The LIVING THINGS Leak

[Jesper]

Love the album, best album for me since Meteora, I love all their albums though, they are all very different from eachother beside HT and Meteora

[Qwerty18]

I think MtM can be easily categorized as an alternative rock album..

That's what I was about to say!

[Logo85]

I am still going to wait until the album actually drops. I didn't even listen to Lies Greed Misery when LPA got the okay by Shinoda to leak it. I'm strong and I can wait =)

[jakolp]

Ok, here we go.. Time for a review I think..

 

LOST IN THE ECHO

First song of the album. It starts with a heavy beat and a heavy guitar. Shinoda then starts rapping over the beat, Chester singing some harmonies in the background until we get to the chorus which is catchy and melodic. The song has a really energetic vibe and when the bridge hits, Chester screams his lungs out, the beat suddenly changes, we have some scratches from Mr. Hahn and distorted guitars, the music builds up, mike starts rapping again and the chorus on more time. For sure the most energetic opener LP have ever recorded and one of the best of the album. Everything happens fast and without realizing it you find yourself headbanging.

 

Great song.

IN MY REMAINS

Probably meant for a single. We have some scratches for Hahn and then Delson leads us to Chester singing with a beat and piano in the background. Chorus. Guitars starts playing again and Chester seems to be in a very good shape, producing one the best choruses of the album along with I'LL BE GONE. The bridge has some military drums and Mike singing "Like an army falling, one by one by one". The music builds up and Chester joins Mike until he takes the lead. Chorus again with Mike in the background singing "one by one by one".

 

Pretty good song, hit single with no doubt.

BURN IT DOWN

All you pretty much know about this song. Maybe the weakest of the album but again, catchy. We have guitars, scratches, heavy drums, synth piano, mike rapping and again a song that you can never know how much is going on until you listen to it multiple times. It could be more unique I think.

 

Meant for a single.

LIES GREED MISERY

The song starts with an electro sample and then Mike starts rapping on a heavy distorted beat. Chorus hits, Chester singing "I wanna see you choke on your lies" with a distorted guitar on the background. All that until the bridge. Song slows down and Chester repeats "You did to yourself" again again as the song build up to the point everything goes insane. Screams, guitars, beats all at the same time.

 

A party song despite the weird, full of hate lyrics. Pretty quick.

 

I'LL BE GONE

It starts slow with a melancholic vibe but that doesn't last longer than 10 seconds. Once again Brad leads us to Chester singing in a slower rhythm than the intro. The chorus is great, fast, energetic and Chester does a great job delivering it. The second verse sounds a bit louder, more instruments make their appearance until the chorus comes again. The bridge seems epic, slower than the chorus and fits well with the song. Chorus is repeated until the end of the song.

 

Another possible single around the lines of Alternative Rock with lots of influences from the MTM era.

 

CASTLE OF GLASS

Here's where the heavy experimentation shows up. A groovy intro nothing like everything we have ever heard, Mike singing slowly only to a beat and some background melodies and the beat gets heavier until the chorus which is sang by Mike and Chester. Acoustic guitar is also noticeable. The chorus ends and drums and synths steps up the pace of the song. Mike continues to sing slowly. The second verse seems smaller. Chorus one more time and then a guitar plays the rhythm of the song giving it a very groovy vibe and suddenly Chester sings almost acapella but only for a second until all the 6 guys together close the song.

 

Heavy experimentation, really well delivered and a groovy song. Mike surprisingly is doing a really good job lead singing.

VICTIMIZED

The most anticipated song of the album. Everyone expected heavy guitars and Chester screaming for almost two minutes. Forget it. The song is nothing like that but then again it's easily the craziest song LP have ever composed. Heavy drums, guitars playing a weird riff, a sample from a speech, mike singing, Chester screaming, Mike rapping, distorted beats and Chester screaming some more. All that in under two minutes.

 

The song is a great idea but it is a little bit rushed. It could be way better.

ROADS UNTRAVELED

The first ballad of the album. Bells ringing, piano playing a slow rhythm and Mike again lead singing. Heavy lyrics, emotionally charged. Chester doing some backing vocals and drums every now and then. The chorus is melodic with Chester singing "Ooooh ooooh" and even when you listen to it for the first time you can't help but sing along. Guitar builds up the song without ruining the melody and the emotion. And then suddenly everything stops. Chester singing the second verse with Mike until the music stops for a second. The song powers up again and the Oh's start one more time and you can't help but sing one more time.

 

Amazing ballad, one of LP's best.

SKIN TO BONE

Mike continues the lead singing in this album over a weird electro beat and distorted guitars flying all over the song. Again the singing seems a little bit slower than the beat. Chester sings along with Mike at what might be considered the chorus. This song might be the worst on the album at the lyric section. But it seems like it was written to have fun with the groovy vibe and start some kind of weird dancing around it.

 

Small song, well paced. Lyrically the weakest point of the album.

UNTIL IT BREAKS

The most controversial song of the album. You either hate it or love it. Mike rapping FM-style to a heavy beat and then out of the sudden we have Chester singing the chorus with in a folk way, folk lyrics, and only a piano playing in the background. Beats starts again and Mike starts spreading his flow all over the song. Second chorus comes in. Or not. LP decided to do something different. Brad starts singing in a melodic way with the company of some rhythmic drums and some kind of violins and that's how the song ends.

 

Really weird song. For some the worst, for others the best. Requires multiple hearings.

 

TINFOIL/POWERLESS

A piano repeating a rhythm as TINFOIL plays. Weird drums and melodies in the background it seems like you are traveling in space. And that's the beautiful intro of POWERLESS of what is one of the most beautiful ballads of LP. Slow piano and Chester takes the lead in the singing section. "And I was by your side... powerless". And then song starts to build up. The TINFOIL-based melody starts playing along with the piano and the chorus one more time. The song is getting more powerful after every second and you'll find yourself smiling with no reason. The song ends with Mike singing "oooh oooh" and Chester almost screaming "Powerless".

 

Amazing outro, the best outro of any LP's album.

 

OVERALL OPINION

The album is really really good. It has everything LP has ever done but is based more on the MTM era. I won't go as far as to say it's the best LP album, but for sure they have some of their best melodies in that album. Full of energy, does not get you bored, it keeps your attention for the whole 37 minutes.

This album is a "journey" and it's meant to be listened as a whole.

 

Best song: LOST IN THE ECHO

Worst song: BURN IT DOWN

Edited June 16, 2012 by jakolp

[Orcalinkinpark]

For those who either didint listen to it or listened to one or two songs, trying not to spoil it for themselves. Stay Strong.. keep it special for when it comes out.. Im here with you jumping off the walls for the 26th to come already..

 

But guys I couldnt help to think.. LP may be testing us, maybe THEY allowed apple to make a small leak.. then again i wouldt put past shinoda for it. i mean think about it.. He hasnt said nothing yet.. no "damage control" meanwhile wasnt "waiting for the end" was leaked by one of the band members

 

im trying to remember..

Edited June 16, 2012 by LP Mermaid

[Numbrocker]

For those who either didint listen to it or listened to one or two songs, trying not to spoil it for themselves. Stay Strong.. keep it special for when it comes out.. Im here with you jumping off the walls for the 26th to come already..

 

But guys I couldnt help to think.. LP may be testing us, maybe THEY allowed apple to make a small leak.. then again i wouldt put past shinoda for it. i mean think about it.. He hasnt said nothing yet.. no "damage control" meanwhile wasnt "waiting for the end" was leaked by one of the band members

 

im trying to remember..

You post this on LPA? I'm getting a strong deja vu reading this.

 

I'd bet money that LP did NOT intend this, and is most definitely not testing the fans. How could they test them anyways? Do we get flagged as "bad fans" for listening, even though a lot of people I know who have preordered the album on the first day and are going to multiple shows?

[Orcalinkinpark]

Nope this is me talking in my medicated state (yep iv and all), im not apart of LPA.. just here. Your not a 'bad fan" at all.

 

but there are those who want to keep from listening to the entire album, Im trying to let them know their not alone out there either.

 

Im just saying you never know.. things can happen..

Edited June 16, 2012 by LP Mermaid

[klp237]

Nice review

[jakolp]

Nice review

Thanks!!

[Ree]

@LP Mermaid - No, the iTunes stream was 100% NOT intentional. iTunes just fucked up there.

 

Dear God, I love everything about this album. This is the first time I actually like EVERY song off a Linkin Park album. Good stuff.

[lp_mohd]

from my first listen :

 

01. LOST IN THE ECHO 10\10

02. IN MY REMAINS 8\10

03. BURN IT DOWN 8\10

04. LIES GREED MISERY 7\10

05. I'LL BE GONE 8\10

06. CASTLE OF GLASS 9\10

07. VICTIMIZED 9\10

08. ROADS UNTRAVELED 7\10

09. SKIN TO BONE 6\10

10. UNTIL IT BREAKS 2\10

11. TINFOIL 6\10

12. POWERLES 8\10

more better than ATS

[TheProfessor]

This album is simply polarizing me... I need more time with it. It's some very interesting stuff here. Linkin Park never ceases to amaze with their stuff, that's for sure.

[Logo85]

Ok, here we go.. Time for a review I think..

 

LOST IN THE ECHO

First song of the album. It starts with a heavy beat and a heavy guitar. Shinoda then starts rapping over the beat, Chester singing some harmonies in the background until we get to the chorus which is catchy and melodic. The song has a really energetic vibe and when the bridge hits, Chester screams his lungs out, the beat suddenly changes, we have some scratches from Mr. Hahn and distorted guitars, the music builds up, mike starts rapping again and the chorus on more time. For sure the most energetic opener LP have ever recorded and one of the best of the album. Everything happens fast and without realizing it you find yourself headbanging.

 

Great song.

IN MY REMAINS

Probably meant for a single. We have some scratches for Hahn and then Delson leads us to Chester singing with a beat and piano in the background. Chorus. Guitars starts playing again and Chester seems to be in a very good shape, producing one the best choruses of the album along with I'LL BE GONE. The bridge has some military drums and Mike singing "Like an army falling, one by one by one". The music builds up and Chester joins Mike until he takes the lead. Chorus again with Mike in the background singing "one by one by one".

 

Pretty good song, hit single with no doubt.

BURN IT DOWN

All you pretty much know about this song. Maybe the weakest of the album but again, catchy. We have guitars, scratches, heavy drums, synth piano, mike rapping and again a song that you can never know how much is going on until you listen to it multiple times. It could be more unique I think.

 

Meant for a single.

LIES GREED MISERY

The song starts with an electro sample and then Mike starts rapping on a heavy distorted beat. Chorus hits, Chester singing "I wanna see you choke on your lies" with a distorted guitar on the background. All that until the bridge. Song slows down and Chester repeats "You did to yourself" again again as the song build up to the point everything goes insane. Screams, guitars, beats all at the same time.

 

A party song despite the weird, full of hate lyrics. Pretty quick.

 

I'LL BE GONE

It starts slow with a melancholic vibe but that doesn't last longer than 10 seconds. Once again Brad leads us to Chester singing in a slower rhythm than the intro. The chorus is great, fast, energetic and Chester does a great job delivering it. The second verse sounds a bit louder, more instruments make their appearance until the chorus comes again. The bridge seems epic, slower than the chorus and fits well with the song. Chorus is repeated until the end of the song.

 

Another possible single around the lines of Alternative Rock with lots of influences from the MTM era.

 

CASTLE OF GLASS

Here's where the heavy experimentation shows up. A groovy intro nothing like everything we have ever heard, Mike singing slowly only to a beat and some background melodies and the beat gets heavier until the chorus which is sang by Mike and Chester. Acoustic guitar is also noticeable. The chorus ends and drums and synths steps up the pace of the song. Mike continues to sing slowly. The second verse seems smaller. Chorus one more time and then a guitar plays the rhythm of the song giving it a very groovy vibe and suddenly Chester sings almost acapella but only for a second until all the 6 guys together close the song.

 

Heavy experimentation, really well delivered and a groovy song. Mike surprisingly is doing a really good job lead singing.

VICTIMIZED

The most anticipated song of the album. Everyone expected heavy guitars and Chester screaming for almost two minutes. Forget it. The song is nothing like that but then again it's easily the craziest song LP have ever composed. Heavy drums, guitars playing a weird riff, a sample from a speech, mike singing, Chester screaming, Mike rapping, distorted beats and Chester screaming some more. All that in under two minutes.

 

The song is a great idea but it is a little bit rushed. It could be way better.

ROADS UNTRAVELED

The first ballad of the album. Bells ringing, piano playing a slow rhythm and Mike again lead singing. Heavy lyrics, emotionally charged. Chester doing some backing vocals and drums every now and then. The chorus is melodic with Chester singing "Ooooh ooooh" and even when you listen to it for the first time you can't help but sing along. Guitar builds up the song without ruining the melody and the emotion. And then suddenly everything stops. Chester singing the second verse with Mike until the music stops for a second. The song powers up again and the Oh's start one more time and you can't help but sing one more time.

 

Amazing ballad, one of LP's best.

SKIN TO BONE

Mike continues the lead singing in this album over a weird electro beat and distorted guitars flying all over the song. Again the singing seems a little bit slower than the beat. Chester sings along with Mike at what might be considered the chorus. This song might be the worst on the album at the lyric section. But it seems like it was written to have fun with the groovy vibe and start some kind of weird dancing around it.

 

Small song, well paced. Lyrically the weakest point of the album.

UNTIL IT BREAKS

The most controversial song of the album. You either hate it or love it. Mike rapping FM-style to a heavy beat and then out of the sudden we have Chester singing the chorus with in a folk way, folk lyrics, and only a piano playing in the background. Beats starts again and Mike starts spreading his flow all over the song. Second chorus comes in. Or not. LP decided to do something different. Brad starts singing in a melodic way with the company of some rhythmic drums and some kind of violins and that's how the song ends.

 

Really weird song. For some the worst, for others the best. Requires multiple hearings.

 

TINFOIL/POWERLESS

A piano repeating a rhythm as TINFOIL plays. Weird drums and melodies in the background it seems like you are traveling in space. And that's the beautiful intro of POWERLESS of what is one of the most beautiful ballads of LP. Slow piano and Chester takes the lead in the singing section. "And I was by your side... powerless". And then song starts to build up. The TINFOIL-based melody starts playing along with the piano and the chorus one more time. The song is getting more powerful after every second and you'll find yourself smiling with no reason. The song ends with Mike singing "oooh oooh" and Chester almost screaming "Powerless".

 

Amazing outro, the best outro of any LP's album.

 

OVERALL OPINION

The album is really really good. It has everything LP has ever done but is based more on the MTM era. I won't go as far as to say it's the best LP album, but for sure they have some of their best melodies in that album. Full of energy, does not get you bored, it keeps your attention for the whole 37 minutes.

This album is a "journey" and it's meant to be listened as a whole.

 

Best song: LOST IN THE ECHO

Worst song: BURN IT DOWN

When the album gets released, I am going to have this up on my computer and go through it as I listen to Living Things for the first time. Just reading this review made me smile =)

[felipeintheend]

YEAH! What a good album!

 

Congrats to LP and all the producers

 

Now i'm in love with them again haha

[jakolp]

When the album gets released, I am going to have this up on my computer and go through it as I listen to Living Things for the first time. Just reading this review made me smile =)

Thanks a lot! I did my best to deliver the feeling of the songs and give my opinion on them..

[Geki]

Ok, I listened to the iTunes stream the second it was posted, and I downloaded the album shortly thereafter. I've listened to the album front to back now all day yesterday and all day today so far. I think I'm going to give me review of the album...

 

LITE: Amazing track. One of my favorite LP tracks of all time. Aggressive, in your fucking face, and Mike and Chester deliver on this song. Mike's raps are insane. The guitar is amazing. The chorus is one of the best melodies I've ever heard in a Linkin Park song. Chester's screaming gave my ears a hard orgasm.

 

IMR: Possibly my favorite track from the album. I love the moody atmosphere of the song, and I love when Mike and Chester sing ''Like an army falling one by one by one'' at the end of the song. The lyrics are deep and emotional, very heartfelt song IMO. I love it. I can see it being a strong single.

 

BID: No need for a review, I've reviewed it in April.

 

LGM: Also, no need for review, I reviewed it last month.

 

IBG: Very moody track as well, I love it. I love the guitar and once again, I love the lyrics. Not as strong of a melody as I thought the track would have, but I love it. Punchy chorus. I could see it being a single.

 

COG: One of my favorite tracks on the album. Mike absolutely kills it in this song, and so does Chester. Amazing melody. I love the eerie feel of the song. It's really catchy and dark sounding. I love the folk inspiration as well.

 

VICTIMIZED: Holy shit, the first time I played this song, I started punching shit in my room from the excitement and also because of how angry this song is. It makes me want to stomp someone's face in to this song. It's crazy. Crazy heavy and I LOVE Mike's verse. Wish it was longer, but still a great song.

 

RU: I love this song. I love the folk inspiration again as well. Mike delivers. The lyrics are really different for a LP song, but I like that about the song. Very emotional, soft, introverted song. I dig it.

 

STB: Not a lot of people like this one. I for one, love it. The melody is crazy catchy and the lyrics are cool. Not amazing lyrics in this one, but I still like them. It sounds like an ATS b-side which is a good thing.

 

UIB: Biggest gamechanger of CD for me. I love it though. My favorite verse is the verse that Mike has been rapping over WFTE. I like it better on the album than live. I love his swagger in this track. Also, Brad singing, fucking awesome. Never thought I'd hear that on a LP album in my life. Amazing. Very sleepy, weird, song. It feels like you're on drugs listening to it. Very ATS just like STB.

 

TINFOIL: Cool instrumental, short track though. More or less just an intro to POWERLESS. I love it. Not much to say about it.

 

POWERLESS: Possibly my favorite song on the album. Actually, it is. Chester's very heartfelt, emotional performance makes this song what it is. Makes me think it's about his divorce. I could cry listening to it. The chorus is strong. The verses are even stronger. I love when he starts singing ''powerless'' higher and higher at the end of the song. Makes me think if the original demo was from the MTM sessions, made it to the ATS sessions, and then was completed during the LT sessions. Great closer, not as epic as TLTGYA, but the second strongest closer.

 

Overall, I absolutely love this entire album. Not one bad track for me. I would say the weakest track for me is probably LGM. I liked it at first, but it feels lackluster compared to the other tracks IMO. I think this may very well be my favorite LP album, it may even beat MTM for me. It's absolutely amazing. It goes to show that LP can still make a great album without taking 3 years a cycle. Something new for LP. I can't wait to see these songs live... Thank you Linkin Park for making an amazing album. I ordered 3 copies of the album, so I paid for it. Just wanted to listen to it early, I was going crazy. Sorry Mike!

[gorast]

After probably ten or eleven run-throughs, my opinions have changed somewhat:

 

LOST IN THE ECHO is a good, solid LP-formula track, with more electronica than what we're used to considering the formula. One thing I noticed is that the chorus is what gives the song its personal context; without them, Mike's verses could very well be a diss-track, throwing shit at all the LP haters. More or less.

 

IN MY REMAINS is a lot stronger than I thought last night. I love Mike's vocals at the end. Super quality. This could very easily be a single, and it also has a home on MTM.

 

BURN IT DOWN and LIES GREED MISERY aren't awful in the context of the album (the transition from IMR to BID in particular is pretty tasty) but I'm so sick of them right now that I just skip over them when I'm not interested in doing a full-album run.

 

I'LL BE GONE isn't quite as lame as I thought, but I'm still fairly underwhelmed by it. Needs something more.

 

CASTLE OF GLASS...hrm. I just...I'm not sure what I feel about this. I like the unconventional nature of the song, but it just...it isn't pulling me in, y'know? Oh well.

 

VICTIMIZED. Holy shit. Every time this song comes up I have to keep myself from laughing because there's so much shit going on that just doesn't make sense in the context of LP. It's a brutal song, though. I think the band was hyping it up too much; perhaps not the heaviest song they've ever written, but it's certainly a giant punch to the face. Mike's second verse is still one of my favorites on the album.

 

ROADS UNTRAVELED is probably my second-favorite song on the album. It's really a beautiful ballad, much better done than the ones on MTM. I love the mix of Chester and Mike's voices in the song, done much better than CASTLE OF GLASS.

 

UNTIL IT BREAKS is still my favorite track. I can't even articulate why. I was just...blown away by it. Yeah, fine, it's like four mini-songs stitched together, I'll give you bastards that. But Mike's verses and the way he drops them...This is easily the most hip-hop track they've ever made. Up until Brad comes in, that is. Speaking of his part, wow, dude doesn't suck at singing. I really hope they do the whole song live just so I can see Brad step up to the mic for a lead vocal.

 

TINFOIL/POWERLESS are one track to me, I don't care what anyone else says. POWERLESS can stand fine on its own, but I prefer it to be preceded by TINFOIL in all my playlists. Initially, it came off as pretty whiny to me, typical HT/Meteora drivel. However, the more I listen to it, the more...mature it sounds, sort of. It could probably fit on Meteora, but the song also reflects the nine years between Meteora and LIVING THINGS.

 

All in all, this album's sitting at #2 for me, with all five in this order:

 

A Thousand Suns

LIVING THINGS

Minutes to Midnight

Hybrid Theory

Meteora

 

LP did some good shit with LT. This should bring back at least a few fans, based on LITE and VICTIMIZED alone.

[Anality]

This album is fucking awesome. I haven't heard all the songs but man... I haven't heard anything better.

[Andros]

UNTIL IT BREAKS

The most controversial song of the album. You either hate it or love it. Mike rapping FM-style to a heavy beat and then out of the sudden we have Chester singing the chorus with in a folk way, folk lyrics, and only a piano playing in the background. Beats starts again and Mike starts spreading his flow all over the song. Second chorus comes in. Or not. LP decided to do something different. Brad starts singing in a melodic way with the company of some rhythmic drums and some kind of violins and that's how the song ends.

 

Really weird song. For some the worst, for others the best. Requires multiple hearings.

Nice Review man! And I agree with you in this. Actually I love the verses, it's crazy and hypnotic could say

[jakolp]

Nice Review man! And I agree with you in this. Actually I love the verses, it's crazy and hypnotic could say

Thanks a lot man! Yeah, UIB is weird as hell.. I like it a lot too!

Edited June 16, 2012 by jakolp

[Andros]

Thanks a lot man! Yeah, UIB is weird as hell.. I like it a lot too!

Yeah, I think is not the worst song, it is most a crazy weird song, the end of the song reminds me at the end of Hands Held High

[VavourasLP]

OVERALL OPINION

The album is really really good. It has everything LP has ever done but is based more on the MTM era. I won't go as far as to say it's the best LP album, but for sure they have some of their best melodies in that album. Full of energy, does not get you bored, it keeps your attention for the whole 37 minutes.

This album is a "journey" and it's meant to be listened as a whole.

I agree with you on almost everything. Great job reviewing the album! I'll be posting mine in 2 days.

[jakolp]

I agree with you on almost everything. Great job reviewing the album! I'll be posting mine in 2 days.

Thanks a lot Vav! I'll be waiting for yours!

[lgr]

That's what I was about to say!

QUACK

 

@LP Mermaid - No, the iTunes stream was 100% NOT intentional. iTunes just fucked up there.

probably got LP and SP confused

[VFCMartins]

Until it breaks seems like a mix of I Have Not Begun, In pieces and Blackout (the ending with Brad singing reminds of Mike singing in the end of Blackout).

And am I the only one who noticed that when Chester sings the "each word gets" part in LITE it seems he sings: "each orgasm" ? hahahaha