By snoadmin
One of the biggest challenges a band faces when creating a new record is deciding how it will evolve. A similar sound retains an audience, but a new sound can prove maturity and growth. Such was the dilemma facing Linkin Park, the seemingly sole survivors of the rap-rock genre, with its third studio album, “Minutes To Midnight,” which hits records stores today.
With its latest album, Linkin Park has all but abandoned rap-rock in favor of a new sound that is more dynamic and broad, but also has lost some of the edge the band had.
Part of the appeal of past Linkin Park albums was that many of the songs sounded similar, so if you liked one, chances are you liked them all. “Minutes To Midnight,” on the other hand, challenges the listener to look past the surface of the track, decipher the lyrics, discover the intricacies of each song and ultimately gain a message from the album.
Four years in the making, “Midnight” is a major departure from past LP material. Gone are the formulas that existed in the band’s past work, and in their place is an album with radically contrasting songs. The faster-paced, rap-metal-esque tracks are still present, but they are few and far between. Most of the album is composed of slower-paced, multi-layered songs.
In essence, this is Linkin Park with schizophrenia. One minute the band is leading a punk-inspired assault heard in “Given Up” immediately followed by a sorrow-ridden trek through lead singer Chester Bennington’s past a la “Leave Out All The Rest.” The pieces that give LP its unique sound are still present, but they are implemented in vastly different ways.
The most glaringly obvious change is the lack of mic time for MC Mike Shinoda. One of Linkin Park’s past trademarks was the vocal interplay between Shinoda and Bennington. But beside the track “Bleed It Out,” this signature of the band is absent.
Shinoda is still heavily involved in the music. He is credited with writing a majority of the songs and lyrics as well as playing keyboard and rhythm guitar on most of the songs. He also co-produced the album with legendary producer Rick Rubin.
When Shinoda does appear on a track, it is generally one of the better songs. The aforementioned “Bleed It Out” draws heavily from the past style of LP, and the hip-hop heavy “Hands Held High” features Shinoda at his finest, making a powerful political statement about the war in Iraq backed by a military drum beat.
Musically, the band has improved drastically, especially lead guitarist Brad Delson, who has solos for the first time on a Linkin Park album. Unlike past LP records, you can actually hear the bass this time around, and bassist Dave Farrell leads a song. Drummer Rob Bourdon continues to get tighter and more innovative behind the drum set.
With the changes in the band’s sound, DJ Joe Hahn has seen his contributions to the band change. His scratching is nearly non-existent, but he does contribute heavily with synth and atmospheric sounds on many of the slower songs.
And what about those slower songs? They are definitely in full force. Excluding the instrumental intro “Wake,” six out of the 12 songs on the album have a decidedly slow sound. Bennington takes center stage on most of these songs, producing some of the most powerful and beautiful vocals in recent memory. Bennington has had a tough past, and he holds nothing back with his singing and lyrics on “Midnight.”
Whether it be the U2-inspired “Shadow Of The Day,” the electronic beat coupled with reggae guitar of “In Pieces” or the emotional pop ballad “Valentine’s Day,” Linkin Park has a knack for making slow, catchy songs with some deep meaning.
Faster-paced songs such as the first single “What I’ve Done” shows that Linkin Park can still rock. And by far the heaviest song on the album, “No More Sorrow,” comes out of nowhere with its powerful screaming, heavily distorted riffs and thundering drums.
The album comes to a close with an extremely epic song. Clocking in at nearly six-and-a-half minutes, “The Little Things Give You Away,” is by far the biggest song LP has ever made, both in length and scope. An acoustic intro leads to a roaring chorus, a powerful solo by Delson and closes with an a cappella repetition of the chorus that is sure to stand the hairs on the back of your neck up. Lyrically, the song deals with the events of Hurricane Katrina and is by far the most powerful song that Linkin Park has ever made.
While it may be difficult to accept this new direction that Linkin Park has taken, the band members are still excellent at what they do. I don’t think there is a band out today that produces a more polished sounding record than Linkin Park, and with “Minutes To Midnight,” the band has shown growth and proven it can outlast the rap-rock fad.
Those hoping for a carbon copy of LP’s debut “Hybrid Theory” will most likely be disappointed with the new sound the band has, but once listeners get over the initial shock that comes along with such an abrupt change, “Minutes To Midnight” can be appreciated for what it is: a solid record from a band that is here to stay.
