30 Seconds to Mars Pare Down ‘City of Angels’ – Song Premiere
Thirty Seconds to Mars’ “City of Angels,” a cut from their current album Love Lust Faith and Dreams, was originally released as a huge anthem. The song built in volume and complexity until singer Jared Leto was yelling at the top of his lungs – but here, on a newly reworked piano version, the track is presented as a much more intimate number.
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While the song still ends in Leto’s passionate finale, the rest of the song is stripped down to just a piano, a synth and a few other small touches. It focuses on delicate piano until a breathy Leto gently enters and spins the tale of his decision to move to Los Angeles and his earliest days there. The song rises and falls until finally, it locks into a snapping beat and Leto exclaims, “I am home!”
Thirty Seconds to Mars are currently crossing the globe on tour. Leto’s return to acting was also explored recently in the November 7th issue of Rolling Stone, and Love Lust Faith and Dreams is out now.