People are always surprised when I tell them the only gig I have ever been to in my life is a Linkin Park concert (I've since embarrassingly been to one other concert which I feel is too embarrassing to disclose, but at least I didn't have to pay for it!). I think i can sort of see their point. For one thing, I am generally into r & b (which you will probably have noticed have you read any of my previous cd reviews). For another, I have blonde hair and wear a lot of pink. None of these defining characteristics immediately shout "Linkin Park fan"!
And, I guess that I myself am not sure why I like them either. I know a lot of people describe their type of music as "shouting and noise" and, to some extent, it is that. But it's so much more as well. Their songs actually seem to MEAN something, their singer can sing ten times better than he shouts (and his shouting is of a fairly high quality too!), and at times they have a slightly out-of-place hip-hop quality that makes them stand out from other bands of their type. I want to stress here, that I am not generally into this type of music at all - Linkin Park is an exception!
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Linkin Park consist of the following members: Chester Benington - vocals Rob Bourdon - drums Brad Delson - guitars Joseph Hahn - Records, sampling Phoenix - Bass Mike Shinoda - Emcee, vocals, sampling The song-writing is credited to Linkin Park as a whole on the album, but it seems to be Mike and Chester who are the main writers.
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I never owned their first album ("Hybrid Theory")because
when it came out, I still lived at home and my brother had it (and I was a student, so needed to save money, not spend it!!!). But when Meteora was released, I really wanted to buy it, because I loved the first song to be released from it, "Somewhere I Belong", and I had a feeling it would be even better than their debut album. So I eventually got it for Christmas last year and settled down for a nice relaxing (ha!) listen . . .
The songs tend to follow a certain formula. They start off slowly and almost peacefully for the first few bars and then grow louder and rockier. There tends to be a combination of singing, shouting and rapping in each song following various patterns - a rapped verse and sung chorus; a part-rapped, part sung verse and screamed chorus, or so on. But, in spite of this, the songs are always different. Here are what are, in my opinion, the best tracks on the album.
DON'T STAY
This follows one of the standard formats - both verses and chorus sung by Chester with occasional shout-rapping done over the main chorus. This song reminds me a little of "One Step Closer" in that respect, as well as in the general music style.
SOMEWHERE I BELONG
This is a fairly slow song with a very infectious but depressed-sounding hook. Apparently, Mike and Chester wrote 30 different choruses for this before they found the one they finally used. I think it was worth the effort though.
LYING FROM YOU
This tune contains slightly disjointed beats and a fairly equal ratio of singing to rapping. It has a fantastic angry chorus in which the emotion seems real, and the feeling of being trapped is intensified by this emotion.
EASIER TO RUN
This is slightly reminiscent of "Crawling" in terms of the mood of the music and Chester's vocals, but it contains more rapping. According to information contained in the cd inlay, the lyrics emerged from a free-writing exercise that Chester performed and these lyrics seem quite meaningful, perhaps in response to his past (I believe he had a very tough childhood and adolescence) - he talks about
"wounds so deep they never show they never go away like moving pictures in my head for years and years they've played"
The song focuses on the fact that it's easier to run than face the pain in one's life. I'm not sure if this is running away in the literal sense or whether it is a metaphor for something else to block out the pain (drugs, for example?)
FAINT
This is another of the single releases and it really does not sound like any other song around. The beat has been speeded up to 135 beats per minute and the verses are rapped furiously over the top, with Chester scream-singing the chorus. The song is only 2 minutes and 42 seconds long and listening to it is fairly exhausting as it is so full of energy. A great, really unique track.
BREAKING THE HABIT
This is, in my opinion, the best song on the album - ironic, really, as it probably follows their "formula" most loosely. It never gets loud and rocky and the music seems almost upbeat in spite of the fairly depressing content of the lyrics.
Basically a tune which combines a traditional sound of strings and pianos, with a beat which has been difitally manipulated, it manages to be an unbelievably catchy yet meaningful song. I am not completely sure what it is about (I looked into it and found an entire thread on a website where people discussed their interpretation of it) but popular theories are self-harm, or suicide.
Momentarily the typical "anger" resurfaces in the final verse as Chester screams
"I'll paint it on the walls 'Cause I'm the one at fault I'll never fight again And this is how it ends".
At this point you can hear the raw emotion in his voice and it is so effective. I don't think another song has ever got under my skin so deeply.
FROM THE INSIDE
Back to the formulaic Linkin park with the rocky beats and a fairly bitter chorus ("Cos I swear for the last time, I won't trust myself with you") where you can feel the rage in Chester's voice.
NOBODY'S LISTENING
The most hip-hop of songs on the album, this reminds me a bit of the song Mike Shinoda collaborated on with the X-men a couple of years back ("It's Going Down". It commences with a Japanese flute which continues in the background of the entire song. This slight oriental style is mixed in with expertly timed "scratching", vaguely menacing drum beats and rapped verses combined with a screaming chorus. This would by far be the easiest song to dance to on the album!!! (Don't know how relevant that is though.)
NUMB
The introductory guitar hook grabs you immediately and slow defeated verses give way to a faster-paced, angrier chorus which is extremely singalongable (is that a word?)
"I've become so numb, i can't feel you there Become so tired, so much more aware I'm becoming this, all I want to do Is be more like me and be less like you."
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The content of the cd inlay is fairly interesting as, not only do we have the lyrics(a vital ingredient to any album, I'm sure we will all agree), there is also interesting information about the making, or recording, of each of the tracks (which is where I got some of the information I supplied on the tracks). This allows you to get into the creativity process a little, which makes the songs even more interesting. The inlay also contains some interesting graphics and artwork, which apparently you can find out more about on the band's official website.
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Do I recommend this album? Definitely! It is full of great and highly original songs, and isn't afraid to experiment with different styles. Chester Benington has one of the best voices around and it really seems like he MEANS what he is singing, which is a refreshing change - his voice sends shivers up and down my spine.
It doesn't matter if you don't generally like that type of music. When I went to their concert, I was surprised at the varied range of fans. There's the small kids, who more than likely don't understand the emotional content, but like the catchiness of the songs. There's the "headbangers", who are attracted by the rocky quality of the majority of the music. Then there are the people like me, who just can identify with the emotion and anger in the songs. You don't need to appreciate this general type of music to like Linkin Park or enjoy this album. Angry music can help calm you down on the days when you just want to relieve some stress and this album is one of the best stress-relievers around. Everyone feels pain and anger at times, and therefore everyone can see their own feelings within their songs and identify with them. Therefore I would definitely recommend it to everyone!
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"Meteora" costs £8.75 from cdwow, £9.99 from play and £9.99 from amazon (used and new from £4.81).
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
this isnt my usual taste either, but im foreva stealing the album from my lil bro, and am planning to review it wen i hav less coursework! luv rach
Belle 12.01.2005 13:58
That is a surprise, as you said, it is a little different from your usual taste judging by your latest ops. It's odd though, Linken Park seem to appeal to a wider range than a lot of the rock groups do - my best friend is hip hop and r n b queen, and yet she loves Linken Park too... strange... K xxx
Meteora, Linkin Park's second studio effort (not counting the 2002 remix ... more
albumReanimation), overflows with glossy production values and Big Rock oomph, fully embracing the pop instincts of theirHybrid Theorydebut. For many,Theorysounded inexcusably cor...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Meteora, Linkin Park's second studio effort (not counting the 2002 remix ... more
albumReanimation), overflows with glossy production values and Big Rock oomph, fully embracing the pop instincts of theirHybrid Theorydebut. For many,Theorysounded inexcusably cor...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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