Linkin Park - Living Things (02/07/2012)
As Linkin Park’s fifth studio album, Living Things continues to highlight the versatility and experimental nature of the band. And while continual musical changes across their albums can be the kiss of death for most bands, Linkin Park have turned it in to part of their signature style. The one strand linking each album is the unique blend of rock and rap with the overriding melodic electronica.
With a new album comes a new chance for experimentation and Living Things sees Linkin Park stripping down excess sounds to leave only the pertinent notes in each track. Despite presenting a bare-bones finished work at only 37 minutes, this album has a strong combat theme to the lyrics and tone, and a sound that fluctuates from chaotic through to melancholic.
Lost In Echo, the first track, opens with haunting synthesizer notes and a strong bass line that quickly morphs into the rock-heavy guitars. As the song builds, the vocals introduce the classic rock-rap interplay between Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda that has been a constant from their very first album.
The lead single, Burn It Down, plays off the intensity that Linkin Park is known for. And while Shinoda’s lines may be a bit weak, the slack is picked up by Bennington’s vocals. The strong electronic melody creates a new sound for the track, while the guitar and drums of the chorus encapsulate the energy felt in their earlier albums.
Heading away from the sound of the earlier tracks, Lies Greed Misery brings a heavy-static and Skrillex-inspired sound played over a programmed drum line. As a whole the track doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the album, however brief moments of melody and the tone of the lyrics create a link with the other tracks.
The second half of the album sees two of the more intriguing tracks bring depth and emotional level to the album. The folk-inspired Castle of Glass plays as a rather simple song, but the strength of the songwriting and the intensity of Bennington’s voice creates a memorable track. Following two tracks later, Road Untraveled is an emotionally driven piano ballad that swells into a climax of guitar and percussion. These tracks work wonderfully to create moments of emotional reflection and emphasise the tone of the surrounding tracks that can be easily lost in the explosive rock instrumentals.
The final three tracks of the album, Until It Breaks and Powerless with the instrumental bridging track between them, serves to build the album up to strong climax and finish it off with the sound of Linkin Park over the years. Until It Breaks serves to highlight Shinoda’s slick rhymes over futuristic synth notes, playing as an upbeat if somewhat unexpected track. Powerless brings us back to the emotional intensity of Bennington’s vocals with rising harmonies and a killer guitar track to close the album.
Other than needing some more time added in for a little more breathing space in the songs, Living Things sits comfortably among Linkin Park’s impressive discography. And while the emotional journey of this album may be less emphasised than in their earlier albums, the intensity of the vocals and instrumentals carry the strong tone of each track.
Bethany Williams
With a new album comes a new chance for experimentation and Living Things sees Linkin Park stripping down excess sounds to leave only the pertinent notes in each track. Despite presenting a bare-bones finished work at only 37 minutes, this album has a strong combat theme to the lyrics and tone, and a sound that fluctuates from chaotic through to melancholic.
Lost In Echo, the first track, opens with haunting synthesizer notes and a strong bass line that quickly morphs into the rock-heavy guitars. As the song builds, the vocals introduce the classic rock-rap interplay between Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda that has been a constant from their very first album.
The lead single, Burn It Down, plays off the intensity that Linkin Park is known for. And while Shinoda’s lines may be a bit weak, the slack is picked up by Bennington’s vocals. The strong electronic melody creates a new sound for the track, while the guitar and drums of the chorus encapsulate the energy felt in their earlier albums.
Heading away from the sound of the earlier tracks, Lies Greed Misery brings a heavy-static and Skrillex-inspired sound played over a programmed drum line. As a whole the track doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the album, however brief moments of melody and the tone of the lyrics create a link with the other tracks.
The second half of the album sees two of the more intriguing tracks bring depth and emotional level to the album. The folk-inspired Castle of Glass plays as a rather simple song, but the strength of the songwriting and the intensity of Bennington’s voice creates a memorable track. Following two tracks later, Road Untraveled is an emotionally driven piano ballad that swells into a climax of guitar and percussion. These tracks work wonderfully to create moments of emotional reflection and emphasise the tone of the surrounding tracks that can be easily lost in the explosive rock instrumentals.
The final three tracks of the album, Until It Breaks and Powerless with the instrumental bridging track between them, serves to build the album up to strong climax and finish it off with the sound of Linkin Park over the years. Until It Breaks serves to highlight Shinoda’s slick rhymes over futuristic synth notes, playing as an upbeat if somewhat unexpected track. Powerless brings us back to the emotional intensity of Bennington’s vocals with rising harmonies and a killer guitar track to close the album.
Other than needing some more time added in for a little more breathing space in the songs, Living Things sits comfortably among Linkin Park’s impressive discography. And while the emotional journey of this album may be less emphasised than in their earlier albums, the intensity of the vocals and instrumentals carry the strong tone of each track.
Bethany Williams