COMM 380:  Media Criticism

When Linkin Park released, One More Light, its seventh studio album in May 2017, it accomplished a feat only a few rock bands can boast about: topping the Billboard 200 chart at least six times. According to Keith Caulfield from Billboard, Linkin Park joins The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, U2, Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, Eagles, and Metallica in this accomplishment (Caulfield, 2017). Similar to the above-mentioned bands, as time moved on, Linkin Park reinvented its sound (think U2’s transition from “Joshua tree” to “Pop”). So, for a band that has been around for at least 17 years, why is this rebirth met with such vitriol?

 

From One More Light, fans are met with a 10-song compilation that may catch them by surprise. This unexpected sound caused many to label Linkin Park as a pop band selling out to appeal to the masses. But guess what? Linkin Park has always been rooted in pop. According to Kieran Fisher from Heavy blog is heavy, when Linkin Park arrived on the scene, “…they brought a polished shine to the genre that was much more accessible than that of their peers” (Fisher, 2017). Fisher (2017) opined that Linkin Park was the squeaky-clean antithesis of its more abrasive Limp Bizkit and Korn counterparts. “In the end,” the band’s breakout hit from debut album Hybrid Theory boasted a piano line and rap beats not too dissimilar from Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See you again.” Aside from always being rooted in pop, Linkin Park never shied away from appealing to the masses. Its joint ventures with the rapper Jay-Z, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Transformers movies are proof of that.

 

Fans and critics fail to realize is Linkin Park has evolved to husbands and fathers since their debut in 2000 and inevitably their music has evolved with them. Just as the band grew into more mature roles, fans since Hybrid theory should have done the same. What makes One More Light a hard pill to swallow is it is such a departure from some of Linkin Park’s previous experiments, fans just don’t know what to make of it. In earlier albums, Linkin Park dabbled in electronic music “but added some of the aggression of old with some dubstep swag” (Fisher, 2017).  But with One More Light, the aggression is absent and the album is more likely to be heard on your normal pop music stations versus your alternative rock stations. This unexpected change can be jarring to some fans and they just can’t wrap their heads around it.

 

“Heavy,” the leadoff single for One More Light consisted of guest vocals from pop star Kiiara and co-writes from “Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels, who’ve generated hits for artists like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Gwen Stefani” (Gaca, 2017). Lead singer Chester Bennington’s voice was almost unrecognizable in the song due to his actual singing versus screaming but listeners should still be able to feel the angst and pain he’s made famous for almost 20 years. Many critics such as Anna Gaca from Spin magazine do not necessarily welcome the new sound. Of “Heavy,” Gaca said, “It will annoy you no more and no less than any other blowout pop duet…you’re likely to hear on the radio while you’re at the gym or the supermarket…” (Gaca, 2017). Gaca’s assessment of “Heavy” was a tad harsh, but she was not far off the mark regarding how the band has shifted its music. In fact, the song drew unfavorable comparisons to the Chainsmokers and Halsey’s insanely popular “Closer.” But if fans have ever heard Linkin Park perform live, they would remember Bennington does actually sing and there is no denying the man has a set of vocal chops that could go unnoticed if they played Hybrid theory on an incessant loop.

 

Another highlight from One More Light is “Good goodbye,” which brings listeners back to the rap-rock style the band revolutionized back in 2000. “Good goodbye” starts with Bennington vocals followed by a quick lyric from a bizarre electronic voice and then segues into a Mike Shinoda rap. Where Bennington is the heart of the band, Shinoda is the soul. His verses complement Bennington’s voice and give “Good goodbye” an edge fans may have thought was missing. After Shinoda’s rhymes, guest rappers Pusha T and Stormzy add some tracks; this is a slight ode to Linkin Park’s 2004 Collision course collaboration album with rapper Jay-Z. Let’s not forget Collision course was probably a means for both Linkin Park and Jay-Z to bolster their fanbases. Back in the 80s, Run-DMC and Aerosmith did the same thing when they remade Aerosmith’s 1970s hit “Walk this way.” The song became an instant classic and boosted the careers for both groups.

 

The video for “Good goodbye” which stars basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabar is at least the third collaboration between the band and the NBA. During the 2012 NBA playoffs promo, basketball enthusiasts could hear “Burn it down” from Linkin Park’s fifth album Living things and for this year’s NBA playoffs, “Battle symphony,” the fourth track from One more light, was featured. Considering the 2017 playoffs were some of the most highly watched games in NBA history, this promotion of “Battle symphony” was probably a win-win for One more light. Some may be appalled by Linkin Park’s commercialism but no one can fault them for putting their music on a platform watched by millions. In fact, it’s an honor to the band, an organization as internationally successful as the NBA would want to use its music for some of the NBA’s most popular games. It’s not selling out as opposed to gaining exposure.

 

Though “Battle symphony” is not as hard hitting as “Burn it down,” it encapsulates the glory and agony during the NBA post season. The promo beautifully spliced the song’s first verse, chorus and bridge with slow motion footage of players to include this year’s finals MVP, Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant. With lyrics like, “I been searching for the courage to face my enemies; if my armor breaks, I’ll fuse it back together; and if I fall, get knocked down, pick myself up off the ground” (Shinoda, Delson, & Green, 2017), it’s hard not to get swept up in the drama that is the NBA playoffs. Working with the NBA was not the first time Linkin Park has paired with a large franchise; the first three Transformers movies showcased greats “What I’ve done” and “New divide.”

“Talking to myself” which precedes “Battle symphony” takes us back to a more rugged Linkin Park with its heavy guitar lines and drum beats.

 

Conversely the next track “Invisible,” seems to fit more in the pop genre. For this song, Shinoda takes over lead vocal duties in his apology to someone (a significant other perhaps?). He is showing his maturation to ask for forgiveness but listeners may find that kind of maturity is best served in vehicles like Taylor Swift’s “Back to December.” Hard core fans might think the song is a little bland and it was panned by at least one critic. Consequence of sound’s David Sackllah insulted “Invisible” when he said it along with another Shinoda-led vehicle, “Sorry for now,” “are fairly rote emotional treatises on self-confidence and forgiveness, and [Shinoda’s] indistinct singing voice keeps them grounded” (Sackllah, 2017). Ouch!

 

Linkin Park’s foray into pop does not come without its missteps. On the first couple of listens “Halfway right” is downright annoying but it grows on you like any infectious pop song and eventually you find yourself singing the na na nas at the song’s end like you would if you were listening to The Beatles’ “Hey Jude.” You want to hate it but you can’t. Out of all the album’s songs, “Sharp edges” is probably the most grating. The folksy sound and uncomplicated lyrics just make for simple, boring music. It’s not horrible, just boring, which is probably worse.                                                                                                                                                                          

This brings us to the album’s title track, “One More Light.” With Bennington’s mellow vocals, “One more light” symbolizes the sadness of losing a loved one. The band performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as a dedication to fellow musician Chris Cornell who tragically committed suicide shortly before One more light’s release. Cornell and Bennington performed together during 2008, so this song felt like the perfect ode to a dear old friend. When Bennington sings, “Who cares if one more light goes out? I do,” (Shinoda & White, 2017), the audience can feel the pain of Cornell’s death as Bennington does. Having seen Cornell and Bennington perform together, this song makes the memory of these two belting out Temple of the Dog’s “Hunger strike” that much sweeter. “One more light’s” soft music and lyrical simplicity are all that is necessary when saying a final goodbye. As we grow older, we realize sometimes less is more and that is what Linkin Park accomplishes with this song. Even the most rabid Linkin Park fan should understand that.

 

Overall, One More Light is a decent listen if you’re not looking for something heavily reminiscent of Hybrid theory. Many fans have accused Linkin Park of selling out to be a pop band in order to appeal to the masses but pop and mass appeal were always part of the band’s culture. To answer fans’ and critics’ questions of Linkin Park’s shift from its Hybrid theory roots, Bennington had this to say, “When we made Hybrid theory, I was the oldest guy in the band and in my early 20s…It’s f***ing years ago. It’s a great record [but]…move the f**k on.” Bennington met a fan who had followed Linkin Park from her teen years to her mid-30s and when she told him Linkin Park soundtracked her youth, Bennington responded, “That’s really cool. Because now we can be the soundtrack to your adult life.” Maybe we as fans, can give One More Light a chance to see if our musical palettes can evolve. If we don’t like it, that’s alright but as least we gave it a shot and that’s exactly what Linkin Park did.

 

 

 

References

 

Caulfield, K. (2017, May 28). Linkin Park scores sixth no. 1 album on Billboard 200 Chart with 'One more light.' Billboard. Retrieved from: http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7809623/linkin-park-billboard-200-chart-one-more-light

 

DiVita, J. (2017, May 19). Linkin Park dedicate ‘One more light’ performance on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ to Chris Cornell. Loudwire. Retrieved from: http://loudwire.com/linkin-park-one-more-light-jimmy-kimmel-live-chris-cornell/?trackback=tsmclip

 

Fisher, K. (2017, April 20). In defense of Linkin Park’s new generic pop sound. Heavy Blog Is Heavy. Retrieved from: http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2017/04/20/in-defense-of-linkin-parks-new-generic-pop-sound/

 

Gaca, A. (2017, February 16). So, how bad is the new Linkin Park and Kiiara song? Spin. Retrieved from: http://www.spin.com/2017/02/linkin-park-kiiara-song-bad/

 

Garner, G. (2017, May 8). Linkin Park: The Music Week interview. Music Week. Retrieved from: http://www.musicweek.com/interviews/read/linkin-park-the-music-week-interview/068393

 

Linkin Park. (2017). One more light [CD].

 

NBA. (2017). “Battle Symphony” – Best of phantom opening week 2017 playoffs. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIySFCQcVTc&feature=youtu.be

 

Sackllah, C. (2017, May 22). Linkin Park – One more light. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved from: https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/05/album-review-linkin-park-one-more-light/

 

Shinoda, M., Delson, B., Green, J. (2017). Battle symphony [Recorded by Linkin Park]. On One more light [CD]. London, England: The Pool Recording Studio & North Hollywood, CA: Larrabee Studios.

 

Shinoda, M., & White, F. (2017). One more light [Recorded by Linkin Park]. On One more light [CD]. London, England: The Pool Recording Studio & North Hollywood, CA: Larrabee Studios.