GraDoN
its been real
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2006
- Location
- South Africa
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/st...126866,00.html
IT has been a long wait, but Linkin Park is finally back.
But it's not the Linkin Park that the world is used to.
Four years after the US rock supergroup released its second CD Meteora and 38 million albums sold worldwide later, it is attempting a different sound with the much-anticipated new offering Minutes To Midnight.
In fact, it's almost inaccurate to classify the band as nu-metal or rap-rock anymore.
Musically, Linkin Park is softer and more stripped down. Lyrically, it's become more serious and socially-conscious.
Instead of being angsty over broken relationships, it now tackles world issues like politics, war and the environment. Oh, with a few F-bombs thrown in along the way.
And for the first time, the six members - singer Chester Bennington, 31, rapper Mike Shinoda, 30, guitarist Brad Delson, 30, bassist Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell, 30, DJ Joe Hahn, 30, and drummer Rob Bourdon, 28 - appear on the cover of an album.
Yes, Linkin Park is taking reinvention further than any hardcore teenage fan would've wanted.
Wearing a simple black long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, charismatic frontman Bennington was holding court in a swish ballroom at KualaLumpur's LeMeridien hotel on Wednesday to tell us more.
The band had chosen the Malaysian city to hold an exclusive listening session of all 12 tracks from Minutes To Midnight - which hits shelves on 15May - for the South-east Asian media.
While a couple of tracks are classic Linkin Park (heavy banging guitar riffs, catchy choruses and screamy vocals), the rest of the album has a generic pop-rock vibe with influences from U2, Coldplay and even gospel church choirs.
Bennington admitted that it was a 'very conscious decision from the beginning' not to recreate the sounds of chart-topping debut album Hybrid Theory and follow-up Meteora, as the California six-piece are 'embarking on a new era of Linkin Park'.
He said: 'We didn't want to make a trilogy. We wanted to write a record that didn't restrict us to a certain style and genre.
'Yet, we didn't want to stray from things that we felt were essential to Linkin Park, just present them in a different way.
'We went to great distances and lengths to change the sound of the band, discovering how to write songs that didn't corrupt what we'd already created.
'It was a very difficult process, which is one of the reasons why the new album took so long.'
The man instrumental in LinkinPark's metamorphosis is Grammy-winning producer RickRubin, who is behind works by the Dixie Chicks and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
He forced the guys to experiment and encouraged them to stay on the path whenever they 'fell back into old patterns'.
FORCED TO EXPERIMENT
Bennington recalled: 'He told us, 'Whatever you think your fans want to hear, whatever music you think you need to make, whatever limitations you think you have, just forget about it. Throw everything out of the window because none of it matters. What's important is making music you're inspired by'.'
Linkin Park's record label Warner Bros insisted the first single had to 'bridge the gap' between the old and new material as 'listeners need something to soften the transition'.
The result is What I've Done, an old-school Linkin Park number that is currently playing on the radio.
However, the rude awakening arrives when Shinoda, who co-produced the album with Rubin, ends up rapping only on two tracks.
Bennington said: 'Mike found himself coming up with ideas that were melodic rather than rapping. He even made a joke that he's writing himself out of the record.
'So I suggested that if he's not rapping as much, he should be singing. So he ended up doing a lot of the harmonies and the lead vocal (in one track).'
Linkin Park's use of the F-word in several songs is another shocker, especially since it had always prided itself on being a profanity-free rock outfit.
So parents out there who intend to buy Minutes To Midnight for your kids, you have been warned.
Bennington denied that the expletives were thrown in 'for the sake of shocking people', but his explanation was too lame to be believed.
He said: 'In the past, we didn't use any explicit language, not on purpose, but because we always found better ways to express ourselves.
'But here, we felt there wasn't any better way than using those words, which fit the thrust of the songs.'
He continued to deflect any potential controversy by joking: 'It's kinda fun for me! I am a personal fan of explicit language, I use it as often as possible.'
And instead of the intricate artwork or graphic designs that adorned their previous album covers, Minutes To Midnight features the silhouetted sextet looking all spruced-up in suits against the desolate Salton Sea in Southern California.
So why have the anonymous men of Linkin Park suddenly come to the forefront?
Bennington explained they wanted to celebrate their rare joint effort: 'For the last few years, all six of us really worked on this album as a band, and we've spent more time together than we ever have.'
They also wanted to 'elevate' the look of Linkin Park, to appear more 'uniform, like a group' and 'not look like just a bunch of kids'.
As for their newfound dapper style, Bennington quipped: 'Well, the band finally let me dress them!'
He added: 'We're all grown up and more mature, and I think the guys are feeling comfortable being rock stars. Everyone's coming into their own.'
Even the apocalyptic title Minutes To Midnight is an to allusion Linkin Park's metaphorical death and rebirth.
It is a reference to the Doomsday Clock, a clock created in 1947 by scientists for the purpose of portraying how close (in imaginary minutes) mankind is to the end of the world (midnight).
Bennington said: 'Things need to change, and it needs to happen now. The title captured how we're feeling and where we're heading in the future.'
IT has been a long wait, but Linkin Park is finally back.
But it's not the Linkin Park that the world is used to.
Four years after the US rock supergroup released its second CD Meteora and 38 million albums sold worldwide later, it is attempting a different sound with the much-anticipated new offering Minutes To Midnight.
In fact, it's almost inaccurate to classify the band as nu-metal or rap-rock anymore.
Musically, Linkin Park is softer and more stripped down. Lyrically, it's become more serious and socially-conscious.
Instead of being angsty over broken relationships, it now tackles world issues like politics, war and the environment. Oh, with a few F-bombs thrown in along the way.
And for the first time, the six members - singer Chester Bennington, 31, rapper Mike Shinoda, 30, guitarist Brad Delson, 30, bassist Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell, 30, DJ Joe Hahn, 30, and drummer Rob Bourdon, 28 - appear on the cover of an album.
Yes, Linkin Park is taking reinvention further than any hardcore teenage fan would've wanted.
Wearing a simple black long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, charismatic frontman Bennington was holding court in a swish ballroom at KualaLumpur's LeMeridien hotel on Wednesday to tell us more.
The band had chosen the Malaysian city to hold an exclusive listening session of all 12 tracks from Minutes To Midnight - which hits shelves on 15May - for the South-east Asian media.
While a couple of tracks are classic Linkin Park (heavy banging guitar riffs, catchy choruses and screamy vocals), the rest of the album has a generic pop-rock vibe with influences from U2, Coldplay and even gospel church choirs.
Bennington admitted that it was a 'very conscious decision from the beginning' not to recreate the sounds of chart-topping debut album Hybrid Theory and follow-up Meteora, as the California six-piece are 'embarking on a new era of Linkin Park'.
He said: 'We didn't want to make a trilogy. We wanted to write a record that didn't restrict us to a certain style and genre.
'Yet, we didn't want to stray from things that we felt were essential to Linkin Park, just present them in a different way.
'We went to great distances and lengths to change the sound of the band, discovering how to write songs that didn't corrupt what we'd already created.
'It was a very difficult process, which is one of the reasons why the new album took so long.'
The man instrumental in LinkinPark's metamorphosis is Grammy-winning producer RickRubin, who is behind works by the Dixie Chicks and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
He forced the guys to experiment and encouraged them to stay on the path whenever they 'fell back into old patterns'.
FORCED TO EXPERIMENT
Bennington recalled: 'He told us, 'Whatever you think your fans want to hear, whatever music you think you need to make, whatever limitations you think you have, just forget about it. Throw everything out of the window because none of it matters. What's important is making music you're inspired by'.'
Linkin Park's record label Warner Bros insisted the first single had to 'bridge the gap' between the old and new material as 'listeners need something to soften the transition'.
The result is What I've Done, an old-school Linkin Park number that is currently playing on the radio.
However, the rude awakening arrives when Shinoda, who co-produced the album with Rubin, ends up rapping only on two tracks.
Bennington said: 'Mike found himself coming up with ideas that were melodic rather than rapping. He even made a joke that he's writing himself out of the record.
'So I suggested that if he's not rapping as much, he should be singing. So he ended up doing a lot of the harmonies and the lead vocal (in one track).'
Linkin Park's use of the F-word in several songs is another shocker, especially since it had always prided itself on being a profanity-free rock outfit.
So parents out there who intend to buy Minutes To Midnight for your kids, you have been warned.
Bennington denied that the expletives were thrown in 'for the sake of shocking people', but his explanation was too lame to be believed.
He said: 'In the past, we didn't use any explicit language, not on purpose, but because we always found better ways to express ourselves.
'But here, we felt there wasn't any better way than using those words, which fit the thrust of the songs.'
He continued to deflect any potential controversy by joking: 'It's kinda fun for me! I am a personal fan of explicit language, I use it as often as possible.'
And instead of the intricate artwork or graphic designs that adorned their previous album covers, Minutes To Midnight features the silhouetted sextet looking all spruced-up in suits against the desolate Salton Sea in Southern California.
So why have the anonymous men of Linkin Park suddenly come to the forefront?
Bennington explained they wanted to celebrate their rare joint effort: 'For the last few years, all six of us really worked on this album as a band, and we've spent more time together than we ever have.'
They also wanted to 'elevate' the look of Linkin Park, to appear more 'uniform, like a group' and 'not look like just a bunch of kids'.
As for their newfound dapper style, Bennington quipped: 'Well, the band finally let me dress them!'
He added: 'We're all grown up and more mature, and I think the guys are feeling comfortable being rock stars. Everyone's coming into their own.'
Even the apocalyptic title Minutes To Midnight is an to allusion Linkin Park's metaphorical death and rebirth.
It is a reference to the Doomsday Clock, a clock created in 1947 by scientists for the purpose of portraying how close (in imaginary minutes) mankind is to the end of the world (midnight).
Bennington said: 'Things need to change, and it needs to happen now. The title captured how we're feeling and where we're heading in the future.'
