Lost in the Echo
When Linkin Park put their A Thousand Suns album out, I really liked it, appreciating its show of the band's musical evolution, amused by the way it was kind of their divorce album to a portion of their audience, and sadistically amused by how said members of their audience lost their minds, shown in part by the reviews at Amazon.com. For instance, one memorable review that said that when a band changes their sound this much they should change their band name so fans wouldn't be tricked into giving the album a try. (Poor listener, too delicate for this world.) Every album they put out should sound like Hybrid Theory and/or Meteora! We're going to pretend that the band doesn't shift its sound to varying degrees from album to album! (It seems that we're also going to ignore the albums where the band teams up with rappers for a far more rap-infused sound for being too "urban" to pay attention to!) For the most part it seemed to be a "love it or hate it" thing.
Apparently, this backlash worried Linkin Park somewhat, because before they put Living Things out they promised that it sounded more like their older sound. (They also frontloaded most of the older sounding songs at the beginning of the album.) The result? Some of the Thousand Suns fans are disappointed they didn't continue to go forward, while a lot of the people who want more Hybrid Theory and/or Meteora responded with "That's a lie; it's a trap!" You can't please everyone. At least reaction hasn't been as violent. I think it's a good album but I'm somewhat in the first camp because I enjoyed the ATS's audacity. On first listen Living Things sounds like a step backward from A Thousand Suns, though further listens show that it's more of a half step back since they still get some new sounds in, including moments that are almost folk. A lot of the songs are very catchy and singable, a plus for me. But I really didn't like "Victimized," which is an underdeveloped screamer, and "Until It Breaks," where the way the music sounds is actually painful to me.
The Amazon reviews for it can also be sadistically amusing at times. One guy says that he does understand that a band needs to evolve but not this much! One guy who likes the album a lot but is in the somewhat disappointed pro-ATS camp says that he was disappointed by "Lies Greed Misery" because the band had been moving forward morally but this song, about reacting and retaliating when someone goes too far and gets in your face too hard, is a major step back. Morally! How many people aside from members of parents' groups have that criteria for music? Besides, I really like "Lies Greed Misery."
Apparently, this backlash worried Linkin Park somewhat, because before they put Living Things out they promised that it sounded more like their older sound. (They also frontloaded most of the older sounding songs at the beginning of the album.) The result? Some of the Thousand Suns fans are disappointed they didn't continue to go forward, while a lot of the people who want more Hybrid Theory and/or Meteora responded with "That's a lie; it's a trap!" You can't please everyone. At least reaction hasn't been as violent. I think it's a good album but I'm somewhat in the first camp because I enjoyed the ATS's audacity. On first listen Living Things sounds like a step backward from A Thousand Suns, though further listens show that it's more of a half step back since they still get some new sounds in, including moments that are almost folk. A lot of the songs are very catchy and singable, a plus for me. But I really didn't like "Victimized," which is an underdeveloped screamer, and "Until It Breaks," where the way the music sounds is actually painful to me.
The Amazon reviews for it can also be sadistically amusing at times. One guy says that he does understand that a band needs to evolve but not this much! One guy who likes the album a lot but is in the somewhat disappointed pro-ATS camp says that he was disappointed by "Lies Greed Misery" because the band had been moving forward morally but this song, about reacting and retaliating when someone goes too far and gets in your face too hard, is a major step back. Morally! How many people aside from members of parents' groups have that criteria for music? Besides, I really like "Lies Greed Misery."