Linkin Park - Iridescent

September 07, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Here's another rock ballad by the almighty Linkin Park. Is this the route the 6-piece rock band plan on going down? We'll see. Linkin park contains 6 members who are: Chester Bennington (singing the chorus), Mike Shinoda (singing the verses), Rob Bourdon, Brad Delson, Dave Farrell, Joe Hahn (directed the music video). I always love it when a band decide to split the vocals up between certain members, it gives the song power, and if they are both great singers then emotion comes across a lot better. Linkin Park has been doing this for years, and I'm really happy that they are continuing.

This song is so good, although could be considered annoying every now and again, especially since it is yet another rock ballad by Linkin Park. The song is the fourth release from their fourth album: A Thousand Suns. This song is also been made as the lead single from the third Transformers movie: Dark of the Moon. I have not watched the film yet, so I'm not entirely sure if this music video goes well with it or not, however I will do my best to rate it fairly. The song is all about hope in the midst of chaos and sadness. This works well with the film, as that is what the third transformers film is all about.

The music video is definitely something I wouldn't normally watch. If I were flipping through the music channels I wouldn't watch this video mainly because it is mostly in black and white, and although this easily brings across raw emotion and perfect feelings, it annoys me to an extent and it kind of bores me. To do well in the chart Linkin Park has got to appeal to the teenage market, as well as the adults, and in doing so, a black and white music video will not help much. And although colour does appear it isn't that appealing, it's quite dull and bland and doesn't really make me interested in this music video. The reason I am reviewing it today is because I was on my computer and was just listening to a particular music channel and this came on, and the song got stuck in my head, so I had no choice but decide to rate the music video, however if this was a normal day like all the others, I would have flipped over before the song even started.

The clips from the film is integrated really nicely and makes the music video work well, and suggests that the transformers are their kind of hope. Although at some points the band members are doing something that I don't think really works that well with the song, and only has a little bit of a reference, such as the bit where they are all sitting at the table, this directly links with Leonardo da Vinci's painting called "The Last Supper". Although I have no idea what it means, but I think it goes down the line with the fact that they are having supper during a world of chaos and sadness, and this could possibly be their type of hope.

the use of animals such as a snake and a white dog, suggest danger, which goes well with the transformers theme. Apparently, according to Mike Shinoda, Joe Hahn sent him a message that said something along the line of "in the valley of the blind, the one-eyed man is king" and the next thing he knew was that he had a snake and a white dog, and he was on a throne made of antlers, and he had horns growing out of his shoulders and he had one blind eye. To be totally honest I think this music video is very different to what everyone is used to however it works well with the idea of sadness and chaos with hope mingled in between.

Overall I'm not totally sure what to make of it, I really like the concept and the absurd idea that Joe Hahn came up with (I really wouldn't like to take a look in his mind, it would be too weird), but I dislike the black and white feel, and I think that what lets the music video down. Anyway, I think I'm being pretty generous with my rating and I hope you all agree.