I’d like to direct your attention to the following quote.

We had to come to grips with starting a song from scratch in the studio and making it into something, rather than playing it live, rehearsing it and then getting a good take of a live performance. None of us played that much guitar on these records. Suddenly we were presented with the opportunity and the freedom to approach the music the way Massive Attack does: as a collective, working on sounds, rather than with each person in the band playing a prescribed role. It was quite hard work for us to adjust to the fact that some of us might not necessarily be playing our usual instrument on a track, or even playing any instrument at all. Once you get over your insecurities, then it’s great.

-Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien, on the recording process for Amnesiac

Now, before an army of Linkin Park and Radiohead fans come to tear my head off, I’m not suggesting that A Thousand Suns will be as good as anything Radiohead has done (possible, but unlikely). I’m more suggesting that Linkin Park is simply taking a page out of the Radiohead playbook and throwing out the traditional instrumentalist conventions. And if people are really going to fault a band for drawing inspiration from Radiohead, there are bigger problems afoot.

(Side note: a few minutes before Radio 104.5 played “The Catalyst”, Radiohead’s “Karma Police” came up. I found this interesting both before and after the fact)

In short, there’s plenty to hate about “The Catalyst” and Linkin Park in general, and no matter what happens someone will find a reason to hate. But there’s also reason to applaud a band that goes for broke in an era when modern rock has been diluted and focus-grouped into paint-by-numbers snarling and smashing cranked up to 11.

Check out the full version of the song, and let me hear your thoughts in the comments (believe it or not, I am open to hearing dissenting appearance). Linkin Park will be releasing A Thousand Suns on September 14th, and with that, I’m placing a moratorium on any further blog posts about it until the album is released.

Advertisement