METEORA
With the modern phenomenons of YouTube stars, Facebook fan pages, and Internet dubstep DJs, the time has finally come for the counterculture's children to look back at the music of their adolescence and ask themselves, "Am I that old?!" As the Internet culture grows and infects our lives, we now realize our teenage years are long over and a new generation of Beliebers, Lovatics, and Ed Sheeran fangirls have become the status quo. It pains me to say that the musical era we so cherished is now old news. The culture, hashtag usage, and music that separates generation Y from generation Z is becoming more distinct. Now, it's time to re-open our musical vaults, dust off our portable CD players, and take a listen to an album that has aged an entire decade.
Take a trip in your memory to 2003 and the awkward adjustment into our generation's teenage years. Arguably, some of the best music has sprung from the early 2000's, including Linkin Park's Meteora, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary in March. Yes, it is that old. From the beginning of the album to the final track, chances are you still have it memorized. This album has become a modern-day classic for our generation.
The angsty rap-rock/alternative album still has a special place in your heart no matter how old you get. The year 2003 blessed us with songs like "Somewhere I Belong", "Breaking the Habit", and "Numb". After revisiting the album that helped me endure my terrifyingly uncomfortable prepubescence, the quality of each song has never changed. Meteora opens with a perfect introduction of the band's influence of metal, screaming, and rap-esque sounds in "Don't Stay." Each song is original in its own way, but the theme of each song makes the album complete, satisfying listeners with the perfect amount of raw emotion as well as a sound that cannot be pigeonholed by any specific genre. Honesty, trust, and the complexity of relationships are the center of the majority of this album's lyrics, including the album's fast-paced climax "Faint."
I am
Little bit of loneliness
A little bit of disregard
A handful of complaints
But I can't help the fact
That everyone can see these scars
I am
What I want you to want
What I want you to feel
But it's like
No matter what I do
I can't convince you
To just believe this is real
Several tracks later, an Asian-infused influence breaks through in "Nobody's Listening" before closing with the infectious "Numb" which spent twelve weeks in the #1 spot of the Billboard Top 100 from the end of 2003 into 2004.
Despite its age, the theme of self-discovery remains relevant even when we've grown out of our pre-teen or teenage years. Meteora has perfect balance of rap, metal, and a progressive element that makes Linkin Park so distinct from other artists of the early 2000's. Keep in mind, 2003 also gave us Nelly's single "Shake Ya Tailfeather." This album was definitely made ahead of its time and has helped create the hip-hop/rap fusion we so often hear now.
In 2009, Meteora was named the most successful alternative album in history and deserved the title of being one of the best albums of its decade. The band has since made several albums, with less than half as many memorable songs as this album alone. With more political songs, a mashup with Jay-Z, and several side projects, nothing quite seems to reach the standard that Meteora sets itself
Elena Cruz is a senior English major. She is also a wildly creative writer at Cabrini University. Her hobbies include art appreciation, spontaneous travelling, and contemplating the universe.
