Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
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Free Music Notes for Hybrid Theory
Free Music Review: HYBRID THEORY- Two words to describe it all
Hit: 5 Stars
Ok...we all heard everyone's review for Hybrid Theory from it being pitiful to being widely acclaimed, but all in all, it's an impressive cd! The name "Hybrid Theory" pretty much sums up LP's genre and style of music.With an influx of different styles and influences of music varying from the Deftones, Stone-Temple Pilots,Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, and NiN, the end result is a well-crafted and wonderful album filled with sounds of electronic, rock, rap, alterantive, nu-metal, and some emo here and there. Basically sounds to please everyone's taste. Then of course there is The Incredible Mr.Hahn, the DJ of LP. His masterful blend of beats, sampling, and scratching intertwine perfectly with Chester's astonishing voice, which can go from screaming to singing melancholy in a split-second, has made him one of the most well-respected artists of this century. As well as, Mike Shinoda's Emceeing, whom has a in-your-face, fast-paced, throwing lyrics in a heartbeat, rapping just keep making the band better. I didn't like Linkin Park when I first heard their first single "One Step Closer"... i felt, in my taste in music at the time, was a bit unwavering. But then, a song known as "Crawling" was released, this totally changed my perspective of the band. Showing me that they are not just a hard-core rock band, but a band that is not afraid to show a softer, more deeper side of emotion. The lyrics to that song are extremely powerful and you can feel the emotion that Chester sings in that song. Thusly, this lead me into temptation to buy the cd. When I finished the entire cd for the first time, I was not impressed, of course I didn't have the appreciation of the rock sound of rock just yet. But after constantly listening to the 12-track album, I came to a conclusion that it was an album and a band destined for stardom. The lyrics, the sound, the meaning of it all totally changed my respect towards the band. Hybrid Theory shows the true dedication and how hard-working the band is towards their music. Therefore, Linkin Park is a band that revolutionized the rock/rap genre because of it's own unique sound. They're rookie cd is collaboration of great songs that will go down as one of the best and must-have albums of all time and their second cd will be much-anticipated. Unfortunately, their second album (not the remix album), will most likely not live up to the expectations of the critics and fans, for Hybrid Theory gained fame too fast in too little time. I just wanna say thank you very much to main-stream radio and MTV for totally demolishing LP's chances for a true fan-ship base. But the true Linkin Park fans, like me, will appreciate any thing LP does with music, for we are the only ones of truely understand them.HYBRID THEORY:
1.Papercut: 7/10- fisrt song i wasnt crazy about, but afterwards it gets better, song about a complexed insanity that i can't make out
2.One Step Closer-8/10- basically their first single and i wasnt very fond of it but after constant listening it catches on. Song about needing to be left alone every once in a while.
3.With You-10/10 One My favorite songs- about the hoping of keeping a stable relationship with their loved one, and wishing that they will never let go, and that they will always keep the memories that they left behind with them
4.Points of Authority-6/10-least favorite track on the cd but a catchy chorus. the meaning is unclear to me, i believe is something to do with being able to control somebody or somebody controling him, or someone about to take advantage of a him because he is weaker.(hence) "Forfeit the game b4 somebody takes u out of the frame"
5.Crawling-9/10- song hardest to ignore, catchiest chorus on the album- about suffering Chester had thru his life and how it affects him."these wounds they will not heal"
6.Runaway-8/10- another good song- Chester's voice is very melancholy in this track... song about some self-doubt, and problems that conflict with his life. How people made choices for him and how he needs to RUNAWAY from them in order to understand his true self, and come up with his own answers."wanna runaway,and never say goodbye, wanna know the truth instead of wondering why"
7.By Myself-10/10- about being alone in this world and not being able to trust, or rely on anybody, yet still recieves poor advice and help from the outside world.
8.In the End-10/10- LP at it's best!....perfect blend of the rock/rap, electronics, and electronic beats genre band that they are. Very obvious, the song is about love and the worries of love, and keeping together in the beginning but IN THE END, it didnt matter to him anymore
9.Place for MY Head-8/10- Mike Shinoda's Emceeing is vastly revealed in this song....he throws strong words in a rapid and short amount of time....not very sure on te meaning of the song...i believe its about being used as a person, and not wanting to be part of that person's life
10.Forgotten-10/10- Lyrics are most symbolic and very difficult to understand. Could be about how the extremities and oddness of his own world and memeories that affect other people.
11.Cure for the Itch-7/10- Happiest song on the album...yet no lyrics whatsoever...basically DJ Hahn mixing up his stuff at you.
12.Pushing Me Away-10/10-gr8 song to end the album...similar lyrics to With You but instead of him losing someone, he leaves the other person
Free Music Review: Hybrid is an Appropriate Title
Hit: 5 Stars
The sound of Hybrid Theory is different than any rock band had attempted with screaming and grungy vocals, rap sequences, and heavy electronic based melodies. The band all contributes to writing the music, and Mike Shinoda makes a great team with Chester Bennington as they continue to push each other to create stronger and deeper songs.
However, Mr. Hahn is the primary composer of their music besides the drums, electric guitar, and vocals for Linkin Park. He is what brings their incredibly unique sound. He is famous for using programming and synthesizers with sampling to create the melody and foot tapping sound of Linkin Park. Mr. Hahn uses a Korg Triton synthesizer keyboard as one of the main elements of his electronic work as well as an MS2000. The Triton was developed after the release of the Yamaha DX7, which was the first midi fm keyboard synth. The Triton has similar purposes and uses that were originally established with the DX7, that started the wave of 'preset' patches, so all synthesizers have the patch storing ability now, which goes to show the importance of this development by John Chowning. Mr Hahn was influenced by early computer music because he has mastered the Triton so well and uses it in every song on Hybrid Theory. He also goes back to earlier roots in computer music with the first analog syth, the Moog, which he utilizes in different pieces throughout this album.
Of course, In The End was the biggest hit from this album that is still found on rock radio stations 10 years later. The strength of the song is in the reverb that is created using computer synthesizers by Mr. Hahn. Although, this song is also one of the less electrically manipulated songs on this album, without the use of computer generation, the song would sound flat and empty.
Points of Authority- From the very beginning of the song, you here that sampling was being used to just record voices that were put into a phase vocoder. The vocals throughout the song were distorted and there are very clear synthetic arrangements that hold the song.
Papercut- The echo used in this song to add emphasis to the vocalist is the strength of the song. In the middle of the song there is actually a point where the bridge is a completely computerized recorded voice that had been heavily manipulated.
With You and Crawling- Both of these songs do not begin with vocals and are heavily computer generated but incorporates an electric guitar. Once the vocals begin, they are still covered with phase vocoders and voice-overs. The sounds are random but not atonal when the song begins, and the first 30 seconds is 100% computer generated. With You was written with The Dust Brothers, who brought in the Moog synthesizer, and they coupled the Moog sound with guitar and live drum. The influence of the Moog is heavy on Linkin Park's sound because of different bands that have been an influence on their musical arrangements.
However, there are also songs like One Step Closer and Runaway, where there is definitely computer generated sounds but the song is more on the rock side with physical instruments like guitars. It is harder to see this song as "electronica" because of the intensity of the multiple instruments being used and this song does not rely on the computer like many of Linkin Park's songs that use the computer to carry the entire tune.
In By Myself, the vocals are never without computer manipulation, where there is strong echo, vibrato, distortion, and equalization. The part of the song that really stands out to the listener is the different sounds created with the vocalist and the computer generation. There is a sudden and strong build that is only created with sporadic computer noises.
Of course, Cure for the Itch is the complete electronica song on this album. It was fully composed by Mr. Hahn, Linkin Park's turntablist DJ, which contains strong computer generated rifts, electric drum sets, and digital sampling. The song itself says that it's here to "teach a lesson in rhythm management" as a sampled voice recording is used in the first minute of the song. There are many complex layers, that really show the magnitude of Mr. Hahn's digital abilities. The mixture of electronic sounds with computer generated electronic acoustic melodies carry the song, which was completely created using electronic sources. It is the only song on this album that did not utilize any physical instruments.
This ability of Linkin Park to breach the mainstream style of heavy rock by incorporating such a strong amount of technosonic arrangements is an accomplishment. One the band began to distance itself from the electronic influence to become more acoustic, the sound and popularity of their album Minutes to Midnight dramatically decreased. This further shows the influence that the sound of the Moog synthesizer, electronic reverb, phase vocoders, and Mr. Hahn had on Linkin Park in Hybrid Theory. This is an amazing album!
Free Music Review: Ion's View on: Hybrid Theory
Hit: 5 Stars
Ion's view on Hybrid Theory: One of the better cd's I've listened to. The main reason I like Linkin Park is the fact they combine rock, rap, and trance, which are my favorite genres.Before I review the songs, I must state that people are giving this cd flak without even listening to it. This is metal and rap and some techno, but you don't have to say it's not 100% metal or rap or techno. I mean, Snoop Dogg and Metallica tours with Linkin Park. I think that explains it.
Now on with the review.
1. Papercut: Breakbeat metal. This song is about paranoia, which makes me wonder if they accidently spelt Papercut instead of Paranoid. It goes from a techno styled intro into a metal styled chorus and into the rap styled verses. The break is pretty good, where the instruments tone down to just the drums and they rap, "The Face inside is right beneath the skin." After that, it goes into a beautifal ending, where chester sings "The sun goes down; I feel the light betray me." and back into a combination of the chorus and so.
2. One Step Closer: Rock. This song is pretty good. It was made to describe the process of making lyrics to Runaway, which turned into a small quarrel. Other than that, it describes getting pushed closer and closer to the edge to the point of insanity, and before you can even respond, you're being interrupted. Before this song was ever made, I caught myself saying, "You're getting me one step closer to the edge and I'm about to break!" There's also a break in the enhanced/live version of this song, which is pretty cool sounding. Then it goes into the highly angsty "SHUT UP WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU" Break. Overall, this song is great.
3. With You: Eletronic Rap Rock and the best song on the album. It starts out with a synthy-scratchy intro with only guitars playing. After a few seconds, the scratch stops and BAM!!! The guitars blare, the drums sound, and there's ALOT of scratching. Then the song calms down into a highly emotional set of instruments and the opening lyrics "I woke up in a dream today: to the cold of the static and I put my cold feet on the floor. Forgot all about yesterday and remembering I'm pretending to be who I'm not anymore." After a while, the chorus, which is a blank verse of iambic pentameter which is very wierd for music, sounds of and the insane guitars and drums come back. It's hard to describe the song, but I think it comes down to the break, "No matter how far we've come by, I can't wait to see tommorow: with you."
4. Points of authority: Rock. The song has some of the best guitars of Linkin Park. The song is pretty much about the title, the points of authority, about one having too much power and not giving the ones around another thought.
5. Crawling: Eletronic Rock. A slower, sadder song, about personal paranoia/insecurity of ones personality traits. Has a good build in intro, but they removed the break from the original version. The only flaw in this song: it's the reason why people thing they're a boy band.
6. Runaway: Eletronica. This song is a more contreversial song, because it's about getting lied to, betrayed, attacked, and finally just running away.
7. By Myself: Industrial Rap. The song is about having more paranoia than defense or allies. The verses are pretty quiet and calm, but the chorus has an industrial feel.
8. In the end: Eletronic rap. This song is quite sad, but the message is good: the journey is more important than the end or the start. If you fail or succeed, once it's over it shouldn't bother you anymore. The break is good, too. "I put my trust in you, pushed as far as I can go, and for all this, there's only one thing you should know." It goes from light to heavy and back to the chorus.
9. A place for my head: Metal. This song was altered TWICE before being put onto hybrid theory! This song is about parasitism, a simbiosis where one benifits while the other suffers. The song's rock is constant. It never calms down until the break "You tried to take the best of me: go away." Then it goes back into the insanity. Just for the note, there's a "MUTHA**** YA!!" at the end of the song, but it was cut from the album version.
10. Forgotten: Eletronica Metal Rap. This song is about being left in a dark, dimsal ghetto-like place. The remix on Reanimation is alot more darker, but that's another review. This song isn't played much at the Linkin Park concerts... Didn't see that coming!
11. Cure for the Itch: Eletronica and Turntablism: This song is nothing but scratching and turntablism, so "Let's hear it for the great Mr. Hahn!"
12. Pushing me away: Rock. Much like Numb, this is a slower emotional track with the same message, only this is a tad different.
Overall, this CD rocks. Do yourself a favor, Linkin Park listeners, Non-Linkin Park Listeners, haters who hate Linkin Park and never heard their good songs, and people who are reading this review, and GET THIS CD!!!
Free Music Review: Just Amazing...Not to be missed...
Hit: 5 Stars
Here is an overview of the songs on LP's Hybrid Theory:1. Papercut - The start of the CD begins with a really neat beat then switches to some light guitar chords then a heavy riff, immediately followed by an aggressive rap from Mike Shinoda. The chorus is a rap/sing/yell : ) kind of tone that really sets off the mood! Absolutely great background scratching, heavy riffs, and one of the best bridges(after the last verse and the chorus after that) on the album. Cons: Lyrics in choruses might sound a bit too muffled, song may get tedious. Grade: 90%
2. One Step Closer - A big riff at the start, then a verse from Chester. The chorus is great and aggressive, and again sets the mood 'I'm about to break!'. The bridge here, "SHUT UP!' in a nutshell, is quite weak, with annoying scratches, but other than that, this song is immensely strong! Grade: 93%
3.With You- Very original sampling and riff at the start. Then goes into scratches and sampling with Shinoda's looming voice. The chorus is yelling from Chester (a great voice), some great minor key guitar chords, and the scratching is still eminent in the chorus, too! The bridge is Chester and heavy guitar and some really descriptive lyrics. The ending sample is cool. Grade: 95%
4. Points of Authority - Great introduction rap. Slightly weak voice from Chester but strengthened by the great guitars in the background. The chorus is yelling again, but is really catchy. The background sampling can be slightly corny, but then is re-enforced by Shinoda's excellent rap from the intro! Grade: 85%
5-Crawling- What can I say...absolutely breathtaking! A quiet intro with a techno beat, cresendoing to a hard riff and Chester Bennington screaming in almost genuine anguish. Very catchy. The verses have lots of heart put into it, lyrically(words) and the voice is tremendously fitting for the song(tone) and overall just amazing talent. Awesome bass in verses and bridge especially. Listen to the drums during the choruses! It is so COOL! Small rap before choruses courtesy Mike Shinoda! The best song on the album...Stirs your emotions in a way you would not think possible! Grade: 100%
6.Runaway - I cool riff at the starts and samplings pretty good. Verses are good and the singing is great. Mike Shinoda provides a small rap almost like he is of like mind with Chester. Bridge is really tedious and boring. Chester's voice is too drawn out, but then quickly comes back to the chorus. Overall quite good! Grade: 88%
7. By Myself - Heaviest song on the album...Mellow sampling and scratching in verses followed by a building verse by Shinoda, well rapped and rhymed. The chorus is just excellent, showing off the talents of both vocalists! Great guitaring on this song! This bridge is THE best on the album, with Mike starting off with a rap, then Chester Bennington comes with some screams and the guitars are still there accompanied by the sample from the verses. A truly great rap/metal song! Grade: 97%
8. In the End - Very emotional song. Starts with a haunting piano tune and scratching, then switches to a rap by Shinoda, accompanied by Chester's singing talent. The chorus is a hard hitting one, with Chester singing, hard guitar riffs, and great drums. Amazing drums in this song and throughout the album. A fine bridge that really displays the singing talents of Bennington. Grade: 99%
9. Place for My Head - Really cool guitar chording at the start then a beat with some scratches followed by a hard hitting guitar and rapping duo! The chorus, however, is a bit lacking of catchiness of the verses and also the intensity is not there. The song improves through to the finish, ending up to be a good song! Grade: 89%
10. Forgotten - Starts right out with catchy, hard hitting chorus with heavy guitars! The rap is truly ingenious in its wording with a mellow sample as a backdrop! There is also an add onto the chorus, which is really good with some catchy minor guitar chords. The drums are very good on this one! The bridge starts with some scratches and a rap but then rises in intensity to the end chorus! Great bass too! Grade: 96%
11. Cure for the Itch - A kind of corny intro by Mike, but the freestyle scratching by DJ Joseph Hahn! Be sure to listen to it! Very cool! Grade: 90%
12. Pushing Me Away - Starts out with a really cool riff, then quiets down to some great singing by Chester, accompanied by some rapped lines by Shinoda. The chorus has good lyrics, and has great bass and electric guitars! Not to mention a great beat! The bridge is truly great and Chester and Mike's blend of voices are just great! The outcome is a very emotional song! Grade: 97%
Overall Grade for Hybrid Theory: 97%
Free Music Review: Awesome Album!
Hit: 5 Stars
Since the very beginning of my love for alternative and heavy metal rock, I have created a steroetype agianst rap-rock bands and rap in general. I hated it. And thought the same about everything. This album changed my mind forever - amazing singer, and talented rappers! I love it to death, and listen to over and over. Lets break it down:
Papercut - It really gets you pumped, and's a great choice for the opener. The song starts out with some really heavy guitar riffs, and the rapper comes in with a totally shallow voice as the guitars cool down. Then come the singer. He's actually sort of screaming, but it still all sounds awesome. Great, great, rapping, and a singer with some real talent.
One Step Closer - All heard of this one? Pretty good song, but it's not my favorite. It starts out with a lot of digital enhances and guitar dubs. The singer comes in with a whispy, soft, and fairly melodic voice. It keeps a pretty constant rhythm throughout the song, and sounds really - well...screamy...Once they start screaming SHUT UP! the song gets kind of ridiculous. They say it about, uh, twelve times?
With You - Actually, nice song to calm it all down after two intense peices. Lots of digital stuff in the beginning...guitars come in pretty solid. When the rapper makes his entrance, he starts out pretty slow - in fact, the whole song stays kind of calm. More rap than song in this one, but the singer does a fairly nice job. The meleody is defiantly real shallow, and doesn't have a great base to it.
Points of Authority - I really liked this one. More digital, and some whispering in the background. The rapper starts out slow, without much background music. The dub on his voice is good, though. The singer breaks in a lot, with a really, really, nice voice. One of the more meleodic, but still pleasently heavy. You can distintly hear two different singers in this song. The rhythm's real solid, but there's really not much of a intrumental melody.
Crawling - I think I'm just getting tired of this song...still okay, though. It starts of reall soft, and is defiantly the most melodic of the songs. There's a really cool melody to it as well. After the begging interlude, the singer breaks in with a downright YELL. Its kind of scratchy, but still sounds pretty nice. The singer calms down a bit after that, and shows of his great voice. The rapper sits down in this one, but breaks in a few times.
Runaway - My fave song on the album. Why? Read further. Very soft in the beginning, hardly audible. The guitars sneak in, until they get pretty heavy, but still soft. It calms down agian to reaveal the amazing voice of the singer. AMAZING lyrics, and a backseat rapper. There's an awesome meleody to it, and real solid rhythm. The singer really hits it off in this one, and doesn't yell as much as in the other songs. VERY, VERY, GOOD!
By Myself - Starts out heavy and highly deigitzed. The rapper doesn't do so great in this song, but the lyrics are absolutely amazing. It starts off slow, than speeds up. The WAAZZZUP! or whatever they say, it pretty annoying. The singer on the other hand, does a very nice job. Not one of my favorites, but it has a really nice underlying meaning to it.
In The End - Another of my faves. It starts out with a nice paino part, introducing the melody. Defiantly NOT a very heavy song. Nice and orginal lyrics. The rapper slows down, but keeps a nice rhythm. The chorus has an amazing melody to it, and the singer never really shouts all over you in this one. The singer breaks in a lot during the raps, and it sounds pretty cool. A very nice break between the harsher songs.
Name? Track 9 - Soft guitar at first, lots of rap. Not that great, but very interesting lyrics, as with most of their songs, but defiantly not as well thought-out. The chorus is pretty solid, but not much of a defiantate melody. The rapper gives me a headache in this one. Not that great.
TRack 10 - AHHHH! Starts out with horrible rapping - loud and agressive! It slows down though, and gets pretty solid. Very well-thought out lyrics. LIKE THE LYRICS. LYRICS GOOD. AMAZING! Very nice singing chorus. I'm keeping this kinda breif now, since writing this is getting old.
Cure for the Itch - Looks like they were just having fun with this one. It's kinda odd in the begginning, but the song is actually kinda cool sounding - makes me think of dark tunnels (shiver). There's no words in this one. Although it gets kind of repetative, its cool. Very cool.
Last One! - Awesome closer. It leaves you thinking good thoughts. Buy the CD and check it out for youself.