Posted on September 25, 2023 by Kevin
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After teasing a new song and releasing mood boards for the past few weeks, Mike Shinoda has now revealed on his website that the new song is called "Already Over" and will be released on October 6th.

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Mike has also already posted the first verse of the song, and the pre-chorus on Twitter:


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The song is available to pre-save on Spotify and Apple Music.

Are you excited for new Mike Shinoda music? Come and discuss in our forums!

Source: MikeShinoda.com

 
Posted on September 7, 2023 by minuteforce
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It seems Mike Shinoda has kept himself very busy during his time in Australia, including a keynote event at the BIGSOUND music conference earlier this week, and making various appearances on live TV, all to talk about his new haircut (or conspicuously not talk about it) and other music-related topics. Most recently, he held an exclusive Q&A event in Sydney, mostly attended by Linkin Park Underground members. These lucky fans got the opportunity to submit questions days in advance, and sit in the same room as Shinoda at [VENUE REDACTED] while Triple M host Brendan Annakin rattled off a selection of them for him to answer.

Among the highlights of this hour-long Q&A was the special chance to hear a brief snippet from Shinoda's upcoming music project which he has been teasing online recently. He described the upcoming new music to the audience as having been written specifically with his own singing in mind, in contrast to how he typically writes parts for other vocalists. He then prefaced the surprise preview by imploring fans to find their mental happy place before the music played.

Linkin Park Discord server member Dampney, who attended this Q&A, was kind enough to upload his own video recording of this segment, which you can see on Twitter via LinkinPark:br:

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Bruises / broken in pieces
Spread out 'til they didn't exist
Losing / sight of what's decent
And too righteous to know what you did

This snippet obviously falls in line with Shinoda previously describing his new music as something that will be "familiar" to Linkin Park listeners. Indeed, fans who have feverishly speculated that Shinoda is revisiting guitar riffs are likely to feel vindicated, but it is nonetheless unknown where the song travels stylistically after the moments we actually get to hear.

The rest of the Q&A saw Shinoda talking a wide range of topics, including Linkin Park's fanbase adapting to new online social tools as they evolve, the personal experience of moving forward with brand-new solo music while compiling the nostalgic "Meteora" anniversary package, and his undying love of Rick Astley. He also thoughtfully touched on current issues like the use of artificial intelligence programs as it pertains to music-making, as well the impact that changing music consumption trends could have on songwriting decisions. There were, suspiciously, no questions about Shinoda's new haircut.

Are you excited for new music from Mike Shinoda? Tell us on our message board!

Source: LinkinPark:br on Twitter

 
Posted on September 7, 2023 by minuteforce
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Following on from his interview on evening news show "The Project", Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda is continuing his Australian press tour with a stop on the Nine Network's breakfast show "Today".

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In the interview, posted to YouTube, he can be seen talking to the program's hosts Sarah Abo and Karl Stefanovic (a self-professed "crazy fan") about topics such as the excitement over his new haircut, the multi-generational appeal of Linkin Park's music, and how he's forged a new path forward in the wake of bandmate Chester Bennington's passing in 2017.

In this interview, he also reveals that he recently worked on music with G-Flip, one of Australia's foremost pop talents. Over recent years, Shinoda has worked with a myriad of artists on their music - for example, a song he worked on with Justus Bennetts called "Better When I'm Crazy" was released just late last month. However, he says that he's now pivoting to focus once again on his own solo output, which he described vaguely as something that will feel "familiar" to Linkin Park fans.

Shinoda is also doing an exclusive Q&A session for select Linkin Park Underground members later today, and it remains to be seen if any new information about this new project is revealed there ...

Source: Today on YouTube

 
Posted on September 4, 2023 by minuteforce
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Linkin Park band member Mike Shinoda has appeared for a truncated interview on nightly Australian news program "The Project", speaking with presenter Waleed Aly. Though the episode (which has just ended at time of writing) is not yet available for on-demand streaming, the interview segment has been posted on Twitter and YouTube for viewing:

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No doubt disappointing many fans, the conversation is completely void of any major announcements concerning Linkin Park, new music, or new haircuts.

Instead, Shinoda talks about the beginnings of Linkin Park working on "Meteora" against the backdrop of their debut album's monstrous success. He also touches on "Lost" and the 20th anniversary edition of "Meteora" for which it was unearthed, as well as the way Linkin Park's lyrics are now sometimes read or misread with the context of Chester Bennington's untimely passing.

Also quickly mentioned in conversation by hosts Hamish Macdonald, Sarah Harris, Sam Taunton and Steve Price following the interview segment, is that Shinoda is appearing at the Australian music conference BIGSOUND, taking place on September 5 in Fortitude Valley, QLD. He will be conversing with Rolling Stone AU/NZ's Editor In Chief Poppy Reid for a keynote event.

In related news, Shinoda has a new haircut ...

Source: The Project on YouTube

 
Posted on June 16, 2023 by Kevin
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In celebration of Post Traumatic turning five years old, Mike Shinoda has decided to release a music video for the song Hold It Together. The song was the only one during the original album cycle not to get a music video, because even though material was filmed for a video, someone stole the hard drive with the files and the video never materialised.


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What do you think of the video? Come and discuss it in our forums.
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Source: Mike Shinoda YouTube

 
Posted on April 20, 2023 by minuteforce
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A new official remix of Linkin Park's recent single "Lost" has been released unexpectedly on digital music platforms. The reinterpretion, named the "PLZ Tethered Version", comes from Patrick Lawrence Zappia, a Los Angeles-based film and TV composer. Neither Linkin Park themselves nor Zappia have made any announcement regarding this track but it's reasonable to expect that they'll say something about it soon.

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Fitting for his media composition background, Zappia has taken "Lost" in a more cinematic direction. Sweeping strings and delicate acoustic guitar play over sampled distorted guitars, with no drums underneath and hardly any rhythmic elements at all - a far cry from the aggressive industrial stomp of the original song. This new instrumentation, complete with some changed chords, highlights Chester Bennington's fantastic vocal performance in a different way, and allows listeners a different angle on the song's lyrics.

You can check out the new remix of "Lost" on Spotify or Apple Music.

Source: Spotify

 
Posted on April 3, 2023 by Derek
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Altwire has just dropped a mega review and impressions article on the upcoming Meteora | 20 "Lost Demos" CD! In it, Derek gives fans an exclusive glimpse into what to expect come April 7th.

A snippet:

"“Massive” begins with a glitchy, fast-paced breakbeat reminiscent of “Session” and some of the band’s late 90s demos. Soon, the track transitions to an alternative metal sound that would fit well among the hard rock sound of the early 2000s. In the verses, Mike Shinoda sings solo, delivering poignant lyrics such as “I guess it’s true, you can’t really change the person you’ll be. The least I can do is set myself free.” The song then progresses into an anthemic sung chorus in the style of TRUSTcompany. Shinoda sings, “I heard the screaming in my dreaming every night. I awake, and I’m still mistaking you for right.”

Altwire's article also spills the beans on other lost demos like "A.06", "Shifter," "Husky," and more, providing heavy spoilers for the songs yet to be heard by the general public. Check out the article here.

 
Posted on March 25, 2023 by minuteforce
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Linkin Park fans in Germany have recently been offered the opportunity to participate in a "METEORA|20" scavenger hunt as part of the promotion for the upcoming 20th Anniversary Edition of "Meteora".

The band partnered with the augmented reality app Marbleverse to facilitate the hunt, which involves virtual "marbles" placed at locations throughout 20 German cities. Participants are to go to all of these spots in their specific city and scan the marbles via their smartphones. As a reward, they receive exclusive "Meteora" content; this culminates with a special preview of the demo called "Healing Foot", which is due to appear on the "Lost Demos" collection within the "Meteora" anniversary set dropping April 7.

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More information is provided on Marbleverse's official page for the event here, as well as the description for the YouTube announcement:
Linkin Park is teaming up with Marble AR to kick off an exciting augmented reality scavenger hunt across over 20 cities in Germany. We invite you to participate in the METEORA|20 HUNT starting on March 17th to find the various hidden Linkin Park Marbles in your city and discover METEORA|20 content such as exclusive live clips, Voice Messages from the band, and more. Collect them all and unlock an exclusive reward (available starting March 25th) that you won’t want to miss + enter for a chance to win one of the Meteora 20th Anniversary Edition products.
"Healing Foot", as it turns out, is a further-developed version of something briefly heard in "The Making Of Meteora". In that footage, band member Rob Bourdon is briefly seen playing drums in the studio for a cinematic piano-lead instrumental. The same footage also appears in a 2003 LPTV episode called "The Writing Process" (recently re-uploaded here) at the 6:55 mark:

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Since the release of that clip back 20 years ago, hardcore Linkin Park fans have referred to that demo with names such as "Rob's Drum Track" and it has been on a lengthy list of "holy grail" songs they have long wanted to have. In mid-February earlier this year, band member Mike Shinoda revealed during a TikTok stream that the demo will appear on the 20th Anniversary Edition of "Meteora", though he opted not to reveal its title.
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Reddit user u/NataDeFabi, a member of the r/linkinpark subreddit community, was a participant in the scavenger hunt and generously posted a recording of "Healing Foot" for other fans to hear, along with part of a voice message from Shinoda talking about the song - you can check that out here. (EDITOR'S NOTE: u/NataDeFabi has uploaded the complete audio file and linked to it in this comment) As this audio reveals, "Healing Foot" went on to have vocal parts written and recorded, with Shinoda performing rap verses and Chester Bennington coming through with a performance in the vein of his iconic choruses from "Crawling" and "Easier To Run".

The unveiling of this long-awaited demo is just another exciting moment in the 20th anniversary celebration of "Meteora". This album cycle has already seen the official release of some amazing music from the band's "Meteora" sessions: lead single "Lost" has made an incredible splash in charts worldwide since its premiere, and the recent follow-up "Fighting Myself" is poised to be a similar success if Linkin Park's passionate fanbase has anything to say about it.

If you've listened to the preview (or maybe even received it personally because and you completed the scavenger hunt in Germany), how do you like "Healing Foot"? Let us know on our message board.

Source: Reddit via @Kiq

 
Posted on March 25, 2023 by minuteforce
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For those who haven't heard, Linkin Park have released a new single called "Fighting Myself" to promote the 20th Anniversary Edition of "Meteora". Like "Lost" before it, "Fighting Myself" will appear on a disc in the anniversary package called "Lost Demos", a collection of unreleased demos and B-sides from the "Meteora" sessions.

The single release comes complete with a visualiser, this time directed by New York-based AI artist Jacky Lu, who previously contributed to the production of the music video for "Lost". Like that one, this "Fighting Myself" visual was created with the aid of AI software, but has a watercolour-based aesthetic as opposed to the anime style explored for the "Lost" video.

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In contrast to the poppier energy of "Lost", "Fighting Myself" is an aggressive rap-rock banger. The song's instrumentation begins with a reversed vocal sample (something the band did not play with heavily on the final "Meteora" tracks) before introducing the live guitars and drums with a start-stop motif. The song is built a syncopated halftime rhythm that will no doubt remind longtime Linkin Park fans of songs like "Papercut" and "Hit The Floor".
Sometimes, these thoughts in my head speak so loud / every little thing that I think about
Just builds on top of the pain and doubt / even though I wanna just let it out
I / try to act like I don't mind it / try to keep my mouth so quiet
But sitting there in my silence / just seems to amplify it
True to its name, "Fighting Myself" features broadly-relatable lyrics about self-sabotage and inner turmoil, themes which have appeared frequently throughout Linkin Park's discography. Shinoda delivers introspective rap verses with a flow which harks back to his performances on songs such as "Part Of Me" and, again, "Papercut", but with the extra swagger in the delivery that differentiates his verses on "Meteora" from his rhyming on "Hybrid Theory".

Per early Linkin Park, Shinoda's rapping naturally gives way to a trademark Linkin Park hard rock chorus with a searing performance from co-vocalist Chester Bennington, who adopts a syncopated flow fitting for the song's halftime pattern.
Falling from grace, I watch it all come apart
Knowing I could've changed it all from the start
Fighting myself, I always lose
The song's bridge mirrors that of "Lost" with a brand-new repeated stanza, which is blended with lyrics from the song's chorus later on in the arrangement - per his explanations in interviews, Shinoda personally structured these later vocal sections to complete the song for the "Meteora" anniversary offering.
I can't run with this weight on my back
I can't see 'cause I'm focused on the past
I can't breathe, I need to break free
from the anger that is constantly inside me
In short, there are familiar conventions used throughout "Fighting Myself" that are echoed in songs on "Meteora" and elsewhere in the band's commercial discography. Fans of Linkin Park's nu-metal side specifically can take this song as yet another good sign of what's to come when the "Meteora" 20th Anniversary Edition drops on April 7.

You can check out "Fighting Myself" on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music now! Let us know on our message board what you think of the song.

 
Posted on March 3, 2023 by minuteforce
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As previously announced, a new song by Demi Lovato called "Still Alive" has been tapped as the lead single off the soundtrack for the upcoming horror film "Scream VI". Linkin Park's own Mike Shinoda is one of the masterminds behind the track, credited with co-writing the song and handling all the production for the recording. Today sees the song's official release, right ahead of "Scream VI" slashing its way into movie theaters around the world.

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"Still Alive" opens with a chirpy synth pluck but quickly reveals itself to be an uptempo pop-rock monster. Demo Lovato rises to the occasion with their intense and dynamic pop-punk vocal performance, perfect for delivering the violent imagery in the lyrics.

Still alive
Already died a thousand times
Went to hell but I’m back and I’m breathing
Make me bleed while my heart is still beating
Lovato has also debuted a "Scream"-themed music video for "Still Alive" alongside the song's worldwide release, directed by the Los Angeles-based Jensen Noen. An Instagram post earlier this week featured some behind-the-scenes shots and teased an appearance by Mike Shinoda.

The video depicts Lovato turning up to a hotel to catch an exclusive screening of "Scream VI" ... only for Ghostface himself to escape the confines of the film world and begin slaying people at the event. Shinoda does indeed make an appearance as promised - he uses his brief screentime to deliver a layered and compelling performance as the film screening's projectionist.

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You can stream and/or download "Still Alive" right now on a variety of platforms. "Scream VI" will open in theatres later this month on March 10 (for U.S. viewers, anyway).