The LIVING THINGS Leak

[Jesper]

^ I'd love for LPU12 to consist of Living Things in demo form. I really wanna hear Victimized with the gang vocals and any takes of the song with alternate lyrics.

That would be perfect haha, I also really wanna hear that version of Victimized

Edited June 28, 2012 by Jesper

[spraypaintninkpens]

After reading the fanboys still gocking over ATS on LPA, I had a quick thought: I'm so glad LP put some damn energy back in their songs! Being a huge LP fan for 10 years, I really am very pleased with LT, especially since it was less than a 2 year wait. Hopefully they expand upon LT and don't forget their roots like did on ATS.

/last ATS diss

Edited June 28, 2012 by spraypaintninkpens

[stich]

^ I'd love for LPU12 to consist of Living Things in demo form. I really wanna hear Victimized with the gang vocals and any takes of the song with alternate lyrics.

I want to hear song left out LT not obnly demo but unreleased songs.

[TheProfessor]

After reading the fanboys still gocking over ATS on LPA, I had a quick thought: I'm so glad LP put some damn energy back in their songs! Being a huge LP fan for 10 years, I really am very pleased with LT, especially since it was less than a 2 year wait. Hopefully they expand upon LT and don't forget their roots like did on ATS.

/last ATS diss

I used to get pissed when you'd pop off at the mouth and ramble on with opinions as if they were facts. But now I can see how much it honestly bothers you how much people liked ATS.. And it must piss off all of the people who couldn't enjoy it. You had to sit around and cry for two years (so about 6 years if you liked Minutes to Midnight; and like 10 if you didn't) with nothing while the rest of us got to enjoy a great album. That must have sucked.

 

 

Living Things grew on me as I thought it would. I even bump 'Skin To Bone' on occasion. Great album... Here's the order of my favs from most to least.

 

 

I'll Be Gone

Until It Breaks

Roads Untraveled

Lies Greed Misery

In My Remains

Victimized

Lost In The Echo

Castle of Glass

Burn It Down

Tinfoil/Powerless

Skin To Bone

Edited June 28, 2012 by BlacK0uT

[spraypaintninkpens]

I used to get pissed when you'd pop off at the mouth and ramble on with opinions as if they were facts. But now I can see how much it honestly bothers you how much people liked ATS.. And it must piss off all of the people who couldn't enjoy it. You had to sit around and cry for two years (so about 6 years if you liked Minutes to Midnight; and like 10 if you didn't) with nothing while the rest of us got to enjoy a great album. That must have sucked.

 

I wanted to like it- up til MTM I liked every LP song, even the demos, b-sides, everything. I know I came off as a huge a$!hole the through the whole ATS cycle but that's how strongly I felt against losing my former favorite band. It's hard to explain rationally because this band meant the world to me when I went through a lot growing up. There's a huge emotional attachment I have to their music.

[VavourasLP]

Any Deftones fans out there?

The "gone, gone, gone" bit at the end of the chorus of Lost in the Echo reminds me so much of the bridge of Passenger.

 

Am I the only one that loves Skin to Bone? It's got almost like a vaudeville vibe but done in an electro style, for me it's the album's hidden gem.

 

Me me me. But I dont actually see the resemblance between those two. Maybe because of the electro feel on LITE? Dunno.

 

I like how Chester pronnounces some words on STB, like the way he says "ash to ashes". But it still doesn't get me as a song...

[gorast]

Me me me. But I dont actually see the resemblance between those two. Maybe because of the electro feel on LITE? Dunno.

 

I like how Chester pronnounces some words on STB, like the way he says "ash to ashes". But it still doesn't get me as a song...

It's funny, that's one of the things that really irks me about STB, Chester's weird pronunciations of a lot of the weirds.

[Biggiee2180@aol.com]

Anybody have any information on the matter of Lost In The Echo becoming a possible single? First there was its appearance on the front sticker along with Burn It Down and Castle of Glass with the Rolling Stone quote, then yesterday I saw on the Living Things Wikipedia page under the singles list (Under the album cover) with a release date of July 23rd, and now LPTV uploading a lyric video. Any thoughts?

[Geki]

I used to get pissed when you'd pop off at the mouth and ramble on with opinions as if they were facts. But now I can see how much it honestly bothers you how much people liked ATS.. And it must piss off all of the people who couldn't enjoy it. You had to sit around and cry for two years (so about 6 years if you liked Minutes to Midnight; and like 10 if you didn't) with nothing while the rest of us got to enjoy a great album. That must have sucked.

 

 

Living Things grew on me as I thought it would. I even bump 'Skin To Bone' on occasion. Great album... Here's the order of my favs from most to least.

 

 

I'll Be Gone

Until It Breaks

Roads Untraveled

Lies Greed Misery

In My Remains

Victimized

Lost In The Echo

Castle of Glass

Burn It Down

Tinfoil/Powerless

Skin To Bone

I'm backing him though, ATS did suck, a lot. LT is 10000 better.

[hahninator]

Full review time. Weakest LP album I've heard in my opinion. Spun 3-5 times and just not a fan - how the band could release such garbage as this is astonishing to me. Where are the jams? Barely anything jams on the CD. Brad's guitar work is pitiful, I hardly hear any real drums, and the electronica is just too overwhelming. Not a fan of the electronica/pop stuff. Really bad music for my tastes. I love the band and can't wait for the tour this year but the new songs just don't do it for me. I knew when I heard BID and LGM that I might be in for a shockingly bad CD so I wasn't surprised when I put it in and only had one song I enjoyed when I listened all the way through.

 

LOST IN THE ECHO, 2/10

So much electronica stuff. Intro sounds like a video game again, like BID. Shinoda is a boss rapper and I haven't ever heard anything he raps that I don't enjoy (except MAYBE Back Home on the Fort Minor CD)... but this sounds bad. Sounds like a really really weak ATS demo. Fans hailing this as a return to HT and all really overhyped the shit out of this track beforehand. Shinoda sounds like a 45 year old guy trying to be 21 again and write that "dope rap" on Hybrid Theory but mix it with the 2012 pop electronica vibe of today's top 40 music scene. Purely garbage and a weak song to start the album off with. Chester's screaming sounds out of place as well. When I hear this song it makes me think of how the band is desperately trying to get back to their old sound and combine it with new sounds...it's just like WTF when you get the end result. Letdown.

 

IN MY REMAINS, 2/10

Chester sounds awful singing here. The "army" part of the song is decent but nothing else does it for me here. Not a fan. Shuddered every time I've heard it from the lack of interest or taste I have in the song.

 

BURN IT DOWN, 4/10

Hell this might be one of the best songs on the album LOL. Criticizing this from day one about being a terrible single and when it's put into the whole context of the album it really shines as one of the best songs. Definitely takes the first 2 songs and destroys them singlehandedly. Maybe this should have been the first song on the album. Still not a fan of this though - building it erp doesn't do it for me but it is a catchy song, a good single from the album and all so I will give it a 4.

 

LIES GREED MISERY, 1/10

Before the CD dropped this was the worst LP song I had heard with maybe the exception of H! Vltg3. Jesus, what is happening with the band. Wretches, WTCFM and Blackout can combine the rock, electronica and whatever else they want and make it all sound fucked up but GREAT. Those songs really rock. LGM is pathetic. Skip it every time.

 

I'LL BE GONE, 6/10

The first enjoyable song, the 5th one on the CD, is this one. This is an alright slower song for the band and Chester sounds normal to me here and sounds good. Not a rock song but it's ok for something slow, not bad.

 

CASTLE OF GLASS, 9/10

First song that I said YES to. Hands down best song on the album right here. The band uses the samples well and to their advantage. Mike sounds good here. Weird transition between Mike and Chester but I love this track. Excellent overall song here and easily the best thing to come from LIVING THINGS. Fantastic.

 

VICTIMIZED, 1/10

What in the fuck? This is what I am talking about - the song tempo changes, the genre changes, the structure changes that all happen so abruptly and weirdly on this CD really take away from it. Upon first listen I thought the sample was really cool. The chorus doesn't do it for me and Mike going from singing to rapping in the verses is weird, weird stuff. Overall, WTF is this? Horrible.

 

ROADS UNTRAVELED, 3/10

How many fucking songs are going to start with some sampled stuff? Can the band not play an actual instrument to start a song on the CD until the last song, lol? This is a cool sample to start it, hard to describe what it sounds like (not that swirling noise, but the noise afterward). But the song is easily the worst slow song I have heard since Iridescent. Absolutely unenjoyable but beats a lot of songs on this album.

 

SKIN TO BONE, 1/10

After hearing this like 4 times now, I am ready to skip it on all future listens. Pure garbage. Not even anything to say about it because I can't pick out anything I like.

 

UNTIL IT BREAKS, 2/10

Welcome to the biggest letdown on the album. Shinoda trying to sound gangster over a pathetic beat while the vocals are mixed so far under this wave of electronica popper stopper bullshit it's unbelievable. The LYRICS are fucking awesome as it gets. I mean legit great lyrics. But the flow here is awful, the beat is nothing. Fort Minor music absolutely destroys this with the rapping. Take the lyrics here, change the flow and throw it over an FM-era beat and you'll have a nasty little song. After the raps the song gets weird as hell - Brad singing is odd stuff. Song does nothing for me. The verse 2 lyrics over WFTE are 10000000000x better in terms of a beat and flow so I hope they keep that live and don't play this. Damn this would be absolutely miserable to see at a concert. I had high expectations here and was really let down by this song. I analyzed the first verse lyrics though since I basically know the second verse already and I love them - all lyrics here are solid, but everything else is pathetic.

 

TINFOIL, 3/10

What an unnecessary song on the album. The live version is way better than this. Just put this as part of the last song. I'll give it a 3 because it'd be a cool intro on an album version of POWERLESS to make the song longer...no need for this extra track.

 

POWERLESS, 8/10

Well this is not a bad way to close the CD here. LOVE how Chester sings the verses - this has to be one of his best verse melodies I've ever heard him sing. For a slower song he does a GREAT job with the vocals. The chorus isn't all that great to me with the melody there but hey, I can't be that picky lol. I enjoy this song a good bit. When he starts singing over the beginning piano...damn...that is really good stuff by Chester right there. Solid solid song.

 

-----------

 

Best 2 songs are CASTLE OF GLASS and POWERLESS for me - love them both...I'LL BE GONE is alright but damn, everything else is an absolute let down. The electronica intros and overproduced vocals (x10924838434) really are annoying as hell. That's great if the band produced an album you all love but this really does nothing for me outside of two slower songs. I mean absolutely a let down. ATS first listen wasn't that great to me either but damn I loved it 290434348x as much as I like this. Bring on August with the 10 Years "Minus the Machine" CD and I'll show you some legit jamming music. Their new songs will be fucking amazing. Electronica music isn't my thing until it's FILTHY jams like

- perfect example of rock and electronica.

 

Can't wait to see the band on the Honda Civic Tour and finally get to see APFMH, Blackout, With You and Runaway and hopefully see CASTLE OF GLASS and POWERLESS.....and unfortunately I guess they'll play other nonsense off of this album. Weakest LP CD to date. Sounds like Shinoda listened to Bangarang by Skrillex and tried to replicate it with his band with the abrupt structure changes and shit and just failed miserably.

 

A Thousand Suns destroys this album up and down 5000x over. ATS makes this look like a pathetic excuse for an album, and I'm not even a big ATS fan.

[jakolp]

Full review time. Weakest LP album I've heard in my opinion. Spun 3-5 times and just not a fan - how the band could release such garbage as this is astonishing to me. Where are the jams? Barely anything jams on the CD. Brad's guitar work is pitiful, I hardly hear any real drums, and the electronica is just too overwhelming. Not a fan of the electronica/pop stuff. Really bad music for my tastes. I love the band and can't wait for the tour this year but the new songs just don't do it for me.

Really, I thought you were reviewing ATS...

[Biggiee2180@aol.com]

If there's anything about this album that disappointed me, its the simplicity of the songs. I first mentioned it when Burn It Down released; after being shell shocked by a debut single like The Catalyst, and eventually growing to love it, it was sort of a let down to have them go back to a simple song structure. (ie, intro verse chorus, etc format, Brad playing octaves, Joe midi pad samples, nothing new from Mike and Chester) However, it did eventually grow on me, because the song kicks, despite Mike's rap-for-sake-of-a-rap-verse lyrics thrown in.

 

Lies Greed Misery was another shocker. Ignoring the under 2:30 minute track length, I honestly thought the choruses were too poppy. Once again, it eventually grew on because I learned why Mike and Chester wanted the "Yay, fuck you" type of vibe behind that chorus. I honestly think this is a WAY better 2nd song debut compared to Wretches & Kings. The sample and musical production is top notch, but the build up the speech sample again and just "hey, hey, hey" closing really let me down. At least with LGM you get a build up from Chester before he screams his lungs out (Which I love, despite people thinking they just threw screaming shit on for the sake of keeping the song over 2 minutes)

 

As for the rest of the album, all around great in My eyes. Lost In The Echo, EXTREMELY overrated and over-hyped, from both critics, journalists and fans a like. Love the electronics and beats starting off the song rather than guitar or strings. I never really liked Mike's FM-style vocals on LP records (HHH, still to this date cannot stand) but I think they've grown on me overtime, because vocals that sound like his old-self (cough *Burn It Down* cough) sound so cheesy now and the shift in style is really starting to suit him with this band. Likewise, Chester's vocals are a bit blah, but still catchy.

 

In My Remains is without a doubt the running favorite for me so far. The "Like an army..." build up with Mike singing really took this song to a different level for me. I'll Be Gone I initially thought was a bit too generic and simple, but after a few listens and enjoying some straightforward guitar over it, it really feels like it'll preform well live.

 

Now comes Castle of Glass, and god damn was I shocked and surprised by this song. I absolutely LOVE it! The sample (keyboard?) and accompanying guitar riff really make this song catchy, but what really steals it for me is Mike and Chester blending together so well vocally. Those two have really blown me away with the growth of their split singing and harmonizing. This track is fighting IMR for the top spot on this album for me. This one, along with other songs on the album really show LP's new found confidence in themselves and there all around "we're gonna make music that we like and fuck what you expect of us" attitude. All of their albums, especially MTM and ATS, were their walkabouts that helped them reach that real "Hybrid" mentality of their music making.

 

Victimized... Wasn't really sure what to make of this track. I was bipolar like a lot of different fans on this track. I either love its punk-rock influence and LP toolbox cluster, or am extremely pissed they didn't add more to this song. Would have loved if they made a second verse that included the gang-vocal chant and another verse from Mike, and one final throat-ripping performance from Chester.

 

Roads Untraveled was another pleasant surprise for me. The chimes for some reason (don't kill me classic rock fans, I'm only making a reference, not a comparison) remind me of Pink Floyd's "Time." Cannot explain why, especially since Time is a cluster fuck of noise when it first starts, but its what I think of. Anyway, once again I love the shared singing between Mike and Chester. The wordless choruses really make this song build (which I feel destroy When They Come For Me's wordless chorus), and when the final chorus kicks in with Brad (I'm guessing... Possibly Mike as well?) come in with the accompanying guitar riffs that match the chorus harmonies really explode in an awesome way. What cements this song as one of my favorites are the lyrics. Damn, does song trigger a lot of memories and feelings. Haven't related to an LP song like this one in a long time.

 

Skin To Bone... Essentially the In Between of Living Things. The beats are sickening, but damn are the lyrics a pile of shit. Ignoring their simple (almost nauseating) approach, the song just doesn't go anywhere. Hell, now that I think about it, In Between may not kick but at least it comes to some sort of conclusion, a weak one at that. This track just goes no where fast and deserves the only skip-worthy rating of the songs on this album.

 

Until It Breaks is still a tossup for me. Mikes rhymes, once again embracing the FM nature, really take the cake for his raps on this album (and quite possibly ever in terms of all-around sickness.) I personally love the second verses beat and flow, as compared to being played Points Of Authority style over Waiting For The End. Chester and Brad's vocals (kudos to Brad FYI) are nice, but I question their place on this track. Chester's almost sound like a broadcast interruption after Mike's first verse, before he regains control with the second. (Almost reminds me of Mike and Chester's vocals on W&K with the rise up and take power attitude) Brad's closing vocals seem almost fitting to close to song in the dream-like vibe it. Like the revolution and battle has come to an end, while some people pass on, others look forward to the future. A clusterfuck of styles (probably demos as well) but its beginning to work with me.

 

At this point Tinfoil is just an intro to Powerless, so I don't even put it in the same ballpark as Wake, Cure For The Itch or Session. Powerless had a major opinion change for me after a few listens. At first, I was extremely let down with another ballad closing an LP album. Chester's vocal tone and approach seemed redundant, and it just didn't seem to pick up enough to give a solid conclusion to an all-around high energy album. After several listens (Many a result of my gf loving it and listening to it constantly haha) my opinion slowly changed. The beats and keyboard really jump out to me as the highlights of the song, and the bridge "Wooh, oooh"s really give the song the boast it needs into the final chorus. Almost reminds me of Leave Out All Of The Rest, where the extra guitar comes in with powerchords to pump up the volume, so to speak.

 

All in all, I really like Living Things. STB is the only questionable song on that album, and considering Hybrid Theory is the only album, once again in my opinion, that has no skip-worthy songs on it, I cannot complain. I didn't give any of the songs scores out of 10 because that's just pointless when it comes to rating music. Like anything in life, especially music, opinions and feelings change overtime, good or bad. And I believe I speak for any true LP fan that your top 5 and 10 lists constantly change from time to time haha. I cannot wait to see these guys live again, especially with Incubus and their increased song count set, as well as new LL tracks

Edited June 29, 2012 by Erockk2121

[FearOfTheDuck]

Interestingly I had the same thing with Powerless. Initially it really disappointed as an album closer, but now I really like it.

It's definitely a lot better than The Messenger, anyway.

[spraypaintninkpens]

Really, I thought you were reviewing ATS...

 

Same, LT is miles ahead of ATS to me.

[GraDoN]

if you dislike electronic music.. you're gonna have a bad time

[[AndOne]]

I'm not an expert but isn't Muse very electronic too?

[FearOfTheDuck]

I'm not an expert but isn't Muse very electronic too?

Not really. There are some songs (Take a Bow, Undisclosed Desires) where there are lots of electronics but they're typically used in a more supporting role.

[hahninator]

Not really. There are some songs (Take a Bow, Undisclosed Desires) where there are lots of electronics but they're typically used in a more supporting role.

Undisclosed Desires is the shit. I love the lyrics. So awesome.

 

Muse combines rock and electronica flawlessly. Last cd was so badass. LP can't combine it well. Living Things sounds just miserable.

[jakolp]

Undisclosed Desires is the shit. I love the lyrics. So awesome.

 

Muse combines rock and electronica flawlessly. Last cd was so badass. LP can't combine it well. Living Things sounds just miserable.

Muse's last album was really bad........

Edited June 30, 2012 by jakolp

[VavourasLP]

Undisclosed Desires is the shit. I love the lyrics. So awesome.

 

Muse combines rock and electronica flawlessly. Last cd was so badass. LP can't combine it well. Living Things sounds just miserable.

No, Muse does not combine rock and electronica. They just use some background electronic effects on some of their songs, and that does not mean they're combining. Bands that strongly combine rock and electronica is NIN, Enter Shikari, Radiohead, LP (now I guess).

Edited June 30, 2012 by VavourasLP

[BeardyWilderness]

Hipster Mark

[gorast]

Until It Breaks is still a tossup for me. Mikes rhymes, once again embracing the FM nature, really take the cake for his raps on this album (and quite possibly ever in terms of all-around sickness.) I personally love the second verses beat and flow, as compared to being played Points Of Authority style over Waiting For The End. Chester and Brad's vocals (kudos to Brad FYI) are nice, but I question their place on this track. Chester's almost sound like a broadcast interruption after Mike's first verse, before he regains control with the second. (Almost reminds me of Mike and Chester's vocals on W&K with the rise up and take power attitude) Brad's closing vocals seem almost fitting to close to song in the dream-like vibe it. Like the revolution and battle has come to an end, while some people pass on, others look forward to the future. A clusterfuck of styles (probably demos as well) but its beginning to work with me.

I really like the idea that Chester is cutting into the song when he's not supposed to, like Mike's broadcasting a message and Chester takes over for a minute before Mike regains control.

[Jesper]

Until It Breaks is still a tossup for me. Mikes rhymes, once again embracing the FM nature, really take the cake for his raps on this album (and quite possibly ever in terms of all-around sickness.) I personally love the second verses beat and flow, as compared to being played Points Of Authority style over Waiting For The End. Chester and Brad's vocals (kudos to Brad FYI) are nice, but I question their place on this track. Chester's almost sound like a broadcast interruption after Mike's first verse, before he regains control with the second. (Almost reminds me of Mike and Chester's vocals on W&K with the rise up and take power attitude) Brad's closing vocals seem almost fitting to close to song in the dream-like vibe it. Like the revolution and battle has come to an end, while some people pass on, others look forward to the future. A clusterfuck of styles (probably demos as well) but its beginning to work with me.

I must say I was having a "WTF-moment" with that interuption from Chester, when I first heard the track! Until It Breaks is probably now one of my favs on the album!

[VavourasLP]

I must say I was having a "WTF-moment" with that interuption from Chester, when I first heard the track! Until It Breaks is probably now one of my favs on the album!

 

Actually it's so WTF-ish that it's enjoyable! I like the mood changes, especially between Mike's 2 parts and Chester's almost medieval sounding part.

[lgr]

I'm still struggling to like UIB as one complete piece.