LPAssociation Interview - Mike Shinoda Discusses New Linkin Park Album 'One More Light'

LP should release a really good Hybrid Theory-type album (or EP) as a "fuck you" to the people that constantly complain about the change of direction in their music, and then never play it live.

 

Or better yet, title it "Hybrid Theory Part Deux", but the tracks are just Chester and Mike laughing repeatedly for the entire duration of the album.

The ultimate trolling by the ultimate troll.

 

As long as they add The Wizard Song to the track list

 

That'll be the bonus track along with "When They Put Ketchup On Me".

 

Great interview guys. Solid work.

 

Very excited for this, but why does he say "I think on Sorry For Now I do the rapping?"

 

Aha I fucking love Chester man

 

I really really hope Blackbear is featured on Sorry for Now. I love him. idfc is one of my favorite songs, ever.

 

I think it's way better that they've hidden the features. It adds to the mystery. Something to get excited for without knowing what it is, only that it exists. Same with track length. It's cool that we'll have these surprises saved for when the album comes out

 

Laughed hard at this

 

Wouldn't it be awesome if Blackbear rapped one verse and then Chester rapped the second while Mike sings?

 

This was a great interview, LPA Team! I know there is (once more) a great deal of controversy regarding the implied meaning of Mike's comments. Personally, I did not find his McDonald's analogy (I think that's what it is) offensive, as he made a point that cannot be refuted: it is a fast-food chain that makes the same food over and over again, but with great success.

We all know that LP is not the type of band to consistently make carbon-copy songs one after the other, regardless of structural similarities. It's the soundscape that is created for each album that gives them each a unique identity. Of course, the most readily accessible singles from each album are given the most press/publicity, so casual listeners who choose not to dive deeper may miss the sheer variety that can often be found in a given album.

Lastly, as for Mike's previous comments about the music industry, I am of the belief that he was in a much more aggressive mindset when he and the others were creating THP. Mike pursued a harder sound that he was convinced had been missing for quite some time in the mainstream, and he was right, to a point. Compare his "do something different from the mainstream" attitude to what he is saying and doing now with the upcoming music. He and the others have been so relaxed, so eager to share what they have been cooking up, but not in an aggressive manner. One could say that LP has "chilled out" this time around, if only for just this one album. Two very different frames of mind, and the music has (and will, in the case of OML) reflect that.

All of that said, it was very unnecessary of Mike to publicly name bands and other artists that he thought were making music that all sounded alike, and label their music in a way that could be viewed as condescending or ignorant. He had the right to express his opinion, but could have done so in a more dignified manner IMO. I personally do not hold this against him, but am ultimately more disappointed that we may not hear a continuation of the THP sound, especially after all the hype and confidence expressed by the band. This album was heralded as a bold new direction for them, something no other mainstream act/band was doing at the time. Something different enough to stand out in a sea of endless pop, if you will.

Spoiler Alert:

I just pre-ordered the "One More Light" CD/T-Shirt Bundle. A wee bit pricey with shipping and handling fees, but I am excited to hear the other nine songs nonetheless!

 

Anyone else see this constant barrage of "Thank you for the support!" remarks from their Facebook and Twitter accounts as nervousness that they're really not sure how well this new album is going to go over? I know their whole thing now is "Well we're just gonna do what we wanna nd what we wanna is pop, we owe your expectations nothing!" but it seems to be a weird attitude they have going on now. Like they're halfway afraid of it tanking or something.

 

I'm sure there are bands who solely post on Facebook but I've figured for years that Linkin Park was not one of them. The only big name act I know for sure is the sole poster on their Facebook is Disturbed

Edit: Upon further review my statement is wrong. Disturbed themselves does post a lot but it looks like others do as well.

 

Are you seeing them? They're each their own little updates. Like it'll be a screencap of GooglePlay or something with a "thank you for supporting us". I've never seen it before on any other album cycle and it's before a multi-platinum band on their 7th album would be doing that. It's also their Twitter too.

And even if that was the case why would said promotional team do it, either? It's coming across as a rock band getting it's first major label on some platforms, not a group that's been moving millions for nearly 20 years.