Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
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Free Music Notes for Hybrid Theory
Free Music Review: Got me interested in hard rock music
Hit: 5 Stars
I am 25 yrs.old. I have been pretty busy with school and my new job to be into the music scene as I much as I used to be. I don't have cable but I do listen to the radio. It's been awhile since I've bought a CD from new bands and I have yet to figure out how to download music off the internet. In January, I went to eat out at Hard Rock Café and a cousin pointed out Linkin Park to me when their video "In the End" came on. I stopped and really listened and I was instantly hooked and inspired. It didn't take me long to go out and buy their CD. My musical tastes are pretty tame. I listen to country, pop, classical music soundtracks (John Williams, James Horner, etc.), and alternative. Metal usually gives me a headache and I don't have the appreciation for rap and hip-hop... the slang, the talk about pimps and such... if I am stereotyping, you'll have to forgive me.
Linkin Park really turned me around. They have all of the above in healthy doses. I've had this CD for about three months now and I still listen to it non-stop. They've gotten me to try and listen to harder music and to start listening to newer music and to go out there and buy it. However, I still cannot find anything I like as much as Linkin Park.
I like the mixture of Chester and Mike's voices in the songs. It makes the CD more varied. One Step Closer is different than My December, which is different from High Voltage. I also like the mix of rap, rock, electronica and the pop sensibility of the songs. I'll be listening to the songs and suddenly realize that I am hearing an extra beat that I haven't heard before. There is incredible musical detail to some of the songs. "In the End" is such a great song because it has the haunting piano beats throughout the song that gives it such cohesiveness. My eight -year-old niece loves this song. Every time I watch their DVD, she runs out to watch and sing along. It just has such an incredible melody to it than you can get hooked before too long. I also like the way Chester and Mike interweave their voices throughout the song.
I am not a music expert so I can't say whether or not they are really talented musicians. I believe they have musical integrity and this album is very well done even if it is not quite original. This album seems incredibly sincere and I admire the dedication and effort they put towards trying to write meaningful lyrics in a poetic way without ever resorting to curse words. I am way beyond teen angst but I can definitely relate to anger, frustration, and paranoia. I think they express this in a very healthy way and I love them for that.
I also went to their concert in February and although they did a lot of cursing on stage, one incidence had me convinced that they love and respect their fans and they are all about love and respect. This makes me not only like their music... I like them. I also found out that these guys are educated guys who take their musical craft seriously and this business serious. They are smart and dedicated. Needless to say, I became a HUGE fan and I hope that they maintain their musical integrity and they deserve to have long and prosperous careers.
Free Music Review: tippety top
Hit: 5 Stars
brilliant, and not the standard fodder of early teens, as so much of nu metal is. it's sophisticated, thought-provoking, and full of skilled variety - check out the way the chorus melody ("there's something inside me...") is slid, with knife-like precision, through a wall of sound at the end of "Crawling" (track 5).
the lyrics are worth considering in their own right. let's take a look at them.
the opening track, Papercut, gives us the main themes of the album, darkness and betrayal: "the sun goes down I feel the light betray me."
what is the nature of this darkness? it grips and won't let go: "the darkness holding me tightly." it confuses and consumes: "there's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface consuming, confusing."
we are being asked to consider a life that is wounded ("these wounds, they will not heal"), and, though externally normal, internally, is in disarray ("i make the right turns but i'm lost within").
what part does the outside world play in all this? well, the outside world's a bother. it's something one has to lie to to get by in: "the sacrifice of hiding in a lie." this seems to be particularly the case as far as relationships are concerned. for this band, relationships are, or have been, bad news. partners are vampires; they feed on you: "find another place to feed your greed". the fear is of becoming as ruthless and selfishly demanding as the partner "maybe someday i'll be just like you, and step on people like you do."
another major concern is time. it has been commented that the catchy nature of In the End's melody is a draw to a more mature audience. but surely it is also the lyrical content of the song, with it's focus on clock-watching: "time is a valuable thing, watch it fly by as the pendulum swings...the clock ticks life away."
so, how does the sufferer of this life in darkness react? well, he is "slow to react," owing to the fact that he's out of strength, "my life, my pride is broken." in such circumstances, he clearly doesn't have many options available to him. he can only wish. and what he chooses to wish for is important: "wish I could find a way to disappear." at this point, any reasonably literate listener will be thinking of the character in Bret Easton Ellis's debut novel, Less than Zero, who is so troubled by and drawn to the advertising sign 'DISAPPEAR HERE'.
what else does the character wish for? "i wanna shut the door and open up my mind." the request would seem to be for illumination - a closing down of the outside world, and an opening of the doors of perception. this is in keeping with the faintly mystical melody Linkin Park chooses to open Reanimation with, which carries a strong sense of the wearing down of a life over time to its finest, purest elements.
overall, i'd say there's real strength in these lyrics and in the music that accompanies them; this is a band with something to say, and with sufficient musical and verbal eloquence to say it. that, for me, is why they will endure long after the thirteen year olds have moved on to the next 'big thing'.
Free Music Review: A Rap-Rock Hybrid
Hit: 5 Stars
The title of Linkin Park's major label debut, "Hybrid Theory", released in the Fall of 2000, basically describes their musical style: a hybrid. In this case, the music is a hybrid of rap attitude and the angst of rock/metal. But instead of the same, trash-talking droning of other groups of the rap-rock style (i.e. Limp Bizkit), Linkin Park adds feeling and personal emotion to their lyrics, hitting a nerve with the public. Linkin Park's music is somewhat different from the other rap-rock, even though it has the same basic elements. These elements being the crunchy guitar riffs (played by Brad Delson), drum beats that flow (Rob Bourden) and the turntable scratches (Joe Hahn). But what sets this band apart from the others is the vocals. The rap-infused vocals of Mike Shinoda along with the anger and melody behind the vocals of Chester Bennington and the harmonies between the two intensify the music and its message. With these two presiding over vocals, the band rocks hard and hits home their point.
Each track is strong, consistent and diverse from the one before or after it. On certain songs, Shinoda dominates on vocals (In The End) and on others, Bennington is in the front (One Step Closer). Each song is filled with the "nu-metal" waves of power chords on guitar with the other instruments setting the rhythm (on this album, the band did not have a bassist). The only track I dislike is the instrumental "Cure For The Itch". But after you hear the other 11 tracks, you won't mind it and you'll want more.
The album begins with Papercut which is a hard-hitter right off the bat. Cool guitar stuff with the turntables going wild in the background. One Step Closer, their first single, is next and again, its hits hard, especially toward the end. The next 5 tracks, With You, Points Of Authority, Crawling, Runaway, and By Myself are the same formula as the first two. In The End stands out on this album because of its calmness compared to the other tracks. With lyrics shooting straight from the heart and Chester singing with some meaning, this song is definitely one of the best songs from the album. The next two tracks, A Place For My Head and Forgotten, as well as Pushing Me Away are excellent tracks but, as I said, the instrumental is kinda lame.
The tracks I enjoy most are With You, Points Of Authority, Runaway, By Myself, A Place For My Head and Forgotten. Again, like in other bands, the singles are good songs but they get played too often so you have to look to the rest of the album for pleasure.
Linkin Park hit it big in 2001, scoring, I believe, certifications of gold through 5x platinum. They are another band that seems to connect to those people who want to hear them by the lyrics they sing or speak while not necessarily asking us to feel their pain. This is an incredible album from a talented group. They put all they have into their music and their concerts. This is definitely for the fans of rap/rock, "nu-metal" and even rap/hip-hop in general.
Free Music Review: A great start
Hit: 5 Stars
Linkin Park are one of my favorite bands and ever since I heard "One Step Closer", I got addicted to their music. To be honest, I'm more of a rap listener but this kind of music is outstanding. I don't know what genre Linkin Park fit into but whatever it is I reckon more bands should do this kind of music. Linkin Park create such catchy music and the DJ is wonderful. Their lyrics fit nicely into the music and it's easy to like.1. Papercut (10/10)- personally my favorite track, this starts off the CD with a BOOM! The lyrics are mind-blowing and the tune is an absolute classic. The music video for this song is "appaulingly beautiful".
2. One Step Closer (8/10)- the first single from the CD, I got hooked on this song the first time I heard it but now I'm not really into it. Though it's short, the music is again amazing and the shouting at the end really stands out.
3. With You (7.5/10)- though a great song it's hard to say that this is one of the worst songs on it (though I still love it). No matter how hard I try, it really doesn't grab my attention but it's an alright song with an alright beat
4. Points of Authority (9/10)- another great song, the lyrics are great and the tune is perfect.
5. Crawling (10/10)- another classic song, the video to this is outstanding. The whole song can just grab your attention in a click.
6. Runaway (8/10)- another wonderful song, the lyrics are great but not amazing and the music is alright.
7. By Myself (9/10)- this use to be my favorite song at the start but then I just slowly grew out of it, though it's still a great track. The lyrics and music, as always, are wonderful and I just like it how it all blends in together. A great track to listen to.
8. In the End (10/10)- though the original version is awesome, I quite like the remix better. The video is somewhat weird but that doesn't bring the song down. Great lyrics, simply perfect. Another one of my favorites on the album.
9. A Place for my Head (8/10)- I use to love this song heaps but it's just an alright song now. The ending gets better though with Chester yelling.
10. Forgotten (10/10)- an absolute classic and I really mean it! Personally I reckon they should have released this song instead of "Points of Authority" but they didn't but that's cool. It's just an absolute classic. Listen to it.
11. Cure for the Itch (8/10)- not really a song, just Mr. Hahn scratching. It's an alright track, the scratching isn't really what I expected but still it's sweet.
12. Pushing Me Away (7/10)- to be honest, I don't really listen to this track. The times I have listened to it, I try my hardest to like it but it just doesn't really get my attention. The music and lyrics are alright and that's about it.
I recommend this album to anyone because it's just great music to listen to. Though I love song with heaps of swearing, this CD is an absolute classic even if it doesn't have any swearing.
Free Music Review: Hypnotic
Hit: 5 Stars
I first heard Linkin Park on MTV, with their first single, One Step Closer. I loved it. Of course i bought the album which totally raised to the expectations. A great piece of work that i recommend to all real music lovers out there.First let me get one thing straight, to a reviewer that said that if you like Limp Bizkit you will also like Linkin Park. Totally false. The only common thing between these two bands is that they both sing "rock music". But rock music is huge and the styles of LP and LB are totally different.
Unlike Limp Bizkit (a band that i also love), Linkin Park is heavier (when it comes to sound), more original (perfect combination between so many types of music), and, the most important thing, much wiser. Listen to the great lyrics and you'll know what i mean.
The CD kicks off with Papercut, the band's third single, a rap metal song combining Mike's great passages with Chester's amazing voice. Still this song doesn't materialize completely Chester's talent, he kind of raps himself during the chorus, and the instrumental passages aren't the best. 7/10.
Then comes One Step Closer - one of the best songs on the CD. A hypnotic song that you can never get bored of, with an inspiring chorus and a perfect passage in which Chester screams "Shut up when i'm talking to you", on the well built rythms of DJ Joseph Hahn - 9.5/10.
With You, the third song, is also brilliant, check out the lyrics, very cool, and the chorus, which sticks to your brain and you won't ever get bored of it. 9/10
Points of authority is doubtlessly the worst song on the album, i always skip it because except Mike's short rap passage it doesn't bring anything new or original. 6/10
Crawling was the band's biggest hit here in Romania, a great song that probably needs no presentation right now, after it spent the whole summer on MTV and the other music channels. 9/10
Runaway is, just like Pushing Me Away, a song with almost no rapping, just Chester showing his great skills, plus a short passage that reminded me of KoRn. 8.5/10
By Myself amazes especially by the lyrics, sometimes even poetic. The chorus is pretty dull and boring once you've listened to it a few times. 7.5/10
In The End is the best song of the album. It already has a video so you should all know it by now... simply awesome. 10/10
Then comes A Place For My Head, the song that definetely should've been a single. Fast paced, original, full of great guitar riffs and rap passages. All the qualities for a big hit. 9.5/10
Forgotten surprises by the hardcore chorus and the lyrics, a pleasant song but should've been situated earlier in the album. 8/10
A Cure For The Itch is an electronic song created by Joseph Hahn, with no voice, just rythms. 8/10
Pushing Me Away is a great way to end the album, and leaves you wanting more and more..... well maybe next time. 8.5/10
So go on and buy it!!!!