Quote Originally Posted by Kyle View Post
I couldn't imagine Broken, The Slip or Year Zero without their intro tracks. It depends on how you look at the album. If you look at it as a collection of songs, then yeah, they're useless. If you look at the album as a work of art as a whole, then the intro tracks are an important part of the mood building, like the intro scene to a movie. A good director will use the opening credits to build mood and set the tone of the movie (whether it be dramatic, comedic, action-packed, porno, etc).

And I never really thought of HYPERPOWER! as an intro track in the same way as 999,999 or Pinion. To me, it's it's own song as much as any other instrumentals.

And also.... how impatient do you have to be to go through the trouble of skipping 999,999? Kids, these days.....
Its not impatience, nor am I a kid, I just don't like them. I forgot about Pinion though, I usually listen to that one when I put on Broken. I just think Beginning of the End is a kick ass track to start Year Zero off, HYPERPOWER! reminds me of Pilgrimage from The Fragile which I also always skip, so it seems pointless. As for 999,999..... I listen to it every now and again, its got neat atmosphere, but its only okay. I rarely ever listen to The Slip from start to finish anyways.

I do like intro tracks that succeed in framing the album well (which are few and far between), I just haven't liked TR's recent intro-track songs. If there was some director that made an amazing movie, but the first few minutes are meh, when you get to watching it for the 100th time you'd probably start skipping it. I don't feel the need to put myself through something that I don't like (even when its short) just so I can say some hogwash about fully realized artistic visions. When I think "I want to listen to Year Zero" the start of Beginning of the End goes through my head. Regardless, here's to hoping Eater of Dreams stops the trend of unmemorable intro songs.