On January 14, Gabriela Velichkova, a music production student at Southhampton Solent University posted the following photo and caption on Twitter. [thumb]http://www.lpassociation.com/upload/images/011616-200926_AAOrefBuRbo.jpg[/thumb] Jon Green is the lead singer of The Bonfires and a well known session musician. Whether he is working on a specific song with the band or if he is involved in the production of the new album is still unknown, however there is also a photo of him in the studio with Brad. [thumb]http://www.lpassociation.com/upload/images/011616-200807_uzaXF8bQhe8.jpg[/thumb] Check out The Bonfires on Soundcloud. What do you think will come from this? Join the discussion in our forums! Source: vk.com via Linkin Park Live
I have to say I'm very curious. Especially if the band is going in a direction similar to The Bonfires on the song/music they're working on Jon Green with. If you think about it...Linkin Park has never really done, slow somber, mostly acoustic rock like that. They've gotten close to it on some tracks but never made a whole album like it. Of course, the above photo and news could mean nothing about the album's sound. Hmm.
And what if Jon Green is the producer of the record aside from contributing ideas here and there. From what we've got last year an acoustic rendition of Final Masquerade, I think the band is ready to go to that direction and expand that style. Yes, they've done a lot of somber, mellow tracks from the previous records but the difference is that they laid the instruments first before the vocals but this time they're doing it the opposite way. By making the vocals and melodies first is a breath of fresh air for the instruments. EDIT: Same Heart by The Bonfires is really a great track. Hope Phoenix will have the moment this time with the cello and the bass.
Have you watched Mike's recent Facebook live stream? He said the new demos are primarily being made on acoustic guitar and piano, with melodies taking the lead role and Chester's vocals being really soulful. Seems like they're trying something new for themselves. I like it.
Like Derek said, if they write songs like that, my intuition about the album might come true, too. I've wanted to find something that sounds super emotional and soulful, dark, even, and most importantly, deeper. It's something they've never done before, and I personally think making a record like that would mature them even more.
Edit: Well, Mike said they don't know yet what direction the album will go in. The way I understood it, the acoustic material they have for now is just the basis for the new songs, created because of their new approach of making the lyrics first. So they naturally just continued to expand those with acoustic instruments, trying out melodies and so on. But maybe they decide to stay with the acoustic road they've taken so far.
Well, there you go Weither or not this is linked to LP7, this future record will be chill as fuck. There is my prediction.
I've been longing for the inclusion of prominent strings from LP in a long time. Since KRWLNG, Phoenix has left me hanging, they should be able to pull it off. Not opposed to the idea of ballads in LP7, my music taste for the moment is focusing on a more mellow side, and some pop thrown here and there. Maybe because I spend at least two hours everyday traveling to and from work with my headphones, that this softer music is easier to digest than full hours of heavy rock shit for me (with the exception of Disturbed's 'Immortalized' which is right now the heaviest record I have on my phone, since my player was stolen).
The band absolutely can and should have at least one song with, you know, full-on orchestral involvement. Even working on soundtracks doesn't give me that so I'm a tad sad but then again, being this dramatic might not be their thing. ^ and I don't think I fully understand what I just said
I can see the album promotion now. "After fancying themselves carnivores, Linkin Park has decided to take a herbivorous approach to their latest album. "Yeah, we liked being visceral, y'know, but we decided to figure out what it'd be like if we were chill on the next record", Mike Shinoda comments". Jokes aside, kinda hyped for this. I always felt LP had a side like this that they've left mostly unexplored, at least outside of potentially unreleased demos. Of course, it could also mean nothing. Let's not get our hopes (or dreads) up yet. They're still really early in the album construction phase. Anything can happen.
I heard the The Bonfires track "CATAPULT" and was instantly blown away by its sound and emotion. That being said, I hope LP make something similar with this man. It could sound like anything at the end of the day but I'd love LP to take a similar route.
Actually, I was thinking about that, but if anything, a super chill, smooth, slow LP record now could even benefit to THP aging process. I mean... I guess the main rant about it was the fact it was quite a standard 90 trash/punk influenced record. Nothing groundbreaking. But now, imagine, if this ends up being the only LP record touching exclusively on those styles, and moreover, is followed by its 180° opposite? It would really make the material on THP more unique, and special in the context of LP discography. That, and the fact LP has never released a full smooth, stripped down record. So yep, the idea is quite exciting