25 Records of Christmas, Day 2: Linkin Park

I've been listening to Linkin Park since high school. They started in 1996, and I graduated from high school in 2005. So they stuck through high school with me, in a way. They were one of those bands I could always come to when I was upset, and their music met me in a place I didn't like being in. In a way, part of their music helped me continue on, knowing that someone had been going through the same things I had been. Fast forward to today. Through a lot of criticism, the band is still here. They've completely restructured their band, from the ground up. Minutes to Midnight (2007) was a step past (and away) from the first two albums. Many people still wish they would go back to the way they were. I have to admit, even I thought the same at one point.
I hated A Thousand Suns (2010) when it first came out. I was mad. As a fan, I thought I was getting gipped with 9 songs and a bunch of interludes that didn't mean much. A year later, I found it to be probably of the best records I've ever heard. I couldn't have been more wrong. A Thousand Suns is one of those records that captures a moment, a feeling in time. Because of this drastic change, I knew that whatever the band came out with next, I'd be listening to and was prepared for my opinion to change.

Living Things, according to Rolling Stone, is the band's strongest cohesive material since their debut album. I have to wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Elements from previous albums (including the first two) appear on Living Things, but this is not the Linkin Park I grew up on. I'd say they're better. They've matured. They're further musically and lyrically than ever before.

Linkin Park started in 1996, based out of Agoura Hills, CA.

I have to admit, when I heard the first song, "Lost In The Echo", I thought we were in for what could possibly be my favorite album of the year. Had every track been like that one, I would have been excited, but it would have become stale over time. The songs on Living Things incorporate all of the pieces that makes Linkin Park not your average rock band. More electronic elements, which is what pop music has turned into, are explicitly present. But the ballads, and softer parts of the album, are where Linkin Park shines.

If you will let it, the album will transport you to another place. "Castle of Glass" is probably my favorite track here, with its simple harmonies and powerful background music. "Powerless" is another song for lead singer Chester Bennington to prove his vocal chops, and it's certainly nothing to sneeze at. The album has a bit of a sporadic feel to it, with some of the songs not really fitting when it comes to the order, but that doesn't take away from the overall album.

Unlike many die-hard Linkin Park fans, I have embraced their change willingly. If you've been a fan for a long time and hated anything but the old stuff, please do yourself a favor and listen to Living Things.  It's a brilliant album and only adds to what the group has accomplished over the past few years. I'm all about a band getting back to basics, but experimentation is part of music. It always has been. So why is there so much damnation for a band that doesn't want to get stuck in the bubble? They've proven their worth already.