Castle of Glass by Linkin Park is another throwback for me. Not quite as far as my childhood, but it still goes back to when I was about 12 years old. I've always liked this song. There are some songs that I listen to because of the lyrics, but for me, many songs are such that I just listen to them because I think they sound good. I think this song is a good blend of both. It has a really nice beat, it's pretty catchy, and the lyrics are also good. I think it's a great song overall. It wasn't the most popular of their songs, however, since its highest position on the U.S. Billboard was #16 on the U.S. Alternative Airplay Billboard. Since it was featured in a video game, it was nominated for best "song in a game" by Spike Video Game Awards and TheB30Web says that the song is a 9/10.
The tone color of this song is somber, yet also kind of hopeful, like something sad happened, but not everything is terrible. They achieve this by making their pitch pretty monotone and then layering their voices over each other, which adds some texture and interest to the song while still keeping the tone color somber.
Harmony
As I said in the timbre, Linkin Park harmonizes through most of the song to add depth and texture, yet they keep their voices at around one pitch to keep the vibe right. The harmonies are pretty subtle and a little hard to hear, but without them, I think the song would sound a lot blander.
Dynamics
The voices in the song start out quiet but keep getting louder as the song goes on. Initially, the lyrics are quieter, and the song builds until the beat drops and the drums come in pretty loudly. This theme continues through the rest of the song, until the end where it tapers off. I really like this kind of dynamics, it's pretty popular anymore and I can see why.
Tempo
The tempo of the song is at around 108 beats per minute. I think it's a good tempo for more of a catchy and somber song. It might sound like it would be a bit fast on paper, but it works very well with how they handled the rest of the song.
Lyrics
As with many songs, the lyrics can be interpreted in quite a few different ways. The way I think about it though, is someone trying to find their place in life. They've been through some stuff, and seen some things, so they are a little broken, but still trying to fit in and find their place. I think that this verse fits that description pretty well:
"Bring me home in a blinding dream
Through the secrets that I have seen
Wash the sorrow from off my skin
And show me how to be whole again"
What a powerful song, and devastating music video. I agree with you that the song is catchy. They do a fantastic job weaving a devastating theme, through digestible lyrics. When I think of Linkin Park I commonly think of louder drums and guitar. To me, I felt as though they notably lightened the instruments to give space for the haunting and beautifully delivered lyrics. Thank you for sharing!
This is a good example of the electronic rock genre. I think it's interesting that this whole genre came about due to an advancement in technology not specifically for music (like an instrument). Electronic rock took off in the 60's, but came about from the invention of the phonograph which was the form of audio recording that led to what we have today that made this genre possible.
When I was a kid, my family would take trips up to our family cabin. Since these trips would take several hours, and I was an impatient kid, my dad would set up his iPod and keep the music going the whole way there. One of my favorite songs at the time, and still is, is the song Bless the Broken Road sung by Rascal Flats. The song was originally written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd, and Jeff Hanna in 1994, and has had numerous covers done over the years. By far my favorite is the 2004 Rascal Flatts version, however. The Rascal Flatts cover was the only version of the song to reach #1 on the U.S. and Canada Billboard's Top 100. The original song was good, but Rascal Flatts brought it into the limelight, and it seems that everyone loved it. A video of Rascal Flatts performing Bless the Broken Road live. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-vZlrBYLSU Lyrics This song is very nostalgic for me since it's a song that I've known since I was a small child, but also the lyrics are a
Hi there! I'm Carson Myren, a sophomore petroleum engineering major at UAF. I was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, and moved to Fairbanks last year for college. I started out in the dorms, but my girlfriend and I decided to move off campus this year due to the cramped nature of the dorms, and it's about comparable in price. I have quite a few hobbies, but to name a few, I like working on cars, shooting, hunting, and being outside. Since coming up here for college, most of these have had to go on hold to complete my degree, but once I get that piece of paper, I'll have to get back into my hobbies. My relationship with music is pretty normal. I used to play an instrument in elementary and middle school but dropped it after that. Since then I have almost completely forgotten how to play the trumpet and moved on to just listening to music, not playing it. I listen to many different genres of music and don't have one particular favorite. Some of my favorites a
What a powerful song, and devastating music video. I agree with you that the song is catchy. They do a fantastic job weaving a devastating theme, through digestible lyrics. When I think of Linkin Park I commonly think of louder drums and guitar. To me, I felt as though they notably lightened the instruments to give space for the haunting and beautifully delivered lyrics. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis is a good example of the electronic rock genre. I think it's interesting that this whole genre came about due to an advancement in technology not specifically for music (like an instrument). Electronic rock took off in the 60's, but came about from the invention of the phonograph which was the form of audio recording that led to what we have today that made this genre possible.
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