Not so in-depth, but here it goes. Straight to the point. A Thousand Suns is still their best album. Is Living Things bad? Not at all, it has it's high points and it's low points, but as an overall record I feel it falls right into the middle of everything they've done, and that's okay. I still enjoy it. What's holding it back from being phenomenal is that it feels like they could have done more with some of the songs, to give it that epic feel that Louis really talked about in his review. I still enjoy it though. Here's how I rank the songs: Castle of Glass Until it Breaks Roads Untraveled Victimized Skin to Bone Tinfoil/Powerless Lost in the Echo Lies Greed Misery I'll Be Gone In My Remains Burn it Down The album is really divided for me though. Castle of Glass though Lost in the Echo, while all different, are all on their own level as compared to the four songs that bring up the caboose of the list. When listening to the record from start to finish, I find myself enjoying the hell out of Lost in the Echo, then I patiently wait for Castle of Glass which is where the album picks back up for me once again. Here's how I rank their albums: A Thousand Suns Reanimation Hybrid Theory Living Things Minutes to Midnight Meteora That is all.
That review is EXACLY how I feel about the album. Although I still feel that all their albums are equal (an amazing thing for any band!), but very much varied and contrasting to eachother.
I wrote a brief review plus long spiel about Linkin Park in general here: http://thegreenthbeatle.wordpress.c...-living-things-and-all-sorts-of-other-things/
Living Things was an ok album. Saying it's Linkin Park's best album to date in an insult to their past records. When I had first listened to this record, I hated it. It sounded awful. It was way too soft, boring, and slow. I however, kept at it and continued to listen to see if I could like it. I've now grown to enjoy this album, but not as much as it's predecessors. I think most songs are catchy, however, lyrically wise, I personally thought it was "meh" at best. I think they focused more on the sound more than the lyrics. They feel as though they were lazily made. But, I still think they work pretty well. Like Skin to Bone and Roads Untraveled. Both are repetitive and don't have much to the lyrics, but the l still think they're catchy and fun to listen to. I always find myself singing out loud when I listen to this album, which usually doesn't happen for me too often. Sound on the other hand, was pretty well done. A lot of strong beats and cool guitars throughout. Plus the electronic sounds added a really cool element to it. It was mixed together well. I just don't understand why they took such a soft approach to this album. I would've loved to hear Chester scream more. I don't think Linkin Park has ever really had a "worst album", but this one would be my least favorite. But I still liked it and will continue to enjoy and listen to it. I would have to give Living Things a 7/10.
LIVING THINGS review So here’s my take on “Living Things”. Is some of it sounds like bullshit, I totally understand. First off, I was SOOOOO HAPPYYYY LP didn’t have to resort to “cussing out” to make the album more appealing. Honestly, that was the one thing that really irked me. 1/ LOST IN THE ECHO Rate: 9/10 This track kicks ass!!! I like how it starts off with a dubsteppy kind of feeling, then in comes Mikes with his face-slapping lyrics. The story he plays out is totally associative to whoever had to deal with sucking up to people, only to get disappointed. “How’s it doin for y’all in the back huh?”….awesome line. To me, it’s like a middle finger to the haters. 2/ IN MY REMAINS Rate: 8/10 The mix in with new age electronics and Brad’s trademark riffs really do blend in nicely. Chester’s voice is …dare I say it….beautiful, when he exhumes all that pain and anguish, and the hope that something good will come out of it, and to conquer all those “armies” that want to crush the hopes and dreams of many. 3/ BURN IT DOWN Rate: 8/10 Ok, when I first heard the start-up, I automatically thought to myself, “The album’s gonna have a lot of 8-bit beats”. The organic beat to this tune is very serene and strangely peaceful, despite its aggressive nature. I didn’t vibez the video so much though. The colour schemes were sweet, but I think a lot more could have been done (too much on the Gaussian blur). “We’re building it up to break it back down”…I love it when the band is daring society to be self-destructive. Taking so much time for the human society to develop and nurture, only to have some dunderheads destroy that inceptive just because …in my opinion…they’re jealous that those individuals got ahead. 4/ LIES,GREED & MISERY Rate: 7/10 When I first heard it, I honestly thought it was shit (I blame my friend... she sent me the tune when she had her phone next to the speaker to record it). But when I went on Youtube to take it in better, I was like ….DAMN!!!! This will rock a crowd! I like the dancehall-ish beat to it. The first verse seems to relate Mike’s hitback against the band’s critics who didn’t jive with the previous two albums. The chorus is quite literal to me also, slamming those who want to get the best things in life with illicit means and end up getting burned in the end. What goes up must come down I say. My favorite line in the tack has just got to be “Now let me show ya exactly how the breaking point sound”. Lol! 5/ I’LL BE GONE Rate: 7/10 Not one of my favorite, this track seems ready-set to be used as a movie theme song. The beat just seems that way…sorry. The drum beats and guitar work are all there. Chester’s vocals, merged together with Brad’s guitar strokes, sounds really nice. It’s taking me a while to understand the lyrics, but from what I gather, it seems like Chester wants to encourage society to just stop what they’re doing, and take in what’s going on around them, to encourage their senses to expand so that they can understand the chaos that occurring right now. But then again… I could be wrong? 6/ CASTLE OF GLASS Rate: 8/10 I love, love, LOVE this folky turn that the band tried. It’s catchy, it’s awesome. Mike’s and Chester’s combined voices are totally wicked. I like the song’s representation of redemption is quite wholesome, as if to wash away past indiscretions. I also like Rob’s drum progressions. This tune reminds me of when "Breaking The Habit" came out.....more or less the same progression. (My humble opinion) 7/ VICTIMIZED Rate: 10/10 Now this track will definitely have the crowd pumping and be like, “FUCK YEAH!!!” Chester’s screams are just crisp. Mike’s got the rhythm flowing, the beats are bess….the whole tune’s just awesome!!! 8/ ROADS UNTRAVELED Rate: 8/10 Reminds me of an old Johnny Cash tune. I believe the track tells of a person who has made a serious mistake in his life, and his friend is trying to teach him self-forgiveness. The tune sways with an emotional melody and invokes a very peaceful and haunting nature. 9/ SKIN TO BONE Rate: 8/10 Mike’s drawl at the start of this track just got imprinted into my brain (even when I was sleeping!) I love the chorus, “Skin to bone, steel to rust”, just to show how your fate can never be changed, that’s just the way it is. 10/ UNTIL IT BREAKS Rate: 9/10 Hey! Fort Minor’s back! Lol. Yeah, Mike’s back in his game here, and he’s slapping you in the face with his notepad. I was totally taken aback when I found out that BRAD was the one doing the soft vocals. Looks like we got a up-and-comer here!!! 11/ TINFOIL ***not bothering to rate it. Sounds like an oil drum rattling. 12/ POWERLESS Rate: 9/10 OK, I got seriously hooked onto this track when I saw it used for “Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter” (I loved how the tune intertwined with the movie parts….ILL!!!) The tune is reminiscent of “What I’ve Done” and “Numb”, where the lyrics deliver a powerful signature, showing abandonment and the individual’s relapse into his/her addictions. Chester’s screams of being “powerless”, are evident of the individual’s attempts to rehab the other. So overall, I hold this album in high regard. It’s short, it’s sweet, and it makes you want to listen to it over and over again. The beats are totally fresh and I wholeheartedly endorse the band’s experiments with new sounds!!!
https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=HD093624950431 in 44.1kHz/24bit wow a bit better than the cd quality
I wanted to write this review sooner but when Living Things came out, I started a job, so never really had the time to do one. However, the time is right to do one, so here we go. When A Thousand Suns came out, I was shocked by how different the album sounded. It had that signature Linkin Park sound but it felt new, fresh and unorthodox for a Linkin Park album. It was creative and experimental (continuing on from Minutes To Midnight) and it took me 2 or 3 listens to finally get it and embrace the new sound. I absolutely love A Thousand Suns and still do even today. I enjoy listening to it and it always feels fresh when I go through the entire album. However, even though I enjoy the album and rank it up there with Hybrid Theory, I did miss the guitars, the raps and the screams that Linkin Park were known for. Those were elements I always enjoyed when listening to a Linkin Park album. So when I heard Living Things was going to feature them combining all four albums together and bringing back the energy of the first two albums, I was ecstatic but I wanted them to continue with that experimentation and I'm glad they did that with Living Things. I was also glad to read in reviews that the raps and screams were back on this album. So, time for me to review each track with my personal thoughts: Lost In The Echo Linkin Park returning to their roots here, with the heavy guitars, amazing raps from Shinoda and Chester singing the chorus. This song will please the old Linkin Park fans and should appeal to new/neutral fans also. The beat is catchy, likewise, the chorus and the screams from Chester in the bridge are great. A fantastic album opener and it's up there as one of my personal favourite Linkin Park songs. This also shows what a fantastic team Chester and Mike are and when both feature together in a song, it flows so well and makes the song even better. Rating: 10/10 In My Remains Another solid song with Chester singing the entire track and he does so well, with a pretty catchy chorus. Shinoda comes in at the very end with another catchy part to end the song, with the "Like an army, falling, one by one by one...". I really like that part. A nice rock-pop song for the radios. Rating: 9/10 Burn It Down The first single and when you link it with all the other songs, it still stands out. Its got some great electronics in this one and the chorus is catchy. I still think it's a really strong track on the album. Rating: 8/10 Lies Greed Misery This was one of the love it, hate it songs. I constantly saw mixed reviews for this one and it's understandable why people either adore this song or criticise it. For me, I enjoy it. The verses, albeit, not having the greatest lyrics are catchy and flow well into Chester's chorus. I like the angsty lyrics combined with the upbeat chorus, it makes it sound unique. The bridge with Chester letting out some brutal screams is awesome. Love it. Rating: 10/10 I'll Be Gone Another song I've seen fans not really care for but I really like this track. The verses contain some really beautiful lyrics and Chester sings this song with a lot of heart. The chorus is nice and heavy with the loud guitars and the final chorus is a real highlight for me where Chester screams the track name one final time. Another fantastic track. Rating: 10/10 Castle Of Glass I really anticipated this one with all the praise it was receiving in the build-up to the album and after listening to it several times, I can see why people really adore this song and hold it up there as one of the best. Is it the best track on the album? For me, no but it's still a really creative and impressive track to listen to. Mike is brilliant with his vocal work on this song and he really fits in well with the folk sound to this track. I also like the way the track builds at the end, which Linkin Park are renowned for. Rating: 8/10 Victimized What a crazy song. People were worried when it was revealed this would only be 1:46 minutes long but Linkin Park delivered with this track. This is a song I would love to see them perform live with the ending being extended. The song has a heavy punk vibe to it but also has a folk-esque beginning to the song with Mike singing the first verse. The rap in the middle is also one of Shinoda's best works. Chester really stands out in this song with his guttural screams returning, which was severely lacking on ATS. He just lets loose and makes this crazy song all the more better. It's up there as one of my favourites. Rating: 10/10 Roads Untraveled I actually prefer this folk/rock inspired song to Castle of Glass. I like the fact it doesn't have a distinctive chorus, Mike and Chester both deliver their harmonies well and I love the way their voices entwine throughout the song. The "Ooooooh-oh-oh-ohhhhh's" after the second and third verse really uplift the song and the way the guitars kick in really gives the song some power. The lyrics are meaningful and I really thrived off Chester's delivery in his solo verse with some of the best lyrics Linkin Park have ever written. Such an epic song. Rating: 10/10 Skin To Bone The beats are catchy and some of Linkin Parks best and I like Chester's chorus in this one. Skin To Bone does go by very quickly but still, it's a solid track. Rating: 9/10 Until It Breaks I've come to appreciate this track more and more after every listen. It's like 3 songs in one, you have Mikes first two rap verses, then Chester's cameo appearance with a nicely sung bridge, then Mike delves into one of his greatest raps ever (the rapping has really improved on this album by the way) with an almost reggae feel to it and then Brad Delson makes a surprise appearance with his choir-esque vocals at the end. The sounds at the end when Brad finishes singing reminds me of various things, so it brought back fond memories. Another standout track. Rating: 10/10 Tinfoil An instrumental that builds and builds into what will soon be the final track on the album. It serves its purpose well. Rating: 7/10 Powerless This is the best album closer by Linkin Park. Period. The way the song just builds after each chorus really appeals to me; the lyrics are personal and I loved the "Ooooooohhhh" that kicks in after the second and third chorus. The guitars lift this track up and Chester sings beautifully throughout. The way he puts so much emotion into the "Powerless..." part at the very end is astonishing. This is my second favourite song off the album. Such a beautiful song to finish a truly great album. Rating: 10/10 Overall Living Things Rating: 9/10 A fantastic album that brings all the sounds from their four albums, meshes them together and adds a little extra ingredient with the folk/country sound and hey presto, it creates Living Things. A fantastic album. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it from start to end and I'm still doing that since it was released about 2 weeks ago. Is it on the level of Hybrid Theory? For me, not quite but it's up there and I prefer it slightly to A Thousand Suns (which I also have rated a 9/10). A fascinating journey from start to end and now, onto the sixth album. Best Linkin Park Album Order: Hybrid Theory>Living Things>A Thousand Suns>Minutes To Midnight>Meteora
After nearly a month to let it sink in, this album is one of my least favorites. Still a good album, but I like ATS, HT, M2M, and Meteora better (in that order). The songs get old really quick.
I listened to it. Gave up halfway through. Tried again, reached the end. Hated. Tried again (again!), still don't like it. Burn It Down is the best song.
So it has been quite some time since "Living Things" has released, and I'd like to share my review for it from first listening to the album to now. 1. Lost In The Echo: As soon as it started, it immediately reminded me of how "Hybrid Theory" kicked off to a bang with Papercut. Not so much of the way it sounds (still love them both in its own way) but the impact of Mike rapping in the beginning followed by Chester and so on. After "A Thousand Suns" with hearing Mike do his thing on "When They Come For Me" & "Wretches & Kings" I was satisfied with this track to hear a familiar style to start off the album. + I was amazed that Joe scratches on this one. One thing I know for sure is that, A lot of people don't realize that LP has grown up. Yes, I do sometimes miss their old style of lyrics that really spoke to me in hard times, but these lyrics do well and have a lot more meaning then it seems. From the first listen, I loved it, and still do. 2. In My Remains: Right when chester started singing, right off the bat it reminded me of "Dead By Sunrise." At first, it sounded like Burn It Down, but the differences later on gives it a push. A lot of people noticed Rob's drum when the song silences into Mike's part but for some reason I didn't give it much importance as it deserves. "Like an army falling, one by one by one" is a strong way to put the song to an end. Pure Brilliant. From the first listen, It kinda went passed me as I felt like Chester was just singing but many days later, his singing was telling me something much more important. 3. Burn It Down: I remember waiting on the LP site to hear the full song when a certain time hit and when I listened to it, it sounded just as good as "What I've Done" & "New Divide" This was the first track that released off the "LT" album and I was enjoying the new electronic sound. My mind thought of 8 bit video games until the guitars come in which balances it out. As soon as Mike jumped onto the track, my face threw a smile and was excited that rapping was back in the first single. I remember waiting for "WID" to release and wanted to hear Mike but in the end all I got was "Na, na na's" It wasn't disappointing at all, the song is still awesome. Overall, this song is a keeper from the start. + it sounds just as great live. 4. Lies, Greed, Misery: Again, excited to hear Mike but on the first listen I thought the lyrics were kinda weak. I noticed his rapping has gotten this new style where he says many words that rhyme with "No," and says it in somewhat the same tune which isn't boring because I love when he does new things when he raps. When the track-list of the album leaked, I thought this song was gonna be crazy, and I wasn't wrong..It is. At some point I kinda got the idea and wanted to see where the change would come and when Chester sang "You did it to yourself" and started screaming, my first reaction was like "what on earth is going on here?" sounded like a buncha noise and him screaming but over time, it grew on me and it's not as bad listening to it a couple times or so. This song just needs more listens to be liked and LP never disappoints. 5. I'll Be Gone: For some odd reason, I've skipped this song many times on my Ipod cause I felt like this song didn't have any depth or spark to get me hooked. I felt like he was just singing without any emotion (though you can hear it). however, the more times I listened to it, I started to grow with it and now I add it to my playlist. Again, it felt like another "DBS" song and forgive me if my ears seem weak, but I really didn't know when or where Owen's parts are in the song but eventually I can sorta hear it in the background and the end of the song, it makes sense. So as I said before..LP never disappoints. 6. Castle Of Glass: OH..MY..GOD. This song just killed me. There's nothing I don't love about this song. Throughout the years, LP's slowish singing songs started to become my favorites more than the actual rock ones. For example, "My December" & "Not Alone" etc. As listening to the album in order, when this one came on, I just fell in love with it. Within hours, I even made a cover of it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78XXFH-b28g) I can go on and on about this song, but all I'mma say is WOW. 7. Victimized: I won't lie, my head was bopping to it on the first listen. Although this song kinda comes outta nowhere, I will say I was expecting a little more from it. All over FB, I saw comments saying this song was the best of all the tracks. It has Mike singing, Chester screaming, and Mike rapping. It's kinda all over the place but eventually I liked it and it really put a twist after "COG" I somehow wish it could be longer but it is what it is and I can't wait till they perform it live. 8. Roads Untraveled: This song is really underrated. It has this type of "No Roads Left" similarity in it. Though the lyrics are short, the first listen was kinda like how I heard "In Between" but over time it just makes more sense and becomes a favorite. After a few days of fully understanding the song, I decided to make a cover of this one too. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48boXXSxUGU) For those who hate it, It just takes more time. 9. Skin To Bone: The beat is just addicting. I'm kinda saddened wishing the lyrics could've been better but it works. I enjoyed listening to this song and I think it's the first time I heard Mike using that effect the same as Kanye West uses on the "808's & Heartbreak" album. (Forgetting the name of it) When chester goes into the "Ahhhh" tune, It got me hooked and had it on repeat. Then..I decided to make a cover of it Because it was just an addicting song to sing. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD4szyXud9o) 10. Until It Breaks: Mike doesn't let down on this song. The drums, the bass, everything in this song is just amazing. Not to mention, it reminded me something out of "Fort Minor" but overall it's a great track to bop the head to. He also gives his vocals a little swagg really making the song better to listen to. If he just rapped to it, It may have sounded how he did on the LPUX song "I Have Not Begun." One thing that surprised me was the ending of this song. Before even reading that Owen was featured on "Ill Be Gone" I thought he actually sang this part until It was stated that it was Brad. Least expecting him only because I knew Phoenix did some backing vocals on a few tracks from the previous 2 albums and it would make sense for him to sound like this...maybe. But I was wrong and it was Brad. Some people hate the ending but I thought it was powerful. And yes..I did a cover of Brad's part. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC4OifamPng) 11 / 12. Tinfoil / Powerless: I don't know if it's just me or most people will agree, when Tinfoil comes on, I keep thinking Joe's going to come into the track scratching like how he did on "Session" but due to how short it is, there were no scratching from him. I can literally hear it in my head and it would sound so awesome but it's ok. What can I say about "Powerless?" the tunes amazing, the guitars amazing, the piano keys are amazing. This song is quite powerful and it leaves me to no words. This really went head to head in my favorites with "COG" and couldn't decide which one I liked better. In the end, they both were a tie and it concluded the album really well. As a whole I give the album an A-. Within 2 years, they made this beautiful record and realizing "ATS" only had about 8 full tracks to listen to (made in about 4 years), this really makes up for it. Here's the cover of this song as well. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doZunKtb87Y)
Lost In The Echo - 11/10 In My Remains - 9.5/10 Burn It Down - 10/10 Lies Greed Misery - 8.5/10 I'll Be Gone - 10/10 Castle Of Glass - 8/10 Victimized - 10/10 Roads Untraveled - 8.5/10 Skin To Bone - 10/10 Until It Breaks - 11/10 Tinfoil - 10/10 Powerless - 10/10 I can't say why i rate the songs like i do, it's just a feeling how good a song is.
First of all - I've listened to the album for the first time 3 days ago, and still listening. (even at this same moment) after the album release date I thought that I'm going to buy it as soon as possible, but something happened and time just flew by! so here I am listening to the album for the 5-ish and it's still feels new to me. Well after Burn it Down and LGM were released I didn't expect the album to be as good as it is tbh. But, when then I couldn't hold myself and I've listened to Lost in the Echo and boy was it good. So when played the cd for the first time the beggining was familiar but, right after Lost in the Echo came a new song....and I was just blown away! I'm not going to do a big review or something. Just wanna say that this album is one of their best works. Love the big choruses, the diversity, the sound and everything about it. Thank you LP for making me/us happy.
My Living Things Review: Lost in The Echo - 9/10 - Really good beat, a more techno version of In The End. In My Remains - 8/10 - Sounds like What I've Done v3 until that awesome 'One by One' part which was really chilling. Burn It Down - 7.5/10 - It gets boring really fast but still pretty good nonetheless. Lies Greed Misery - 6/10 - The rap sounds really cheesy and the chorus is just simple. I'll Be Gone - 7/10 - Really boring Castle Of Glass - 10/10 - One of the best Linkin Park songs to date. Different without being to different and the lyrics just feels so innocent. Victimized - 7.5 - Packs a punch Roads Untravelled - 8/10 - Really good ballad when you're all sad and stuff. Skin To Bone - 5/10 - The lyrics are just ridiculous. Until It Breaks -7.5/10- I love Brad's singing. Tinfoil/Powerless -9/10- Sounds like something from ATS in a good way. Overall: 8/10