*A huge shout out to my friends at Linkin Park India Unlimited . Hope you approve of me sharing your little pieces of LP art with the rest of the world! Cheers! Guys, don't forget to Like them on Facebook!*
MusicManiac returns with the review of probably the most awaited album of 2012, LIVING THINGS. A healthy 2 years after the release of the experimental A Thousand Suns (2010) , Linkin Park came out with an album which promised them going back to their roots. To most, this meant the return of screaming vocals by Chester and lead-heavy rhythm by Brad, accompanied by the brand of aggressive rapping that Mike Shinoda is noted for.It meant the return of big choruses, that defined each of Linkin Park's hugely successful Hybrid Theory (2000) & Meteora(2003) . Almost everyone believed Linkin Park would ditch Electro and go back to Nu Metal.
But then, that's not how they do it, do they? To the band, it meant carefully choosing ideas and sounds they had used [and we had loved!] in their previous work, and reinventing them in a way that agrees with the musical direction they embraced with Minutes To Midnight (2007) .That, combined with the musical genius of Mike Shinoda and awe-inspiring lyrics by Chester, who maintains that all his words were experiences at various points of his life, and you have a Linkin Park album that flies out of stores.
To the untrained ear, this record is once again an Electro-Rock album, something that LP have become comfortable with recently. But listen closely, and you'll hear the heart-wrenching screams, the walls of sound that Brad is famous for producing and probably the most rap on any LP album till date. YES, it is possible to have a perfect mixture. They say there are two types of bands - Linkin Park, & the rest. I agree.
As the title suggests, LIVING THINGS is about... well, people to be specific. Their emotions, their thoughts, their mistakes & their ways of dealing with what life throws at them. The album gets up close and personal with you and takes you on a journey that might make you remember incidents in your life- past or present. And it is this intuitiveness that makes me believe that LP is one of the best of this age and in full connect with their inner consciousness. No wonder they topped the Billboard charts in several countries, including a first in India!
LIVING THINGS ----------------- [9/10]
Get LOST IN THE ECHO of a song, that rings in your mind even after it has been ages since you last heard it. I believe this song talks about how things drastically change in time, and how comparing the present with the past is bound to shock you in some way or the other. It's about remembering all the things and people we lost on the way.
The intro builds up pretty well to bring in Brad's rhythm and this song doesn't look back.
*Don't forget to check out one of the first interactive videos in the world for this song at LOST IN THE ECHO. Connect with Facebook, and prepare for jaw-dropping surprises!*
The second track, IN MY REMAINS, is one of my personal favourites on this album. With trademark rhythm guitars in the catchy chorus, this song makes sure that it creates a moment etched in your memory. The latter part of the song features a sensational build-up with Mike murmuring "Like an army, falling one by one by one..." with military beats in the background by Rob Bourdon.
Next comes the blue-eyed boy and the first single off LIVING THINGS, BURN IT DOWN. Arguably the most peppy track on the album, this song talks about a very strong anti-war sentiment. The adrenaline-pumping chorus , seamlessly followed by probably one of Mike's best rapping till date, takes this song to an energetic close. My favourite.
LIES,GREED,MISERY is an angry track and comes as a full LP package - Rap, Scream, Electro and guitars. It's lyrics contain all that you'd want your enemy to go through.
Make no mistake, Brad Delson has a major role in LIVING THINGS as opposed to A Thousand Suns, where he played a little bit of everything - guitar, keyboard and percussion [When They Come For Me]. I'LL BE GONE begins with a reaffirming chord progression which dies down to allow Chester's verse. The chorus once again has a great hook, and stays with you much after the song has ended. The lyrics portray the thoughts going through a person's mind abandoning his present, leaving everything behind and looking forward to a new start, in a new place.
CASTLE OF GLASS tones it down a bit, and makes you aware about the power of voice and its tone, and the apparent emotions. The Chester-Mike combo [like the Chester-mic combo!] is always a force to reckon with , and this song proves that. The outro to this song oozes class , when vocals, guitars and percussion combine to create a climactic effect.
VICTIMIZED reminds us of Blackout [A Thousand Suns].It features tremendous work on the drums by Rob Bourdon and of course, Chester screaming his lungs out.
ROADS UNTRAVELED is lyrically the most heart-melting song on LIVING THINGS. Vocals accompanied by bells and piano, leads to a soothing vocal solo by Chester, which then gives way to a guitar solo by Brad, and then returns to deliver a punch.
These lines will stay with me forever - "Weep not for roads untraveled.Weep not for sights unseen.May your love never end, and if you need a friend, there's a seat here alongside me..."
SKIN TO BONE takes you on a journey of highs and lows.This song is full of them.Again, the Chester-Mike combo strikes gold with some inventive sounds in the background.
UNTIL IT BREAKS is a quite confusing track. It doesn't have a conventional song structure, but just shifts from one section to another. Starting off with Mike's rap full of reproach, the song moves on to Chester pleading for strength such as that of the Sun. Mike returns to centre stage, followed by an outro of Brad Delson on vocals. Wait a.... did I say Brad Delson and vocals? Yes, this is the biggest surprise LIVING THINGS throws up. Brad is impeccable in his produced, soothing singing.It almost feels like a lullaby.
TINFOIL is the sole instrumental track on LIVING THINGS. It progresses quite well, and I would actually love to try out playing it on guitar using tremolo picking. It blends in to introduce the next track.
It is difficult to determine where TINFOIL ends and POWERLESS begins. This track is a perfect ballad to end things. A fast-paced 38-minute album like this one needed POWERLESS to cure the listener's breathlessness. Pianos make their presence felt as Chester makes you fall in love with his voice all over again.
A well-deserved 9/10 is what it gets from me. This is the Linkin Park we have loved for a lot of time now.The songs here are rock solid, great to hear to over and over again.Wishing them all the success possible for LIVING THINGS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEWS:
1. India is slowly but surely turning into a destination for the bands we only hoped we could see live once in our lifetime. Metallica came to Bangalore and Delhi. Poets Of The Fall came to 5 Indian cities recently - Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata. KoRn visit Gurgaon, Mumbai and Bangalore.
Here's hoping the trend continues!
MusicManiac returns with the review of probably the most awaited album of 2012, LIVING THINGS. A healthy 2 years after the release of the experimental A Thousand Suns (2010) , Linkin Park came out with an album which promised them going back to their roots. To most, this meant the return of screaming vocals by Chester and lead-heavy rhythm by Brad, accompanied by the brand of aggressive rapping that Mike Shinoda is noted for.It meant the return of big choruses, that defined each of Linkin Park's hugely successful Hybrid Theory (2000) & Meteora(2003) . Almost everyone believed Linkin Park would ditch Electro and go back to Nu Metal.
 |
| Album Art |
But then, that's not how they do it, do they? To the band, it meant carefully choosing ideas and sounds they had used [and we had loved!] in their previous work, and reinventing them in a way that agrees with the musical direction they embraced with Minutes To Midnight (2007) .That, combined with the musical genius of Mike Shinoda and awe-inspiring lyrics by Chester, who maintains that all his words were experiences at various points of his life, and you have a Linkin Park album that flies out of stores.
To the untrained ear, this record is once again an Electro-Rock album, something that LP have become comfortable with recently. But listen closely, and you'll hear the heart-wrenching screams, the walls of sound that Brad is famous for producing and probably the most rap on any LP album till date. YES, it is possible to have a perfect mixture. They say there are two types of bands - Linkin Park, & the rest. I agree.
 |
| Picture Courtesy - Linkin Park India Unlimited [LPIU] |
LIVING THINGS ----------------- [9/10]
Get LOST IN THE ECHO of a song, that rings in your mind even after it has been ages since you last heard it. I believe this song talks about how things drastically change in time, and how comparing the present with the past is bound to shock you in some way or the other. It's about remembering all the things and people we lost on the way.
The intro builds up pretty well to bring in Brad's rhythm and this song doesn't look back.
*Don't forget to check out one of the first interactive videos in the world for this song at LOST IN THE ECHO. Connect with Facebook, and prepare for jaw-dropping surprises!*
 |
| Picture Courtesy - Linkin Park India Unlimited [LPIU] |
The second track, IN MY REMAINS, is one of my personal favourites on this album. With trademark rhythm guitars in the catchy chorus, this song makes sure that it creates a moment etched in your memory. The latter part of the song features a sensational build-up with Mike murmuring "Like an army, falling one by one by one..." with military beats in the background by Rob Bourdon.
Next comes the blue-eyed boy and the first single off LIVING THINGS, BURN IT DOWN. Arguably the most peppy track on the album, this song talks about a very strong anti-war sentiment. The adrenaline-pumping chorus , seamlessly followed by probably one of Mike's best rapping till date, takes this song to an energetic close. My favourite.
LIES,GREED,MISERY is an angry track and comes as a full LP package - Rap, Scream, Electro and guitars. It's lyrics contain all that you'd want your enemy to go through.
Make no mistake, Brad Delson has a major role in LIVING THINGS as opposed to A Thousand Suns, where he played a little bit of everything - guitar, keyboard and percussion [When They Come For Me]. I'LL BE GONE begins with a reaffirming chord progression which dies down to allow Chester's verse. The chorus once again has a great hook, and stays with you much after the song has ended. The lyrics portray the thoughts going through a person's mind abandoning his present, leaving everything behind and looking forward to a new start, in a new place.
 |
| Brad Delson's processed rhythm guitar creates his signature wall of sound |
CASTLE OF GLASS tones it down a bit, and makes you aware about the power of voice and its tone, and the apparent emotions. The Chester-Mike combo [like the Chester-mic combo!] is always a force to reckon with , and this song proves that. The outro to this song oozes class , when vocals, guitars and percussion combine to create a climactic effect.
VICTIMIZED reminds us of Blackout [A Thousand Suns].It features tremendous work on the drums by Rob Bourdon and of course, Chester screaming his lungs out.
ROADS UNTRAVELED is lyrically the most heart-melting song on LIVING THINGS. Vocals accompanied by bells and piano, leads to a soothing vocal solo by Chester, which then gives way to a guitar solo by Brad, and then returns to deliver a punch.
These lines will stay with me forever - "Weep not for roads untraveled.Weep not for sights unseen.May your love never end, and if you need a friend, there's a seat here alongside me..."
SKIN TO BONE takes you on a journey of highs and lows.This song is full of them.Again, the Chester-Mike combo strikes gold with some inventive sounds in the background.
UNTIL IT BREAKS is a quite confusing track. It doesn't have a conventional song structure, but just shifts from one section to another. Starting off with Mike's rap full of reproach, the song moves on to Chester pleading for strength such as that of the Sun. Mike returns to centre stage, followed by an outro of Brad Delson on vocals. Wait a.... did I say Brad Delson and vocals? Yes, this is the biggest surprise LIVING THINGS throws up. Brad is impeccable in his produced, soothing singing.It almost feels like a lullaby.
 |
| Picture Courtesy - Linkin Park India Unlimited [LPIU] |
TINFOIL is the sole instrumental track on LIVING THINGS. It progresses quite well, and I would actually love to try out playing it on guitar using tremolo picking. It blends in to introduce the next track.
It is difficult to determine where TINFOIL ends and POWERLESS begins. This track is a perfect ballad to end things. A fast-paced 38-minute album like this one needed POWERLESS to cure the listener's breathlessness. Pianos make their presence felt as Chester makes you fall in love with his voice all over again.
 |
| L to R - Joe Hahn, Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Chester Bennington, Rob Bourdon, Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell |
A well-deserved 9/10 is what it gets from me. This is the Linkin Park we have loved for a lot of time now.The songs here are rock solid, great to hear to over and over again.Wishing them all the success possible for LIVING THINGS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEWS:
1. India is slowly but surely turning into a destination for the bands we only hoped we could see live once in our lifetime. Metallica came to Bangalore and Delhi. Poets Of The Fall came to 5 Indian cities recently - Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata. KoRn visit Gurgaon, Mumbai and Bangalore.
Here's hoping the trend continues!
 |
2.Skillet has gone into the studio with their new lead guitarist, Seth Morrison, and are looking for an early 2013 release of their new album. Let's see what he brings to the table.
 |
| Seth Morrison, Skillet |
3.Green Day have released their first single off ¡Uno! called 'Oh Love'.Check it out here! Album all set to be released on September 24 , 2012.
Next: A review of ¡Uno! by Green Day, Part Uno/Tres !
Whoa!! you said everything i wanted to say!!!!! :D
ReplyDeleteactually if you listen to burn it down carefully you'll hear something that sounds like Blackout background music....
Yeah! I noticed sone part of the Blackout intro in BURN IT DOWN....glad you liked the review.Do check out the others too.. :)
ReplyDelete