After listening to the album several times through now, I'd like to share my opinions with you all. LOST IN THE ECHO: 10/10 This, to me, was the epitome of old-school LP. The awesome synth melody, the clean raps from Mike (which were incredible), and Chester's raspy chorus, screaming bridge. The song was perfect for an album opener. IN MY REMAINS: 10/10 I felt like Living Things stayed in familiar territory for the first few songs on the album, and this song feels like Burn It Down but much, much better. It's all Chester, with a soaring chorus and incredible melody. The synths and synth melodies aren't quite as good as BID's, but overall the song was one of my favorites on the album. BURN IT DOWN: 8/10 Yesterday, this song would've received a 10 from me. However, after listening to In My Remains, it feels like this is just a more radio-friendly version. I still love this song, but it's not perfection like I thought it would've been in the entirety of the album. LIES GREED MISERY: 6/10 I won't lie, I was worried when I heard this song, because it never really grew on me. I didn't like the background music, and didn't like the chanty chorus. In the entirety of the album, this song definitely works, and it'll be fun to listen to while driving or working out, but I see this as one of the weakest songs on the album. I'LL BE GONE: 9/10 Another song with Chester on the verse/chorus pattern, but the verses are one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. His voice is perfect. The strings behind him are emotional and then the chorus starts and skyrockets. Linkin Park really are masters of melody. CASTLE OF GLASS: 10/10 If one song made me tear up, it was this one. The tone of this song is very serious, and the vocal interplay between Mike and Chester is as good, if not better, than Iridescent. I can't really explain this song, you just need to hear it. If I had to choose one song as my favorite of the album, it might be this one. VICTIMIZED: 7/10 For what it is, it's incredible. It reminds me of Rise Against's "Bricks" in that it's short, sweet, and to the point. It goes from a really dark verse from Mike, to screaming Chester, Mike rap, and Chester scream again, then fade out. It's pretty damn awesome, but if it were a bit longer and structured more solidly it could've been much stronger. ROADS UNTRAVELED: 10/10 This is the first ballad of the album. It's beautiful. That's all I can say. A very soothing chime with a piano riff on top, add Mike's ever-improving vocals, and a hint of folk, and you have Roads Untraveled. Chester harmonizes and takes lead for parts of the song. I might call this Linkin Park's best ballad ever. Better than LOATR, better than Iridescent, better than TLTGYA. It's just beautiful. SKIN TO BONE: 8/10 This song is fucking gnarly. LP has a lot of attitude in this song, with the tripped out synth riff playing behind them. I saw someone earlier compare it to Muse, it's not a far-cry by any means. I really like it, and it's a good way to start closing down the album. UNTIL IT BREAKS: 5/10 I would call this the weakest track on the album. Mike's raps are really dirty (sound-wise, not content-wise), and I'm not digging what's going on musically or the vocal effects. I like Chester's melodies, but again, the vocal effects turn me off. Brad's part isn't bad, but sounds a little bland compared to the album's melodies to this point. TINFOIL/POWERLESS: 10/10 There was a debate as to whether this was LP's strongest album closer: I believe it is. Better than Pushing Me Away, Numb, TLTGYA, and The Messenger. The piano over the electronic riff in the background is nice, and Chester's vocals over the entire song are so clean and smooth. FINAL THOUGHTS I was more excited for this album than Minutes To Midnight, or A Thousand Suns, and this is why. This is LP's most consistent album since Meteora. The songs all have a similar vibe, but they're all still so different and unique sounding. I'm one of those "Meteora fans", so take that into account while reading my thoughts, but my view on album order had always been as follows: 1) Meteora 2) A Thousand Suns 3) Hybrid Theory 4) Minutes To Midnight Meteora has been my favorite album since 2003. Taking nostalgia out of the question, Living Things blows the living shit out of all their other albums in my opinion. This is their best work they've done, and I can't wait to see them start playing these songs live.
Perhaps I should've called it an "initial reactions", because you could be right. But after listening, this is what I feel about it right now.
Ace review. Agreed with everything but your take on Until It Breaks and ranking Meteora as their top (or 2nd best) album. I don't feel like doing a whole review but as of right now my album rankings go like this. 1. Living Things 2. A Thousand Suns 3. Reanimation 4. HT (bump this up one if not counting Reanimation as an album) 5. MTM 6. Meteora
Holy fuck, this makes me pumped. But the fact that you cite Meteora as the best makes me even more confident this will be an absolute kick-ass album. Sweet review, dude
I sense a fight. ATS vs LT. Right now I don't think LT is, front to back, as strong as ATS and that's because of tracks 2, 3 & 4. But there's a buch of great songs on here. We'll see how it settles. Previously ranked: ATS HT/MTM Meteroa
Nope. Nopenopenope. In my opinion, possibly the best on the album. We'll see how I feel in a few days.
Living Things Track-by-Track First Impressions Yep, another one of those threads. I wrote up notes (and added modestly to them after the fact) during my first listen. These are incredibly rough, mostly just descriptions of what I heard and/or how I felt about what I was hearing. I'll be putting together a full review once I've had time to digest the album. In the meantime, for those interested (I originally posted this on my Tumblr): LOST IN THE ECHO Wow. An incredible album opener. Perfectly sets the tone. Epic-sounding synth opens up for some heavy guitar and hard-hitting beats. Mike comes in with an incredibly energetic rap over Chester humming “Ohhhh.” Chester then comes in with the chorus, singing, “Each word gets lost in the echo… This time I finally let you go,” as the energetic synth returns. Back to Mike in the verse. In the next chorus, Chester’s singing fades into a scream and electronic breakdown a la Blackout. Overall, incredibly upbeat song (despite the lyrics). Intense singing over screaming (wonder how they’re gonna pull off the sing/scream layer live?). Hell of a way to start things off. IN MY REMAINS Chester’s first verse is a catchy vocal number. He jumps right into the chorus without missing a beat. “…To wash away the worst of me.” Another chorus later, shift to a break in the song. Mike comes in, “Like an army, falling, one by one by one.” Chester joins in a build. The break is definitely the coolest part of this song. It adds a somber tone to the otherwise energetic piece. The “Like an army” line is definitely the most memorable part on my first listen. BURN IT DOWN I won’t say much on this one or Lies Greed Misery, as they were released prior to writing this, and I’ve listened to them to death. But Burn it Down is definitely the radio single intended to appeal to the masses. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a great synth-driven power anthem. I’ll revisit this one in the context of a fully digested album review, though. LIES GREED MISERY As with Burn it Down, I’ll be coming back to this one in a full review. At a glance, though, the song doesn’t waste any time. We’re pounded right away with heavy beats and Mike rapping a kickass verse. Chester comes in on the chorus, intensely throwing out the song’s anthem. The bridge builds back into this anthem, with Chester screaming, “You did it to yourself!” I’LL BE GONE Opens with synth, building into guitars. Chester comes in with captivating vocals. Builds into a chorus that is ridiculously catchy. It’s some really great stuff. Strings come in on the second verse, which continues to push the song forward. Chester’s performance on this one is incredible. Closes with strings over the synth beats that it began with. This might be my favorite so far (which is why I wasn’t writing very much)! Owen Pallett’s work was great on this one. CASTLE OF GLASS Eerie, moody, atmospheric. Builds a very dark folk rhythm throughout the song into a equally dark, yet optimistic chorus. “Wash the poison from off my skin; show me how to be whole again… ‘Cause I’m only a crack in this castle of glass; hardly anything left for you to see.” Bridge consists of Chester alone against a soft electronic buildup, goes right back into the chorus. Easily the most straightforward song Linkin Park’s done, but still puts together an incredibly vast mix of sounds. It has an almost A Thousand Suns vibe to it, mainting its atmosphere throughout the song. Love this one. The band definitely hasn’t done anything quite like this before. VICTIMIZED Short, thrashing firecracker. Starts out very punk rock into almost classic rock with Mike singing. Then Chester jumps in with the heavy kick-you-in-the-face screams. Jump to Mike rapping again. Really great rapping, very energetic. Chest screaming again. And screaming. And holy shit, screaming. “Never again, victimized!” Extremely heavy guitars. And it’s over. Short, all over the place, firecracker, but to the point. ROADS UNTRAVELED Beautiful somber intro with piano and sparkly thing. Mike comes in saying, “Weep not for roads untraveled; weep not for paths left alone.” Incredibly emotionally distraught sound to the entire song. Singing of moving on from lost love. “The love that you lost wasn’t worth what it cost, and in time you’ll be glad it’s gone.” And oddly positive undertone to the lyrics and music, despite the obvious prevailing sadness. Very cool synergy to the tone here. Extremely powerful and emotional by the end of the song, being driven by piano and guitars. It’s definitely very moving. SKIN TO BONE Really heavy rhythmic beat the entire song. Very groovy, the folk origin of this track is obvious. Lyrically, it appears rather straightforward. Musically, it’s anything but. Kind of hard to nail this one down on the first listen. It’s gonna take a little processing, but it’s definitely catchy. UNTIL IT BREAKS Mike Shinoda jumps right in, rapper over a reggae beat. First verse is broken up by electronic sounds, beat drops away as Mike continues rapping. Suddenly, it all goes silent as Chester comes in with a beautiful a capella “Give me the strength of the rising sun,” eventually building over subtle strings. Mike comes back in with the beats, less electronic this time. Quiet guitars in the background. Mike fades out, but the beat continues as Brad comes in with his soft solo vocals. It’s incredibly mesmerizing, hypnotic. “So rest your head, it’s time to sleep and dream of what’s in store. My body bends until it breaks, and sings again no more.” Sounds like it has an almost innocent, childlike quality to it, but it’s incredibly dark at the same time. Definitely the most bizarre overall track on the record, but easily the most ambitious. Very A Thousand Suns. Fucking loved it. TINFOIL Soft, ambient. Piano over beats. Soft, simple. Leads into Powerless. Very atmospheric. POWERLESS Begins like Burning in the Skies with a similar synth sound. Piano comes in, then Chester’s voice, which comes across as extremely pure and simple. “You woke the devil that I thought you’d left behind…” “You held it all, and I was by your side… Powerless.” The beats build throughout the song. Absolutely gorgeous use of piano. Intensely emotional ending. Chester’s purest vocal performance to date. He builds to the most intense singing he’s likely ever done; by the end, he screams the words (without a hint of growling/screamo) in absolutely the most hauntingly beautiful lines I’ve ever heard. Comes full circle, closing with the same sounds it began with. Listening to this track was definitely an emotionally jarring experience—possible even more so than Roads Untraveled. “I’m left with emptiness that words cannot defend. You’ll never know what I became because of you. Ten thousand promises. Ten thousand ways to lose.”
I'll keep it short and sweet. LOST IN THE ECHO-10/10 IN MY REMAINS-9/10 BURN IT DOWN-7.5/10 LIES GREED MISERY-9/10 I'LL BE GONE-9.5/10 CASTLE OF GLASS-9/10 VICTIMIZED-8.5/10 ROADS UNTRAVELLED-9/10 SKIN TO BONE-8/10 UNTIL IT BREAKS-10/10 TINFOIL-7/10 POWERLESS-9.5/10 Favorite Track-UNTIL IT BREAKS Least Favorite-VICTIMIZED (Way too short) Overall rating: 10/10
That's extremely close to how I'd rate the songs. I'll give it a few days and see how I feel then, but for now.
Your thoughts on Living Things? I think Living Things brilliant. Powerless is just plain beautiful, one of the best songs from Linkin Park I've ever heard. Lost In The Echo A song you'd expect from Hybrid Theory, and I completely love it. There's so much variety on this album and it's something I've wanted LP to do for a very long time. From all the tracks I've listened too, I think LP did a brilliant job on this album. What do you guys think of Living Things?
Living Things IS Linkin Park. To deny it would be completely absurd. Although a now unpopular opinion, anyone could argue that Minutes To Midnight and A Thousand Suns were merely other faces to the Linkin Park face that was Hybrid Theory. But Living Things combines all of those faces to create a brilliant picture. It takes everything the band has done in the last 15 years and perfects it. Just my 2 cents.
It's up there with A Thousand Suns. And ATS, to me, is LP's greatest masterpiece. LIVING THINGS really exceeded my expectations, and I couldn't be thankful for it. LOST IN THE ECHO is, hands-down, THE best opener to a Linkin Park album ever (and no lie, once I get WWE '13, this is unanimously my theme song. ) Every song was perfect, VICTIMIZED was a very well-deserved headbanger moment for me, and me and my friend Jerome reaaaaally want to start filming a music video for POWERLESS (it's our biggest favorite from the album). Music like this was the reason why Linkin Park is my favorite band ever: unpredictability and hybrid genres and horizon expansion. Although the latter really belongs to ATS, I love the fact that LP is STILL doing what they love, and that's making music THEY want, music THEY think fits. On another note, I really hope this shuts up a majority (Majority, not ALL) of the bone-headed nu-metalhead LP fans.
I totally agree. I like how they've combined all the faces of Linkin Park into just one album. I've waited for an album like this for a long time now, and I just think it's pure BRILLIANCE I'm all ready deciding to cover Victimized in my band as an outro to one of our songs, and I can't wait to see how it turns out! I admit, I didn't like ATS when I first heard it, but I came to appreciate it and what they've made as a band, showing us a different side of the band that no one had seen before. ^ Indeed. I was getting tired of people saying ''Linkin Park sucks now or they've gone soft.'' To me; Lost In The Echo, Lies Greed Misery, Victimized are all a big 'fuck you' in the face to them.
I agree with everything you said. Except for Lost in the Echo being the BEST opener ever because I think it's a tie with Papercut haha!
Copied from my Twitter. #LIVINGTHINGS | Lost in the Echo - 9/10 #LIVINGTHINGS | In My Remains - 9/10, up'd the score, this song is great. #LIVINGTHINGS | Burn It Down - 7/10, the previous songs have pushed the score down. #LIVINGTHINGS | Lies Greed Misery - 8/10 #LIVINGTHINGS | I'll Be Gone - 9/10, fuck, even better the second time. #LIVINGTHINGS | Castle of Glass - 9/10, just fantastic, everything. #LIVINGTHINGS | Victimized - 9/10, mother of god. #LIVINGTHINGS | Roads Untraveled - 8/10, beautiful. #LIVINGTHINGS | Skin to Bone - 8/10 #LIVINGTHINGS | Until It Breaks - 9/10, Slow finish but Mike keeps it the score up, that badass motherfucker. #LIVINGTHINGS | Tinfoil - 8/10, that guitar is great. Strong intro. #LIVINGTHINGS | Powerless - 8/10. #LIVINGTHINGS - 9/10. Brilliant. LOST IN THE ECHO is the best 'full song' opener in my opinion. The Requiem remains the best 'intro' opener (Wake being the other). If that makes sense. UNTIL IT BREAKS pulled a Blackout, by being fucking pro and slipping in the soft world, but it was much better throughout.
Not gonna write names, just numbers: 1) Probably the best track. Everything LP has done combined into one epic song. There's absolutely nothing bad about this track. Perfect balance. 2) Catchy as hell vocal lines, and nice, heavy, electronic instrumentation. I got a Somewhere-I-Belong feel from it. I loved the piano bridge. 3) Still love it. Not the deepest LP song there is, but it's fun to listen to, and that's what really matters! I'm glad it's the most radio-friendly track. Keep on tearing up the charts, BiD! 4) Awesome unique instrumentation; kind of like Wretches and Kings meets Hit the Floor. My favorite part is how Chester screams the final chorus instead of singing it. Adds much more to the track. 5) Beautiful and inspiring. Glad to see that the guitars aren't gone. This one should definitely be a single too. One of the best here. 6) Mike's vocals really shine here. I love the drum sound and acoustic guitar. Can't get the chorus out of my head. 7) Awesome song to work out to. This one took me a couple of listens to warm up to, but now I love it! It was way too short though, if there was more to the track, it would have lived up to the reviews' standards. Either way, this one's a face-melter. 8) Lyrically the best on the album. They touched a deep spot in my soul Reminds me of My DSMBR with all the chimes and everything. I love how the soft verses explode into the huge wordless chorus. Lyrically the best on the album. They touched a deep spot in my soul and almost made me cry. 9) This song has a really unique vibe to it. It sounds really dark and twisted, especially with the creepy-sounding "AAAHH"'s during the chorus. Anyway, the beats are great, and this song really stands out. 10) Another great song. Great rapping/verses by Mike along with another unique beat. I love how this song has no structure at all. That's a very good thing after all these years of a VCVCBC format. I love Chester's acapella chorus, and the beautiful outro with Brad on vocals. He does a great job for sure. 11) Awesome instrumental, but probably not their best. A lot of that though is probably due to the length of the song, which is too short. This was an enjoyable listen anyhow. 12) Simply beautiful. Beautiful vocals, beautiful lyrics, beautiful instrumental, just simply beautiful.