Mike Shinoda Talks New Linkin Park Album, Scoring The Raid and More with ArtistDirect

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  1. #1
    Joe

    Joe I'm tried LPA Administrator

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    Mike Shinoda recently spoke to ARTISTdirect about a number of topics he's currently involved with, including his scoring of The Raid: Redemption, the sound of the new Linkin Park album and horror movies among other subjects. It's a great interview so read the whole thing via the link and check out an interesting excerpt below where Mike labels the new album a "firecracker record" and in relation to A Thousand Suns "This is not a concept record in that style. This is a song-based record":

    "Did scoring the movie influence the direction of the new Linkin Park music?

    I don't know. This next album is a little more of a compact, "firecracker record," as I like to call it. As opposed to the long landscapes we were creating with A Thousand Suns, this is not a concept record in that style. This is a song-based record. Also, as we were writing The Raid: Redemption, I remember getting three-quarters of the way finished, looking back, and going, "We got really far, really fast and I love a lot of the stuff we did. How did we do that? What can I learn from that?" It occurred to me that we didn't check in as often. That was one of the things that happened. We got a chance to really go down the rabbit hole with the music and let ideas snowball. I came back to the band that week. We have these weekly meetings, and we meet every Monday to check in about the songs regardless of the progress. Sometimes, we do more than one check-in a week, occasionally. I said, "Let's try something different and not check-in so often. Let's just write and see where we go." For me, if I work on something more days in a row without checking in, I feel like I get more consumed by it. I'm inside it. I don't have any point of reference, and I'm in this crazy place with the song where I know every little nook and cranny. I think that's benefited this new record a lot. We stepped back from the criticism and stepped into making it."

    "You strike a balance between the organic piano and string sounds and the electronic elements. Was that integral to the score for The Raid: Redemption?

    As evidenced by the stuff we've done with Linkin Park over the years, that's just been something I have a personal obsession with. Even on the first Linkin Park record, Hybrid Theory, that's what the soldier with the dragonfly wings on the cover was all about. It's about the hardness with the softness. Although we have our moments where we want to play something that's just brutally loud and Chester's screaming his brains out, we're the same band that's going to write "My December" or sing something softer. Both come naturally to us, and we love to do both. Some people get turned off by one or the other, and we're okay with that. It's kind of unapologetic in that sense. When they first contacted me about this movie, they cited a few things that I do like Fort Minor and the remixes. I knew they wanted to do stuff I like to make for fun. When I talked to Gareth Evans [Director] about it, I said, "For this movie, I really want to do something that's fun for me. I don't do film scores, but I want to get into them more. I'm interested in them. I want to go a little bit more traditional." He loved what I wanted to do. Some of that required creating musical themes that represented different characters and creating sonic things that represented certain characters. The piano in the earlier part of the movie is usually attached to Rama's wife. The main bad guy in the movie, Tama, doesn't have a theme. He's got a sound. It's this one weird distorted sample that echoes out. That's all you need. You get that in a moment, and you know it's him. We tried to play back and forth with those elements because, in our minds, they had to really represent the characters we were portraying."
    The Raid: Redemption will be in theatres from Friday March 23rd and you can sample and buy the soundtrack at http://theraidsoundtrack.com.

    The new Linkin Park album is tentatively scheduled for Summer 2012.

    Source: Artist Direct
     
  2. #2
    Minus

    Minus ohai LPA Addicted VIP

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    Man, Metta Corned Beef really knows how to tease an album. :trollface:
     
  3. #3
    Joe

    Joe I'm tried LPA Administrator

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    HAHAHAHA.
     
  4. #4
    Andreina

    Andreina Proud Venezuelan LP fan. LPA Contributor

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    I like the fact things are not being kept so "top secret" about the new album, they just spill it out, not all of it of course, but I think they talk just enough, which is cool.

    Also liked that he said this album is gonna be a song-based one, it's nice to keep changing and it's a smart move not to keep milking the "concept" thing and just go wherever the music takes them. And as for the "firecracker", well, that's some pretty good teasing there ha.
     
  5. #5
    Death Slayer

    Death Slayer Julian

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    song-based album = more songs hopefully
     
  6. #6
    Andreina

    Andreina Proud Venezuelan LP fan. LPA Contributor

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    Great point, ATS was great to me but there were like 9 full songs on it, I'd be happy with 13~ odd songs..

    The only thing that keeps me wondering is, we know they will incorporate elements from the early era and the new one, but the question is how.. I hope there's really some mind-blowing sh*t in there..
     
  7. #7
    Atticus

    Atticus Bullets lance the bravest lungs

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    "Firecracker" is such an exciting term to use! I'm hoping it means the songs are really energetic and to the point. My hype for this album is rising by the day!!

    And in response to the poster above me, I think that incorporating the old sound with the new one means instead of abandoning the old heavy powerful sound, LP is going to embrace bits and pieces of it if they feel the heaviness will add to the music.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2012
  8. #8
    Erica

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    Cool interview still not much info though
     
  9. #9
    SuperDude526

    SuperDude526 Well-Known Member

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    Well, it's to be expected that with a concept album, revealing more risks giving the entire game away with every tidbit you let slip out. With something looser like this, they'll be more forthcoming because there's not really anything to spoil except the songs themselves.
     
  10. #10
    Apop

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    Firecracker. That word made me excited.
     
  11. #11
    Ree

    Ree a female witch. LPA Administrator

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    Maybe the new album will be called "Firecracker"? :kappa:

    Interesting read, I like how Mike's doing things outside of LP to challenge himself and become a better musician. This makes me excited to watch The Raid.

    :lol:!
     
  12. #12
    Tim

    Tim My perversion power is accumulating LPA Super Member

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    Damn. I was hoping they'd up the ante and put three intros on this album.
     
  13. #13
    Agent

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    I honestly can't say anything without hearing the damn album. All these descriptions only let my imagination run wild :lol:
     
  14. #14
    Paolo

    Paolo Well-Known Member

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    cradle

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    Loved the Hybrid Theory reference.
     
  16. #16
    Ree

    Ree a female witch. LPA Administrator

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    Agent

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  18. #18
    Arjun

    Arjun Comin' at you from every side!!!!

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    good idea mate.:awesome:

    this interview has pumped me up so much,especially the word "firecracker"....man!! i can't wait.
     
  19. #19
    Joe

    Joe I'm tried LPA Administrator

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    I marked out when he mentioned My December. In an interview. In 2012.
     
  20. #20
    Jake

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    Make it Fall 2012 :leo:
     
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