Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns

Band: Linkin Park

Album: A Thousand Suns

Release Date: September 8th 2010

Band Members: Chester Bennington, Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdan, Brad Delson, Dave Farrell, Joe Hahn

Team 5-a-side tackled the mighty Linkin Park this week. What was the score?

Steve

Let’s see here, we’re discussing Linkin Park so, nostalgia, Check, angsty singing from Chester Bennington, check, inevitable panning by reviewer? Not quite. Around ten years ago, Linkin Park released the commercially successful Hybrid Theory, which for anyone who was a teenager at that time, was the holy bible of rock and possibly among many people’s first album brought. That of course was then, but what about now? Fast forwarding to this year, a Thousand Suns was released with much more anonymity than its predecessors, as the Linkin Park project staggers on, which is possibly dare I say it, past it’s sell by date.

A Thousand Suns is a concept album about a dystopian future, which is possibly a sign of Linkin Park not having its finger on the pulse of contemporary music as this concept has been done to death in recent years by better bands. Whereas, however, the concept is not creative, its music content is, and several tracks will unexpectedly impress. For me, the tracks that really stand out are Wretches and Kings, Blackout and When They Come for me, the songs with real attitude. In fact I would go as far to say that these songs are excellent and really drag the album out of the Bad Lands of negative reviewing.

Ironically, the songs that the band is trying to peddle as the creative progression of Linkin Park, and the album’s singles, just don’t work. Waiting for the End is just soppy rubbish. Strong words, but this song in particular is like an arrow missing the mark, past the mark and into the eye of a child spectator. Similarly, the Catalyst is devoid of creative content with bland vocals and a repetitive rhythm which really damages the respectability of the whole album.

So as an opinionated music listener, how does this album fair? Somewhere in the fog of mediocrity will do. Somewhere I think this limbo prison will contain Linkin Park for many years to come.

Favourite Song: Wretches and Kings

If you had to make some kind of speech to the people of Earth, which track off of A Thousand Suns would you use for your entrance: When They Come For Me

Nick

I didn’t like it. Nu metal when it’s young, cocky, bratty and revelling in its juvenility is great for shits and giggles. Who doesn’t love head banging to Papa Roach’s Last Resort or emulating Fred Durst’s particularly abysmal attempts at rapping while, semi ironically, making vaguely rudeboish hand gestures? Such music has two equally valid purposes, to act as a genuine form of expression for anyone under 13 and as a source of embarrassing but entertaining nostalgia for anyone older. Linkin Park have been attempting to make grown up Nu Metal since album number two, and now just produce bland alternative rock with vague hip hop and electronic influences. It doesn’t help that Chester Bennington still sounds like a 13 year old who refuses to tidy his room. The odd catchy chorus (Robot Boy) and sonic variation (The Catalyst) does not stop this album from being a complete non entity.

Best song: Robot Boy

Sounds like: A band running out of ideas

If you had to make some kind of speech to the people of Earth, which track off of A Thousand Suns would you use for your entrance: None, it’d make me sound like a complete tit.

Jamie

I have been a Linkin Park fan since 2002, own all their albums and have seen them live three times, but do not think this is the reason that A Thousand Suns is my album of 2010. While it still sounds like Linkin Park vocally, the band have experimented with a wider range of sounds and styles of music. LP have always been a rock band with a bit of rapping and the odd use of electronic sounds and beats, but on this album they really pushed the boat out and combine the live sound with the electronic production.

So what makes this album different? Heavily synthesised and booming bass lines, overly distorted guitars, African style percussion and electronic drums. The typical layout of a Linkin Park song doesn’t exist on this album either, especially in “When They Come For Me” where it is mainly African style percussion and the chorus is purely a chant. It’s only the booming bass and Mike Shinoda’s aggressive and comical raps that keep this song from being a rain dance. “Blackout” uses the typical screamy shouty vocals of Chester Bennington but to the backdrop of a slightly more chilled out and guitar free sound. But the structure of the song changes from heavy to soft and then back to soft.
“Wretches and Kings” uses the old Rap verse/Singing Chorus formula, but the music is 100% electronic and the guitar is purely distortion and feedback. Chester’s vocal style has a heavy metal meets Reggaeton style to it which is unlike anything he’s ever done. “Waiting for the end” also uses the old Rap verse/Singing Chorus but combines bleak with uplifting and energetic and also has a bit more of a Reggaeton feel to it. “The Catalyst” is one of the most epic songs that LP have ever done and the powerful driving electronic beat and the synthesisers make me feel like I’m in a post apocalyptic war.

Great album and even the mellow songs and interludes work really well, If you’re an LP fan or you want to hear something a bit more experimental check it out!

If you like this check out:
Mos Def – The Ecstatic
Beck –The Information
Crystal Method – Legion Of Boom

Favourite Song: When They Come for Me

If you had to make some kind of speech to the people of Earth, which track off of A Thousand Suns would you use for your entrance: Wretches and Kings

Rob

I worry about the analytical intellect of critics when they compare this record to albums like Dark Side of the Moon and Kid A, proclaiming that it must be listened to en masse. I could not disagree more. Despite the common theme of nuclear war, the amalgamation of styles is blurring and unnecessary. The constant variation between reflective, tuneful harmonies and political rants compels me to skip certain tracks in a hopeless search for continuity.

A Thousand Suns does improve somewhat towards the end. Wisdom, Justice, And Love takes excerpts from a famous Martin Luther King, Jr speech in order to emphasise the intrinsic social effects on a country engaged in war – always a topical subject it seems. So I can't condemn the album from a political point of view. It's messages are crystal clear.

Following this are the most emotive songs in the line-up. The Catalyst is a well constructed piece but only because it is written inside the comfort zone of the band, hence it's release as the first single. The Messenger and Iridescent are the stand out tracks for me.

I applaud Linkin Park for attempting something different but they clearly haven't had the conviction to pull it off and regularly revert back to old habits. Overall this leads to a disappointingly inconsistent record.

Favourite song: Iridescent

If you had to make some kind of speech to the people of Earth, which track off of A Thousand Suns would you use for your entrance: Burning In The Skies.

Liam

Nu-Metal, every fourteen year old’s favourite genre of music until emo came along, did not survive the test of time well. The bands that used to wave the banner for acne, angst ridden teenagers have either grown up and evolved or fallen by the wayside only to be added to the iTunes library out of a sense of nostalgia or guilt. Linkin Park is one of the bands that have tried to evolve their musical style. Enter the concept album.

The angst has been split down the middle and has given way to more adult raw anger in and an inward sense of fear and uncertainty. It ties in well with the albums theme of impending cataclysm. The more ‘classical’ Linkin Park songs have taken on tribal beats and reggae styles that get my head bobbing in a good way. The sorrowful laments of Chester Bennington that make up the spaces in between are well structured, lyrically decent and will get you singing along after a few beers. A strategically placed speech here and there reminds us why we came. To witness Armageddon to face palm ourselves for letting it happen.

As an album I think it works well. Although some may feel a little cheated that the fifteen tracks listed on the back are not all fully fledged songs with some being speeches and others just interludes it does keep the album flowing reminding you of the recurring theme of impending doom and destruction.

As said before the album is split in two. For every decent ‘hell yeah!’ song we have an introspective, melodic ‘why me?’ song. While this isn’t necessarily a bad album it’s not Linkin Park’s best. Their previous album, Minutes to Midnight, didn’t feature enough of Mike Shinoda’s rapping skills but it did have strong, anthemic, mosh-pit inducing songs. Songs like ‘Faint’, ‘Given Up’ and ‘In the End’ are not to be found on this album. Maybe they were hoping that ‘Blackout’ would be that mosh-pit educing song but it plods on a bit too slow and just gets horribly distorted toward the end with the obligatory DJing given to us by Mr Hahn.

In all I recommend this album. If you are a Linkin Park this album will please you. It won’t shock or awe you but if you have listened to their previous albums the progression from ‘Hybrid Theory’ to ‘A Thousand Suns’ will not surprise you

Favourite Song: When They Come For Me

If you had to make some kind of speech to the people of Earth, which track off of A Thousand Suns would you use for your entrance: The Messenger