It's always been pretty easy to bag on Linkin Park. They materialized during a brief pocket of time in the early 00s right as boy bands were fading from view and rap and hip hop acts like 50 Cent and Outkast were about to sweep the nation. They've always been successful (their debut album - 2000's Hybrid Theory - went Diamond) and they remain both solvent and relevant long after their nu metal peers (KoRn, Limp Bizkit, Evanescence) have disappeared off the pop culture radar. They always seem to have a hit single ready for the latest summer blockbuster (on this album, "The Catalyst" is a marketing tie-in with this Fall's "Medal of Honor" by EA) and for at least their first disc, their lyrics were family friendly, too. Linkin Park was the ultimate sell a decade ago, so it's always been easy to make the accusation that they're an assembled band.
Album Review: Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns (Rock/Electronic)
Zune Social: tfx |
By: N Pfeifer | 9/21/2010 |
Hybrid Theory arrived in my life at the perfect time: sophomore year of high school. Co-frontman/producer Mike Shinoda rapped while Chester Bennington yelled and screamed angsty lyrics against a slick rock/electronic beat. I never quite fell in love with their 2003 follow-up, Meteora, which sounded too much like its predecessor while also lacking its novelty. The group teamed up with legendary superproducer Rick Rubin for 2007's Minutes to Midnight, which ended up being a drastic change in tone for them, minimizing production and emphasizing guitar over turntable. Again, I didn't quite fall in love with it, but I appreciated the direction they wanted to take.
It's then a bit of a shock that A Thousand Suns (also produced with Rubin) exceeded my expectations, sounding far closer to their debut while also coming off as a disc from a maturing rock band whose members are approaching their mid-30s. (Perhaps it's also a conceit that MTM went a bit too far to minimize the LP sound.) Mike still raps about silly stuff ("I'm not a robot / I'm not a monkey / I won't dance / even if the beat's funky") while Chester's scratchy voice on "The Messenger" reminds us that he's been screaming into microphones for over a decade now. The album revolves around a strong anti-war theme, which comes off as a bit contrived considering the US has been at war for the better part of their careers, but at times it works quite well: the slow degradation of a Martin Luther King Jr. speech is chillingly effective.
There aren't any strong fist-pumping anthems here (like HT's "One Step Closer" or Meteora's "Faint") but the album has a strong cinematic sound, feeling much grander than their previous work. (There's even a reprise!) Piano tracks and Chester's cooing are laid throughout the album, leaving the impression that LP has mellowed out - and they certainly have - but when it's time to pick up the pace, tracks like the Arabian-themed "When They Come For Me", the march of "The Catalyst", or the HT throwback "Blackout" are great.
It's obvious that there are some very talented guys here and it seems they're finally getting some breathing room to express themselves (the tracks last an extra 30 seconds longer on average than HT). I suppose they will always be stylistically bound to the stuff that got them popular and successful (and the radio stations that don't appreciate tracks longer than four minutes), but if they can continue to maximize their future work by trying out new, weird stuff (think: latter day Incubus) then there's no real reason LP can't be popular and successful forever.
Favorite Tracks: "When They Come For Me", "Robot Boy", "Blackout"
Verdict: Pass On It / Meh / Get it
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