Living Things: A Review

Discussion in 'Linkin Park Chat' started by Aden, Sep 18, 2014.

  1. #1
    Aden

    Aden Well-Known Member

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    First let me explain a little bit. I have heard the entirety of every Linkin Park album, with the exception of Metora (hearing you guys say how much it sucks doesn't help;)), and I own ATS, THP, and MTM. A couple weeks ago, I decided to listen to the entirety of Living Things through Amazon Prime and see what I thought. I had already heard a few songs from it, so I figured I would take a listen to the whole thing.


    Living Things sucks. I'm just through it out there. It. Sucks. So many of the songs are generic and forgettable, In My Remains and Burn it Down sound suspiciously similar, and it just strikes me as a generic pop-rock album that could have been by anyone. But that's not the worst part. The worst is a little piece of shit called Until It Breaks. What the fuck is that shit? Were they serious? Were they trying? Did they seriously think it sounded good? It's such a disjointed mess, none of the song portions go together, and it sounds like a really, really, really, really, really bad Linkin Park tribute band trying to sound like Linkin Park. Admittedly the chrorus is kind of cool, but the verse and bridge don't just not go with the rest of the song, they suck in general. Linkin Park is generally one of those bands where even their bad songs aren't BAD, they're just really boring, however that song is actively offensive to listen to.

    Now it's not all bad. In general my least favorite part of a given LP album is the ballads. I tend to err towards their heavier songs, such as Keys to the Kingdom and Given Up, and not towards softer songs such as Robot Boy and Leave Out All the Rest. And yet, two of the ballads on this album are my two favorite songs, and the only actually good ones. These songs are Powerless (bonus points when Tinfoil is tacked on), which is easily in my top 10 favorite Linkin Park songs, and Roads Untraveled, a simple but wonderful ditty. Powerless sounds like Linkin Park is actually...get this...trying, with the gorgeously layered synths, simple but effective quiet-to-loud tactics, and the emo-but-effective lyrics. Roads Untraveled is instantly likeable but also very meaningful, and features one of the best bell-lines in a rock song I've heard in a while. Those may be the only two "good" songs, but it doesn't mean the rest is bad. I'll Be Gone is generic but likeable and catchy, Castle of Glass is...plesent, and whenever I hear Lost in the Echo, I can almost imagine it being a great song.

    However a few rights don't change a wrong, which is the only way to describe this generic, awful album. I feel zero urge to listen to this again. Don't get me wrong, certain tracks are good, but most of the album is a forgettable mess. Victimized, Burn It Down, and of course Until It Breaks are low points.

    2/5
     
  2. #2
    Reed To Black

    Reed To Black Prog, bro.

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    Next time you work out or get pissed off, give Meteora a go
     
  3. #3
    IGibbedYEIH

    IGibbedYEIH The Prog Nerd Über Member

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    This thread should be retitled to Living Things: A Rant.
     
  4. #4
    Aden

    Aden Well-Known Member

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    Yeah I'm definitely gonna check out Metora soon too. From what I've heard of the album the "nu-metal-y" are weak compared to the Hybrid Theroy counterparts, but there's other stuff on it too.

    And haha yeah, I actually almost titled it that.
     
  5. #5
    minuteforce

    minuteforce Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance. LPA Team

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    I got to the third or fourth sentence in the second paragraph and, then, I couldn't go on.

    Why did I decide to read this? >.<
     
  6. #6
    Aden

    Aden Well-Known Member

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    Because you thought it might actually be a quality review by someone worth a damn as opposed to a shitty amateur rant?
     
  7. #7
    Wasabi GOD

    Wasabi GOD Praise Brad Delson, our Lord and Savior. LPA Addict

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    In My Remains is one of the beautiful LP Songs ever. I cant understand people :shrug:
     
  8. #8
    Halfway Dwight

    Halfway Dwight We are the fortunate ones.

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    I actually think Until It Breaks is a good song...
     
  9. #9
    Quack

    Quack Well-Known Member

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    lolwut (especially the part about Until it Breaks being offensive).

    Also, say what you want about Living Things, it is an album only Linkin Park could actually make (not "anyone"). How many other artists can go from LGM to IBG to COG to Victimized successively in an album and still make it sound coherent?

    Also, I'd only consider like 2-3 songs from Living Things to be "generic", not the whole album. Heck, not even generic, just because a song leans more towards the pop side of things, doesn't make it generic. In My Remains, for example, might be a pop anthem, but in my opinion it's also a refreshing and enjoyable listen.
     
  10. #10
    polleo

    polleo You're gonna carry that weight. LPA Super Member

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    I don't agree with this at all. Its got me all offended and I am gonna go yell at a wall to wash away my frustration.

    I'm probably the only one agreeing with you. The song has some beautiful samples in it. I really like the lyrics too. One of my favorites from the album too.

    Until It Breaks is all round awesome. Its weirdness is what makes me really like LP. It's different.

    You say its generic pop stuff and then you say you don't like Victimized and Until it Breaks :rolleyes:. I actually like how UIB flows- You've got Mike's battle rap verses and then you have Brad's soft yet dark verses. It reminds of Blackout's transition. And, I love how redundant Victimized lyrics are. They fit the idea of the song very well.

    Its kind of sad to see IMR and IBG to be slammed as mindless songs because there's actually a lot of things going on those songs that get drowned out in the mix. IBG sounds too ambitious for its own good. Also, as much as I love the song how isn't RU's woahs any less generic?
     
  11. #11
    travz21

    travz21 Muscle Museum LPA Super Member

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    Primo is one hundred times better than I'll Be Gone. LP seems to make some unbelievably unique songs before they get the "studio" treatment/pressure and dumb everything down. I feel like Living Things was them putting together a bunch of random songs that were pretty unique and then most of them got butchered by the time the CD was released.

    Pretty much all the demos from Living Things were more worthwhile than their final releases. I really liked the 3 Until It Breaks demos.
     
  12. #12
    ernieball003

    ernieball003 Well-Known Member

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    The biggest thing I'm taking away from this rant/review is that there are now fans capable of ranting that are younger than Hybrid Theory.

    I'm too young to feel old.
     
  13. #13
    Zak

    Zak HEY, EVERYONE! GET IN HERE!

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    WHAT YEAR IS IT?!?
     
  14. #14
    TobinOverflowsBest

    TobinOverflowsBest MY NAME IS MATT LPA VIP

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    Aden.....are you in the firing squad, or are you in the line up?
     
  15. #15
    Filip

    Filip god break down the door LPA Contributor

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    I fuckint love every little thing in this album.
     
  16. #16
    Atticus

    Atticus Bullets lance the bravest lungs

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    Soooo first you complain the album is too generic pop-rock flavoured for you, and then you go on to completely discredit Until It Breaks for being disjointed and non-poppy...

    Pretty legit.
     
  17. #17
    Tocaraca

    Tocaraca A part of me screams away silently

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    Fuck off. Album haters make me sick.
     
  18. #18
    minuteforce

    minuteforce Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance. LPA Team

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    Eh, people having their opinions is fine and - not to say anything about what I think of this review specifically - negative opinions can sometimes be warranted. :) Even if they're not, from someone's perspective, they're at least valid, provided that the person expressing them isn't using overly-offensive language as per board rules.
     
  19. #19
    Filip

    Filip god break down the door LPA Contributor

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    Recently this trend with people being here and knowing like 3 albums... meanwhile I'm waiting to know every little thing about Nine Inch Nails before I write a post on ETS.
     
  20. #20
    lime treacle

    lime treacle Über Member Über Member

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    *stops reading*
     

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