LIVING THINGS: Song Descriptions So Far

I thought it would be a good idea to have a thread with all the song descriptions we have got so far. I've included the descriptions from HitFix, Golden Mixtape, Spin, Artist Direct, Rolling Stone Magazine, Noisecreep, Myspace and Complex's description about "UNTIL IT BREAKS". I have also included Artist Direct Editor Rick Florino's tweet confirming that TINFOIL is an instrumental interlude.

01 LOST IN THE ECHO
HitFix: Album opener, “Lost In the Echo” starts big and stays big, instead of LP’s tried-and-true pattern of beginning quietly then exploding into cacophony. Shinoda raps from the start , then vocalist Chester Bennington comes in, his vocals surrounded by echo on the propulsive track. The song signals, as Shinado pointed out at the end, that as much as the band was looking forward, it also took some of its cues from the ‘80s. Lyrically, the theme the pervades the song-- and the album--is a sense of disillusion and disappointment. “These promises are broken, defeated. Each word gets lost in the echo,” Bennington sings.

Spin: "Lost in the Echo" featured a staccato guitar attack, tribal drums, crystalline keys and some brutal screams, but it also interweaved contemporary sub-bass boom and clangy industrial effects.

Golden Mixtape: "LOST IN THE ECHO” and “IN MY REMAINS” both had incredible build ups that lead the listener to an explosion of a relay of lyrics that seemed to showcase opposing ideas. One declared “I won’t back up. I won’t back down” while the other succumbed to “wash away the worst of me.”

Artist Direct: LIVING THINGS comes to life with a blip of cackling feedback on "LOST IN THE ECHO". Soon, everything is subsumed by earth-shaking beats from drummer Rob Bourdon and airy synth sorcery by Joe Hahn. Brad Delson's guitars gut the swell as Mike Shinoda launches into an airtight verse beginning with the words, "You were that foundation". Chester Bennington sounds potently pristine during the stadium-size refrain, locking into an impenetrable harmony with Shinoda. They remain the most intriguing duo in music at large, and their interplay here is utterly mind-blowing. A cybernetic frenzy sizzles during a scratched out bridge before Bennington echoes, "This time I finally let you go". Phoenix's bass rumbles throughout the landscape, and suddenly you're plunged into a world ruled by these six individuals.

Noisecreep: LIVING THINGS kicks off with "LOST IN THE ECHO," and it's clear from the first tease of feedback that the band is in stellar form. The big, dramatic washes of synth, the complex, but strangely accessible syncopated beats and blistering raps create a full-on "Linkin Park comfort level" that no doubt will not just appeal to longtime fans, but generate lots of younger listener buzz as well.

MySpace: A grandiose, swelling number that harkens back to early single “In the End.” Includes lyrics: "We got lost in the echo."

02 IN MY REMAINS
HitFix: Bennington sings of fear and pain over an electronic, aggressive, full sonic landscape; discordant and clangy. It shifts to a precise, military rat-a-tat as Bennington sings “Like an Army falling, one by one.” He repeats the phrase as the tension builds and Rob Bourdon’s drumming propels everything into lockstep.

Spin: "In My Remains" is both dark and triumphant, built for an arena at the end of days.

Golden Mixtape: "LOST IN THE ECHO” and “IN MY REMAINS” both had incredible build ups that lead the listener to an explosion of a relay of lyrics that seemed to showcase opposing ideas. One declared “I won’t back up. I won’t back down” while the other succumbed to “wash away the worst of me.”

Artist Direct: A torrent of scratching fuels massive danceable percussion on "IN MY REMAINS" as Bennington's divine delivery entwines with shimmering electronics. Military drums punctuate the song's mid-section as Shinoda elegantly croons a haunting harmony over piano announcing, "Like an army falling one by one".

Noisecreep: "IN MY REMAINS" features a military drum march as the backbone behind a truly thunderous melody

Myspace: A heavy rocker that slowly builds from a sparse, electronic backbone. Includes lyrics: "Like an army falling one by one."

antiMusic: A big, semi-orchestral ballad.

MTV First: (Chester) "This song took a long time to finish too. It started off as this really simple song, and it came together quickly, but its progression froze for a while. It turned out to be this rocking, four-to-the-floor track with a big payoff."

03 BURN IT DOWN - [Released]

04 LIES GREED MISERY - [Released - Click HERE to download]
HitFix: The next track, “Lies, Greed & Misery,” was the most innovative and captivating we heard of the six. Opening with Shinoda rapping over percolating synths and stutter steps, the song sounds like Linkin Park crossed with Skrillex crossed with M.I.A. A jagged, fuzzy keyboard bridge gives way to Bennington chanting “You Did It To Yourself,” before he starts screaming the line over and over in a hypnotic frenzy.

Golden Mixtape: “LIES GREED MISERY” started off with an indie rock vibe but then as the hip hop sound LP’s synonymous for hit, they hit hard. Mike said earlier that they never wanted to fall into the niche market critics put their first two albums in, but I felt this track was a progressive look back at where they started and where they are now. Where the pissed motif in their earlier work was like an out of control teen, the anger displayed in “LIES GREED MISERY” is a mad adult who channels their anger into art.

Artist Direct: Shinoda sounds like he's rapping from another universe on the skittering and staggering "LIES GREED MISERY". A majestic 21st century bitch slap, it's glitched-out, pissed-off hard rock.

MySpace: A thrashing, in-your-face number garnished with a hint of dub-step. Includes lyrics: "Now let me show you exactly how the breaking point sounds.”

05 I'LL BE GONE
Spin: On "I'll Be Gone," his [Chester's] metallic vocals come from a character who's either forced or chooses to leave home before the sun comes up. Amidst the lo-bit glitch and seismic stomp comes an unlikely cameo: strings courtesy of Arcade Fire arranger Owen Pallett.

Artist Direct: Subtle handclaps bounce with the keyboards during the beginning of "I'LL BE GONE" before another instantly incisive hook. It's a firestarter with more snappy riffing from Delson.

Noisecreep: Other standout tracks include the hook-laden "I'LL BE GONE," which also feels like a single.

MySpace: An anthemic radio number that features heavy drums and urgent vocals. Includes lyrics: "It’s time you let me go."

06 CASTLE OF GLASS
HitFix: “Castle Of Glass” felt like the biggest game-changer. Over an almost alternative country melody, Bennington sings “Take me down to the river bank... wash the poison off my skin...show me how to be whole again.” It’s one of the most straight forward tunes that the band has done with a traditional song structure. Bennington and Shinoda sing together as their voices, and desperation, rise, “I’m on a crack in this castle of glass.”

Golden Mixtape: Much of the record was expected and then “CASTLE OF GLASS” ended our session. Looking over my scribbled text, I can make out “Americana” and “Bayou.” Think of it as what you love about LP and throw in a pinch of folk. With Chester’s horror movie past, we might hear this one in a spooky scene soon. As it played I could imagine youths terrified and running to the pace of the song as “…take me down to the river bend” filtered through their doom; it gave off an eerie feel.

Spin: The melancholic "Castle of Glass" offers a steam-engine chug and a mountain of sound while Bennington sings about being but a small crack in the titular edifice, illustrating belonging and futility in the same stroke.

Artist Direct: There's a folk elegance to the spacey "CASTLE OF GLASS", evincing some of Shinoda and Bennington's most poetic lyrics to date—"I'm only a crack in this castle of glass."

Noisecreep: Other standout tracks include...the moody, mercurial "CASTLE OF GLASS."

MySpace: A combination of synth and acoustic guitar that creates an atmospheric rocker. Includes lyrics: "I’m only a crack in this castle of glass."

MTV First: (Mike) "My vocal performance on the first part of that song...pretty much almost everything you hear in the beginning of that song was the very first demo."

07 VICTIMIZED
Artist Direct: The band manages to harness that indie vulnerability moments before their heaviest track ever "VICTIMIZED". They've never done anything this bruising and brutal. Thrash paranoia steamrolls with tribal drums before a throat-slashing scream on the hook. It's vicious, violent, and vibrant. This unexpected drop is just plain fucking sick. You can practically envision festival crowds tearing up the ground to this one.

Rolling Stone: The brutal headbanger “Victimized” is the band’s most aggressive track in years.

Noisecreep: Other standout tracks include...the wildly intense "VICTIMIZED." This track in particular just scorches - and has an instant-classic feel.

MySpace: Linkin Park’s heaviest song yet, a screaming, heavy rock song that may surprise you.

08 ROADS UNTRAVELED
Artist Direct: "ROADS UNTRAVELED" nods to classic rock, but it's unlike anything you've ever heard, especially once that big distortion hits.

Rolling Stone: "In the end, Living things incorporated some unexpected influences: ...the sea-chantey rhythms of “Roads Untraveled” reflect the band’s new interest in folk."

MySpace: A piano-driven ballad that even features some chimes. Includes lyrics: "The love that you lost wasn’t worth what it cost and in time you’ll be glad it’s gone."

09 SKIN TO BONE
Artist Direct: There's a glimmer of electro spunk to "SKIN TO BONE" before everything gets all tripped out on the refrain—another welcome surprise.

Rolling Stone: "In the end, Living things incorporated some unexpected influences: the campfire-style vocals of “Skin to Bone”...reflect the band’s new interest in folk.

MySpace: An electro-driven rhythmic number that goes hard on the experimentation. Incudes lyrics: "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

10 UNTIL IT BREAKS
Hitfix: “Until It Breaks” starts with Shinoda rapping over a swaggering beat, surrounded by beats coming at him from all angles. The song shifts into a Kanye West-like rap thump into real instruments—strings, keys—under Bennington’s vocal as he prays for the “strength of the rising sun.” The ambient sonics grew louder and stronger as the voices succumbed to the machines.

Golden Mixtape: As “UNTIL IT BREAKS” started, I thought how fitting we’re remembering 20 years since the LA Riots this week. This song reminded me of a time where rap was about something and not so called “bling bling.” The construction of the song made it sound as if it were escaping from a police radio at times. The 90′s feel is definitely something to highlight and celebrate on this portion of LIVING THINGS. Let’s hope more of that’s on the rest of the record.

Complex: Linkin Park has evolved from MTV frat-house faves into a class act and MC Mike Shinoda makes that clear in the rap-heavy joint “Until It Breaks” off Living Things. Over a bed of big healthy drums, he confidently spits, “I’m a Banksy / You’re a Brainwash / Get the picture like that?” Yes, we get the picture.

Artist Direct: On the other end of the spectrum, "UNTIL IT BREAKS" stands out as the band's most poignant ballad ever.

Noisecreep: One of the album's two ballads (the other being 'POWERLESS'), "UNTIL IT BREAKS," is a nice pause in the action; an evocative piece of melodic electronica that builds and cascades in an even more lush, layered production than the rest of the record.

MySpace: One of the softer tracks on the album, centered on synth melodies. Includes lyrics: "You woke the devil that I thought you’d left behind." [Staff Note - These are actually Powerless lyrics, seems like MySpace messed up here.]

antiMusic: Perhaps the album's biggest surprise. Begins with a dub-y, raggae beat, and then ends with a choir-y outro.

MTV First: (Mike) "Until It Breaks is built just from pieces of scrapped demos. We basically packed those end to end to end; there were like 4 different demos that weren't going anywhere individually, but when you put them all together it made something really interesting. It's supposed to feel really jarring and weird, and for me it was a really fun song to make."

11 TINFOIL
Rick Florino: "there's an instrumental interlude called "TINFOIL" that's killer"

MySpace: An intro between tracks that also delves into experimental noises.

12 POWERLESS
Artist Direct: Everything culminates on the cinematic closer "POWERLESS". It has the heft of a John Williams score and the power of any of Linkin Park's best output.

Noisecreep: One of the album's two ballads.

Rock In Rio: (Chester) "The only slow song; a beautiful song."

MTV First: (Mike) "Took the longest to write. It was a really old demo, TINFOIL is the intro of it, and it turned into this epic 6 minute long thing, but it was kind of boring. It was too long, so months later we chopped it down to size. It probably took 9 months or even a year before the song was actually done. The last day of recording, we were still working on that song. Rob came in and recorded a new idea, and it made it way better."

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Let me know if I've missed anything out!

 

Haha, it was driving me mad having to go back and forth through different threads to read the descriptions. It will be fun to look back at these descriptions after the album release.

Yes! This was the one I knew I was missing. Thanks man.

 

He didn't quote any of the articles and hasn't mentioned all the information. Thanks for pointing it out though!

 

You're welcome folks!

Hopefully we will get some info on VICTIMIZED, ROADS UNTRAVELED, SKIN TO BONE, TINFOIL and POWERLESS soon.