 In Minutes to Midnight the band experimented with their established sound and drew influences from a wider and more varied range of genres and styles , a process Los Angeles Times compares to a stage in U2 's work . In it , only two of the songs feature rapping , and the majority of the album can be considered alternative rock . NME magazine 's Dan Silver criticized the band 's approach , calling it the " sound of a band trying and failing to forge a new identity " , and referring to the song " Hands Held High " , a song about terrorist attacks and war , as " far and away the funniest thing you will hear all year " . 
