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Like any teaser I could write would bring more hits then the name of the band…
I’m a big Linkin Park fan. They are THE band that got me listening to music. They are the reason I started buying CDs, the reason I paid attention to the radio, the reason I write for this site. The catalyst for my interest in music was a song called “One Step Closer”. So at 12:30am on 03.25.03, as I stood in line for Meteora, their first truly new content in years, I wondered “will this CD disappoint?” Now 6:13am, I believe I know the answer.
Very conscious of a possible bias, since I have such an anticipation for this CD, I cleared my mind of preferences and listened to the CD, not as if it was the newest release from my favorite act, but as if it was an entirely new band with no preconceptions attached. And what I heard shocked me.
Through the opening to the CD and the first musical beginnings rock, they definitely have a harder edge to their music. Bennington, the lead singer, has definitely developed his own voice, and for better or for worse, him and Shinoda (the lead rapper) are now very distinguishable from each other. Additionally, the tracks are much more rock then electronica, a very large diversion from earlier Hybrid Theory and Reanimation. This is not necessarily a good thing. The new sound, although obviously much more live-event friendly, but it doesn’t sound like Linkin Park. But it does, at the same time.
See, Linkin Park’s mission-statement is to break down the boundaries that exist in music, creating a blend of many different styles and forms. Hybrid Theory did this, although not perfectly, and Reanimation continued this trend. This CD, however, seems less a blend of the two styles then both charging full-on forward at the same time. Some tracks, like “Somewhere I Belong” and “Easier to Run” seem very much like Linkin Park’s standard fare, while others, like “Nobody’s Listening” are more of their pre-LP stuff, i.e., more hip-hop with a singer.
I didn’t exceptionally like this CD at first. I very much felt it was a 6.0. So, like every other CD I plan on rating poorly, I did the only sensible thing: I listened to it again. I now realize that the first time through I just didn’t get it.
Hybrid Theory was unique because every track was essentially a radio-ready single with a catchy hook and loads of “kick-ass”. This CD isn’t radio-ready. Some of the songs would NOT make good singles. But, the more I listen to this CD, the more it grows on me. The songs on here are better then the previous CD, although maybe not as mainstream friendly. Whereas Hybrid Theory instantly made me love it, this CD didn’t. This CD isn’t Hybrid Theory, and I’m sure some will say it isn’t even Linkin Park. But no one ever said that makes it bad.
The songs on Hybrid Theory drove emotion into with a pitchfork. The songs on Meteora don’t. This isn’t about releasing some tortured pain, for the most part. This is about being good music, about blending not just rock, hip-hop, and rap, but other forms of music too. And on that account, Linkin Park succeeded. Fans expecting the old Linkin Park may be disappointed, but I would suggest they do what I did: listen to it again. And again. Each time through, I loved each song more and more. Each time through, I found more I liked.
The first time through, I liked just the 2nd half of the CD. The second, I liked it all, and many of the tracks on the second half stayed with me after the CD ended. The third, I began to wonder why I had thought the CD was bad. It may not be the best CD of all time, but no one said it had to be. This CD is different from what you may expect if you’ve listened to LP for a long time, but it is definitely good. Very good.
Pick this up and test it out. If you don’t like it by the second listen, give it to someone else. I guarantee they will.
