[MiguelPortugal]

Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries. Its following studio album, Meteora, continued the band's success, topping the Billboard 200 album chart in 2003, and was followed by extensive touring and charity work around the world. In 2003, MTV2 named Linkin Park the sixth greatest band of the music video era and the third best of the new millennium behind Oasis and Coldplay. Billboard ranked Linkin Park #19 on the Best Artists of the Decade chart.

Having adapted the nu metal and rap metal genres to a radio-friendly yet densely layered style in Hybrid Theory and Meteora, the band explored other genres in their next studio album, Minutes to Midnight, which was released in 2007. The album topped the Billboard charts and had the third best debut week of any album that year. The band has collaborated with several other artists, most notably with rapper Jay-Z in their mashup EP Collision Course, and many others included on Reanimation. The band's most recent work, the concept album A Thousand Suns, was released on September 8, 2010. Linkin Park has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and has won two Grammy Awards.

[Dei]

Finally! An official base. What are some of their big plans for 2012? I'm really thrilled for new music.

[MiguelPortugal]

Biggest Hits *Embedding disabled: watch on YouTube site*

[=NEX=]

<33333333

love them so much

[Dei]

* I loved all the tracks they did for Transformers. I wish they had used Waiting For The End or the Catalyst though in place of Iridescent. One of their good slow tracks is "The Sun Will Set For You".

[MiguelPortugal]

Originally posted by Dei

Finally! An official base. What are some of their big plans for 2012? I'm really thrilled for new music.

Fifth studio album!!! I gathered some information about it:

- In June 2011, Bennington revealed to Kerrang! that Linkin Park has begun working on new material for their next album. He explained, "We've been working on a new record for the past two months. The music is great and we're well ahead of where we're expecting to be. There aren't a whole lot of noises going on, but there are a lot of good songs. It will probably get a very polarized reaction. Which pleases me. As an artist, I want a reaction." The singer added that the band would be looking to tackle controversial topics on their new album, rather than the more personal subjects of their older material. "We've learned how to write serious songs and serious lyrics. We've learned how to deal with politics, faith and other things. Those are things that can get preachy really quickly, which we don't want to do. So you need to learn to talk to people and not at people", he said.

- Rick Rubin will be a producer on the new album. "Typically we'll have a once-a-week meeting to go listen to the songs that they're coming up with and talk about them. For so early in the project, they are much further along than they have been on the last two albums we did. On A Thousand Suns there were still a lot of irons in the fire. We knew, 'OK, we can't do this forever. Let's leave this batch and we'll come back and address it when we start up again'", Rubin said.

- In July 2011, Bennington told Rolling Stone that Linkin Park aims to produce a new album every eighteen months, and that he would be shocked if a new album did not come out in 2012. The band continues to record and produce new material even while touring.He later revealed in another interview in September 2011 that the band was still in the beginning phases of the next album, saying "We just kind of began. We like to keep the creative juices flowing, so we try to keep that going all the time...we like the direction that we're going in."

[Dei]

Originally posted by MiguelPortugal

Fifth studio album!!! I gathered some information about it:

- In June 2011, Bennington revealed to Kerrang! that Linkin Park has begun working on new material for their next album. He explained, "We've been working on a new record for the past two months. The music is great and we're well ahead of where we're expecting to be. There aren't a whole lot of noises going on, but there are a lot of good songs. It will probably get a very polarized reaction. Which pleases me. As an artist, I want a reaction." The singer added that the band would be looking to tackle controversial topics on their new album, rather than the more personal subjects of their older material. "We've learned how to write serious songs and serious lyrics. We've learned how to deal with politics, faith and other things. Those are things that can get preachy really quickly, which we don't want to do. So you need to learn to talk to people and not at people", he said.

- Rick Rubin will be a producer on the new album. "Typically we'll have a once-a-week meeting to go listen to the songs that they're coming up with and talk about them. For so early in the project, they are much further along than they have been on the last two albums we did. On A Thousand Suns there were still a lot of irons in the fire. We knew, 'OK, we can't do this forever. Let's leave this batch and we'll come back and address it when we start up again'", Rubin said.

- In July 2011, Bennington told Rolling Stone that Linkin Park aims to produce a new album every eighteen months, and that he would be shocked if a new album did not come out in 2012. The band continues to record and produce new material even while touring.He later revealed in another interview in September 2011 that the band was still in the beginning phases of the next album, saying "We just kind of began. We like to keep the creative juices flowing, so we try to keep that going all the time...we like the direction that we're going in."

I'm really excited for this! Thanks.

[Haus of Dye]

Originally posted by MiguelPortugal

Fifth studio album!!! I gathered some information about it:

- In June 2011, Bennington revealed to Kerrang! that Linkin Park has begun working on new material for their next album. He explained, "We've been working on a new record for the past two months. The music is great and we're well ahead of where we're expecting to be. There aren't a whole lot of noises going on, but there are a lot of good songs. It will probably get a very polarized reaction. Which pleases me. As an artist, I want a reaction." The singer added that the band would be looking to tackle controversial topics on their new album, rather than the more personal subjects of their older material. "We've learned how to write serious songs and serious lyrics. We've learned how to deal with politics, faith and other things. Those are things that can get preachy really quickly, which we don't want to do. So you need to learn to talk to people and not at people", he said.

- Rick Rubin will be a producer on the new album. "Typically we'll have a once-a-week meeting to go listen to the songs that they're coming up with and talk about them. For so early in the project, they are much further along than they have been on the last two albums we did. On A Thousand Suns there were still a lot of irons in the fire. We knew, 'OK, we can't do this forever. Let's leave this batch and we'll come back and address it when we start up again'", Rubin said.

- In July 2011, Bennington told Rolling Stone that Linkin Park aims to produce a new album every eighteen months, and that he would be shocked if a new album did not come out in 2012. The band continues to record and produce new material even while touring.He later revealed in another interview in September 2011 that the band was still in the beginning phases of the next album, saying "We just kind of began. We like to keep the creative juices flowing, so we try to keep that going all the time...we like the direction that we're going in."

Definitely looking forward to this. ♥

[KoreanDream]

Can't wait for their next album. A Thousand Suns was great. I loved Wretches and Kings.

[Porygon2z]

in the end was my jam

[vatsal sharma]

i was counting on someone to make this...!!!!! .

linkin park is one of the two grearest artists in the world..!!! as my sig says....i luvvvvv them!!!!

hope their next album is as good as minutes to midnight...!!!

[J-esper]

I Love LP, especially Chester...Cannot wait for their enxt album and they should do a concert here in Holland again, since I already saw Dead By Sunrise live, now I want to see the whole LP!!!

[asquared13]

Still a fan of them, but I haven't liked the last 2 albums. I miss their older sounds more.

[vatsal sharma]

i think minutes to midnight was their best album ever...!!!!

i luvv nearly every song from it...

ATS was a letdown.....it came after like 3-4 years...i was expecting a flawless masterpiece but it was meh....!!

hopefully their next album will do wonders..!!!!

[TheGeoKing]

Can't wait for a new album. I love A Thousand Suns!

[MiguelPortugal]

Living Things is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Linkin Park. It was released under Warner Bros. Records on June 20, 2012, in Japan and throughout the rest of the world during the following week. Production was handled by vocalist Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin, who both co-produced the band's previous studio albums Minutes to Midnight (2007) and A Thousand Suns (2010).

The band states that Living Things combines elements from their previous four studio albums to create a new sound. They stated they finally felt they were in "familiar territory" and "comfortable in [their] own skin" after years of experimentation that resulted in their two previous studio albums, Minutes to Midnight and A Thousand Suns. Living Things was chosen as the album's title because of the numerous personal topics about people implemented on the album.

The lead single for the album, "Burn It Down", was sent to radio and released to digital music retailers on April 16, 2012. Living Things is expected to debut at the top spot in the U.S. with first week sales of 220,000 copies, thus giving Linkin Park their 4th consecutive number one album in the U.S.

This album gives me life and the critics better get into it!

[MiguelPortugal]

Living Things reviews:

Originally posted by Allmusic

Linkin Park got pretty moody on 2010's A Thousand Suns, settling into a sulky electronica groove that pretty much screamed "growing pains" to anybody who listened closely. On its 2012 sequel, Living Things, Linkin Park attempts to graft guitars back onto their newly mature musical outlook, and the reintroduction of visceral force certainly helps give this album a pulse lacking on A Thousand Suns. It's hardly a step back to the old angst-ridden rap-rockers of the turn of the millennium, however. Admirably, Linkin Park revels in a near-middle-aged angst, letting their songs address adult concerns and giving their productions contours and texture; the additional noise isn't an expression of fury, it's used to enhance the drama. Generally, the songs feel sharper on Living Things -- there is definition to their structure, some of the choruses catch hold without too much effort -- but this album remains one of sustained mood, not individual moments. And in that regard, Living Things handily trumps A Thousand Suns: it doesn't stay still, it peaks and ebbs, flowing steadily between brooding and explosions of repressed rage, a fitting soundtrack for aging rap-rockers who are comfortable in their skin but restless at heart.

Originally posted by Entertainment Weekly

Linkin Park's fifth album opens with ''Lost in the Echo,'' a ******* of hate-your-parents guitars and suburban-ennui boom-bap that could have come from the group's 2000 debut. Living Things doesn't totally retreat from 2010's art-aggro detour A Thousand Suns; bits of noise-pop schizophrenia surface on late-arriving shape-shifters ''Skin to Bone'' and ''Until It Breaks.'' But what remains is a barrage of cyber-metal elbow jabs, with just enough fluffy new-wave padding to soften the onslaught. B

Best Tracks:
Skin to Bone
Roads Untraveled

[MiguelPortugal]

Living Things - Review:

Originally posted by Billboard

"If you can cut down on the number of pieces of gear, you can create a signature sound for the record," Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda told Billboard earlier this month while discussing the band's new album, "Living Things." "As we were working on it, it was a goal to only use the important sounds. Anything that wasn't playing a role in a song we got rid of."

"Living Things," Linkin Park's fifth studio album, is certainly stripped-down compared to the alt-metal-electro-rock band's previous oeuvre -- but not necessarily in the way that Shinoda is describing. Co-produced by Shinoda and Rick Rubin, "Living Things" is less busy than 2010's "A Thousand Suns," and includes more tracks that strictly adhere to a certain genre or uncluttered idea. But the album is also more bare-bones as a whole: at only 36 minutes, "Living Things" includes four tracks that clock in under three minutes, and nothing that makes it to the four-minute mark. Unfinished ideas reside comfortably next to gorgeous production values, and often, the listener ends up craving more.

But "Living Things" is by no means a poor album -- tracks like "Castle of Glass" and "Victimized" are among some of the band's most successful experiments, while "Burn It Down" and "Powerless" are classic examples of why Linkin Park remains vital while its nu-metal compatriots have more or less fallen by the wayside. "Living Things" is simply a minor effort in an impressive discography, and one that should translate well to Linkin Park's live show.

Which songs on "Living Things" are among Linkin Park's best work? Check out our track-by-track breakdown of the new album.

1. Lost in the Echo - Bubbling synthesizers quickly morph into crunching guitars, and the rap-rock interplay between Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington remains ever intact.

2. In My Remains - The production here lends to Linkin Park's overall potency, with the crisp verses sliding succinctly into the song's refrains. The melodic bridge -- "Like an army, falling, one by one by one" -- is not exactly ominous, but offers an early moment of yearning poignancy.

3. Burn It Down - The lead single still earns its meal ticket through its inviting synth line -- which NBA fans heard for weeks as the song was used as the anthem of this year's playoffs. Shinoda's rhymes are a bit limp, but Bennington soldiers through with his signature intensity.

4. Lies Greed Misery - Who let Skrillex in the booth? Thick bass wobbles and programmed drums offer a bold new look for Linkin Park, as Bennington's screeching is choked out by the static.

5. I'll Be Gone - Buzz-saw guitar riffs and cymbal bashes highlight this fairly straightforward, highly grim ode to disconnection and loneliness. A compelling descent that recalls 90s modern rock heroes like Alice In Chains and Stone Temple Pilots.

6. Castle of Glass - A folk song with LP's muscle, "Castle of Glass" uses compelling songwriting, extended metaphors and a simple but radical (for Linkin Park) arrangement to offer one of the album's most intriguing tracks.

7. Victimized - Like "Lies Greed Misery," "Victimized" rushes through its various ideas in under three minutes; the juxtaposition of Shinoda's lullaby and Bennington's heady thrashing is thrilling, but alas, needs more room to breathe.

8. Road Untraveled - A piano ballad that leads to Bennington delivering some forlorn "Whoa-oh-oh's" and grows, expectedly, into a showcase for power chords and extended lighters. Trite, but damn, does it inspire some head-banging.

9. Skin To Bone - The album returns to Linkin Park's familiar electronic tropes, but the punishing percussion and winding climax make "Skin To Bone" feel fresh.

10. Until It Breaks - Shinoda busts some rhymes over slick, futuristic production until Bennington halts the smack-talk and orders, "Bring me to kingdom come!" If "Until It Breaks" isn't the most cohesive effort, it might be the most entertaining -- a weird, gleeful train wreck of a rock hymn.

11. Tinfoil - A glitchy instrumental that serves as a capable bridge between the two bookending tracks. Again, another quick cut that could have been extended a little.

12. Powerless - Finally, on the 12th and final track, the deluxe Linkin Park package is presented: lock-step beats, soaring harmonies, and synthesizer whispers before Brad Delson's guitar comes in for the kill.

[J-esper]

Pretty nice reviews actually!

[MiguelPortugal]

Living Things debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 223,000 copies, beating out Maroon 5's Overexposed by 1,000 sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan.The album debuts at the top spot in nine countries and has already been certified Gold in Australia for shipments of 35,000 copies. It also debuted at number one in UK albums chart, selling 41,000 copies beating out Maroon 5's album once again.In Canada, the album also debuted at number one selling 20,000 copies.