One More Light

One More Light is another fantastic effort from Linkin Park. It really, really is. Even though this strays from their usual rock sound, from a musical neutral, a person who appreciates ALL types of music, and not just one genre like some people, can honestly say this is a very good effort from a band who always look to explore uncharted territory and risk making music in a new stripped down pop/electronic/alternative genre. Having recorded 70 tracks for the new album and narrowed it down to ten for the final release every single track is a stellar effort and a pleasure to listen to and it is very clear that Linkin Park put a lot of time and energy into making a very good, highly listenable album. The opening track 'Nobody Can Save Me' has a very good melody to remind people of their change (or rebirth) in sound and opens up the album nicely with some very pleasant vocals and a chill electronic beat to it. The next track 'Good Goodbye' is a nice interlude of rapping verses from three different rappers (Pusha T., Stormzy, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park) and has a good catchy, chorus sung by Chester Bennington all in a nice electronic flow. The third song 'Talking To Myself' finally features good guitar work by Brad Delson and has another very catchy melody to it and is one of the strongest tracks on the album. 'Battle Symphony', 'Invisible' and lead single 'Heavy ft. Kiaara' continue the flow of very good songs on the album and we get to 'Sorry For Now' which features Chester Bennington on rap duty and Mike Shinoda on main vocals. The song has a powerful ballad with some powerful electronics and was written towards the band's kids to apologise for their absence at home due to touring around the world and making music. This one is a personal favourite and I would like Mike Shinoda to sing more in future albums. 'Halfway Right' is another interesting song featuring chester's vocals and again feels like another good experiment from the band trying to explore a pop song with a slight R&B twist. The ninth song, the title track, 'One More Light' is arguably the most emotional song on the album and is known as the 'musical nucleus' of the album. It features some very beautiful vocals from Chester Bennington with some very meaningful lyrics, 'Who cares if one more light goes out... I Do'. This song is played live with an entire audience holding up a light (usually from their mobile devices) and adds to a very unique environment to listen to such a pleasant song. The last song 'Sharp Edges' is another vocal experiment from the band, and features Chester trying to sing live and acoustic lyrics to fast paced guitar work from Brad Delson and this song really showcases the amazing vocal quality of the lead singer of Linkin Park. Overall the album was a fantastic effort, and a very good piece of music, sure it might take a few listens to fully appreciate, but my advice is to ignore the critics (as most are rock/metal fans who prefer something back to their old roots) and give this album a good chance.

Brought out in May 2017, One more light is the 7th album by US rock band Linkin Park. I have followed this band right from the outset since Hybrid Theory came out way back in 2000. I loved seeing this band develop over time and really grow as musicians. Some have said this album was a step too far and disliked the direction they have now gone in. Still hanging on to the hope that they will go back to their heavier side especially the nu-metal sounds of their first few albums. This is a lot more pop-rock and electronic than previous albums but still has that hip hop element on some of the tracks as Mike Shinoda puts his trademark rapping on them. Also on "Good, Goodbye", Pusha T and Stormzy put their mark on the album. Another song which Linkin brought someone else in to sing was lead single "Heavy" where Kiiera where she shares vocals with Chester. I like how these guys just don't get a wee snippet in a song to sing but are given a fair chunk. Its also interesting that Linkin Park brought in other people to help write the songs, with Justin Tranter, Julia Michaels, IIsey Jubar, JR Rotem, Ros Goslen, Frances White, Justin Parker and Jesse Shatkin. In fact well over half the songs on the album were written for them (or maybe helped contribute to them). I know many people critisise bands for not writing all their own songs but I actually don't mind at all. If they want help moving into a new direction and use people whose job it is to write songs to make themselves better. Then what is the problem? When I look down the track list for this album now it is very difficult to spot a weak link. It is just 10 tracks, so really a bare minimum for a pop album but the quality is sky high. Personal highlights include "Talking to myself" which is such an energetic and jumpy about kinda song. "Battle Symphony" is another classic and as the title suggests is a classic rivalry song. I have heard it being used during the NBA playoff final trailers this year and it is so fitting. There is one song however which now stands head over heals above any other track now and I think it is the song stands out for a lot of Linkin Park fans and that is title track "One more light". Sadly lead singer Chester took his own life earlier this year and this track is what a lot of tribute videos used to commemorate his life with standout lyric "Who cares if one more light goes out in a sky of a million stars, it flickers, flickers..............well I do". It was difficult to even listen to this album after his death, I really can't even imagine what the band and their families were going through. Overall the band should be proud of this album. The thing is about this band is that they are perfectionists and the quality they have maintained across their albums is so high. And to keep evolving the way they were doing while still being one of the biggest rock acts in the world says it all. But now Chester is gone, if they choose to continue as a band, this will be their biggest challenge yet. But I certainly wish them all the best.

So, the story goes...... On Thursday 6th July 2017 I had been invited to go and see LP at was their last gig together in Birmingham, UK. I picked my 10 year old son up from school to drive the 100 or so miles to the venue. This was to be my sons first 'real' concert. My son has been a fan from the Transformers era and was very nervous and excited. I have been connected with LP since they released their first album till now, their last. They have taken up space and time in most of my adult life. There are parts of my life that have LP themes imbedded alongside deep routed memories, good and bad. I thought I'd better get up to date with the music weeks in advance to the gig. However I did not buy the 'One More Light' until a couple of days before, thinking it would be a nice surprise for the the boy on the way up. My son put the disc in the car player and within 5-10 seconds we looked at each other in astonishment. "What the hell is this" my boy said. "I have no idea' I replied not sure that I had bought the right album or not."check the disc again" I said. We continued on..... I don't think either of us were expecting to hear what we did. It was a bit of a shock. I suppose I made that purchase without testing the waters by listening to the songs clips first. Now, we were kind of anxious that we would be going to hear this stuff at the gig and not enjoy it so much. A concern which turned out to be unfounded. The transfer from CD to live play was such an amazing transformation. I was stunned at how the crowd reacted to it and me and the boy were both in agreement that even though it wasn't what we were used to or expecting we could not deny that we were really enjoying it. That night will be another memory I will cherish. Time spent with my son seeing and hearing one of the best gigs I've ever been to. You should know that my record collection is mainly based around the heavy stuff but as I've grown older I have lost the reluctance to try and accept new sounds. I have been to see some of the heaviest bands in London in my days. I have some real bone rattling music from the past and I do still love a heavy guitar riff. I've now had a few weeks to digest 'One More Light'. It does take some playing to get into if you can shake off what LP in the past sounded like. There are bits that I do need to blank out a little. I struggle with the Stormzy bit still, I have no interest in this part. I accept that this is a new direction for the band. I accept they have applied themselves to a new challenge. I accept that there will be hardcore LP fans who won't take to this album and they will happily share their opinions, feeling and angst. I think LP have earned the right to change their direction whatever way they see fit. If your'e open minded then give this a go, its not going to hurt you. If you're hoping for the old stuff than pack your bags and leave. Don't be upset or angsty against the band, some of the opinions on Social media have been... well, just thoughtless. I really like this album, my sons really like this album and my wife really likes this album, so it was ultimately a good purchase. RIP Chester. You will be missed dreadfully.

Legendary group quality last album featuring Chester

This review's coming a bit late saying it came out in May 2017 as I've only just purchased it not so long ago. Listening to the song's lyrics now year's after Linkin Park fan's said goodbye to the amazing Chester Bennington gets you thinking he was in a dark place mentally in tracks like the beautiful "One More Light" and "Heavy" featuring the singer Kiiara of whom I've never even heard of before. This album is awesome although "Good Goodbye" I felt would have been a lot better without the two rapper's and just Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington doing lead vocals. I highly recommend this album as I've constantly played it non stop for month's in the car trip to work and back home.

Being a "Hybrid Theory" fanatic, yet purchasing all their albums and liking the changes in style, I approached this with caution after seeing all the negative reviews. True, this is not the Linkin Park we once knew and loved, but here is a band that has not been afraid to experiment and move forward. Here is a beautiful album of beautiful music, words and emotions. No metal here, but it has been replaced by the sheer musicality of the members of this band and a lot of collaborators (ie. Stormzy on the Rap heavy "Good Goodbye" and Kiara on "Heavy"). However it is on the many beautiful ballads that they score on most such as "Invisible", "Sorry For Now" and "One More Light" where Chester Bennington's voice has never been so full of emotion. There are some stunning musical landscapes created to make these songs stand out. The closing track "Sharp Edge" even gives a nod towards Simon an Garfunkel for not just the quality os song writing but also for the lovely harmonies. The tunes just stick in your head, everyone of them, as they are like works of art! If this album was done by someone else it would be hailed a classic!! Unfortunately because of Linkin Park's metallic background this may not get the attention it deserves. Pity really, as this is an album any music lover should have in their collection.

Amazing

Fantastic album. Going away from the heavier sound, trying something different , but you would know straight away that this is Linkin Park. Classy and slick, great lyrics I certainly was not disappointed with this album. I’m more disappointed that the album cover wasn’t white in keeping with the other albums covers but I guess it is a different album so why not? A strung album.

大変素晴らしかったです(ΦωΦ)

Llego rápido y en buenas condiciones! Ya lo escuche 3 veces

Un disco especial para aquellos que somos fans de linkin park. Como siempre, la banda sorprende con la diversidad de géneros musicales que adopta, pero siempre manteniendo su esencia. Un disco suave, con canciones preciosas, y con aquella que nos ha ayudado a sobrellevar el duelo de chester (One more light)

Är ett fan men inte haft råd att köpa för än nu. Är nöjd med mitt köp!

vinyl record plays the original sound, sound that is meant to be heard the way it was originally sung, its way more clear and humane than the digitally compressed versions where sound is compressed and not in its original form, ever been to a live concert, the sound there is real yeah? this vinyl record is dear to me as it is the last record of Chester and i hope to cherish it for a long long time, its amazing how he had sung each and every song with all his heart to it, one can feel it and its just superb. Critics said its genre less and yes thats the beauty of it. Life is actually not confined to any type or genre isn't it? Thanks Chester for being there when we needed a sound to echo our pain , in this numb world. You made a difference in life of many people. May God rest your soul.