New Music Review: Linkin Park - "Living Things"

5/5 Stars

Ah, Linkin Park, how far you've come. Regardless of whether you were a fan on the early Linkin park Albums, or have gotten into them as their newer sound emerged, I really think that the fans will come together on this album. Living things a seriously impressive offering from the band that sounds like a strange mix of "Hybrid Theory" and "A Thousand Suns", first focusing on the sound the band started putting out over the last 5 years or so and then quickly melting into the old. Every now and then I hear what sounds like an early riff or pattern in the background (style-wise), and it makes me remember what got me into the band in the first place. Linkin Park (Or Hybrid Theory as they were initially known) didn't feel polished or overly mixed. The tracks were raw and a little distorted at times, if not a downright mess, but it was amazing, because we were able to see the love and dedication they had for their music and fans. Living Things is more electronic, but it uses that same pure energy they began with to come back around, and it's beautiful. I will say that lengthwise, it feels a bit rushed, and almost like the band was trying to race through it at just over 37 minutes for a 12 track album, but it flows together nicely. This is clearly meant to be "A Thousand Suns, Part 2" if you listen closely towards the end of the album as they sample a little of the previous album's instrumental and also have the same kind of interval tracks as with the last. All in all I'd give the album a 5/5. I'd very much like to see an EP of some sort, or a few singles released later this year in the same style, even if they are just remixes or demos. When the album drops next week, please pick up a copy, this is well worth a listen. And Linkin Park, thanks for releasing this one, I think it may actually be one of the top albums of the year. I'm on my fourth listen of the album as I write this...

Tracklist:

1. Lost in the Echo (3:25)

2. In My Remains (3:20)

3. Burn It Down (3:50)

4. Lies Greed Misery (2:27)

5. I'll Be Gone (3:31)

6. Castle Of Glass

7. Victimized (1:46)

8. Roads Untraveled (3:49)

9. Skin To Bone (2:48)

10. Until It Breaks (3:43)

11. Tinfoil (1:11)

12. Powerless (3:44)

(And if you decided it was somehow faster to order from Japan rather than wait a couple days...)

13. What I've Done (Live) (4:04) (Again, this was for Japan's release)

Profanity: 1/5 (I don't think they even had swearing on this album...)

Sexual Content: 1/5 (Nope)

Violence: 1/5 (Hahahahah..haha..haaa)