Before I start this review, I just want to put out a bit of a disclaimer. I have been, for most of my life, a huge fan of Linkin Park. They have been my favorite band for many, many years, and I have been known to adamantly defend them when people question why they've gone in the many directions they have. I will, to the best of my abilities, keep this review as objective as possible. My opinions will present themselves, so be aware as you read.
Since 2000, Linkin Park has been a big name in the rock/alternative scenes (more into the later as the years have gone on. As their career has progressed, they've continued to experiment and redefine themselves as musicians; they've moved far past their nu-metal beginnings of Hybrid Theory and Meteora. Their last album, The Hunting Party, (see my review here), left things on quite the heavy note for the group. So when they began releasing the singles for their latest album, One More Light, the fans immediately knew that this was not going to be in the same vein, despite the irony of the name of the lead singles, "Heavy" and "Battle Symphony" (both of which I reviewed here and here).
When the album finally dropped, I made sure I had it downloaded onto my phone before I left work. I hoped in my car, and for the next 35 minutes I drove around and played the album from front to back. Then I didn't listen to it again till later the next day. I spaced it out, making sure I had the right amount of time to process it. I even delayed writing this review an extra few days to make sure I was ready to write my thoughts.
From what I've noticed so far, it's very diverse in terms of the influence of genres that are apparent throughout the album. The opener, "Nobody Can Save Me" feels a lot similar to more rock-based contemporary Christian songs, in terms of its orchestration and lyrical content. The closer, "Sharp Edges", has a slight country/singer-songwriter vibe. "Good Goodbye" is easily the hip-hop song of the album, even featuring Pusha T and Stormzy. "Talking To Myself" is like an Adele song that got cranked up a couple notches. "Sorry For Now" brings in the bubbly-electronic feel of Owl City with EDM sensibilities and a drop to match (the first time I heard it, I got chills). It may seem like too much put together when listed like that, but the flow of the album is very well done; most of the songs feel very much like they belong together (although "Good Goodbye" does feel like a bit of an outlier). It's a continuation of Linkin Park wanting to explore new sounds and new ideas in their music.
The big element of this album that feels different is the lyrics. The band has stated in many interviews and videos leading up to and after the release of the album that they took a very different approach to their music process. Normally they write the music first and then build the lyrics around the existing tracks. For this album, they flipped that process on its head and started with all the lyrics first, then built the music around the words. They also worked with outside songwriters, another move that was new for them. The result is evident in the way that the music sounds. It's evident in the variety of genres they tackled, due to the large number of outside influences on the songs.
I was rereading my review of The Hunting Party, and I found myself laughing at the striking similarities/differences for how I'm approaching this review. On that album, I found that the instrumentals were interesting, but the lyrics felt more forced. On One More Light, I'm having more of the opposite problem; the lyrics feel more real and deep, while the instrumentals are more forced. Certain songs, such as "Invisible", "Nobody Can Save Me", and "One More Light" are really interesting in terms of lyrics and instrumentals; these tracks do a good job of tackling both sides equally. "Invisible" has a bit more of Linkin Park's signature wall of sound, layering various elements to create a listening experience that is captivating for both the lyrics/vocals and the instrumentals.
Other songs, such as "Heavy" and "Halfway Right" capture me lyrically, but fail to keep me sustained due to the instrumentals, which is particularly frustrating with "Halfway Right" given the weight and depth of the lyrics for that song. Talking about former drug addiction, Chester's line "I woke up driving my car" feels chilling when the full impact is realized. The instrumental, however, really doesn't keep me as engaged as I'd like to be.
The crown jewel of the album is the title track, One More Light. It was the song that inspired the rest of the album, one that is very special for the band. It covers the subject of losing a close friend, something the band experienced during the writing process of the album. The song became very much real for the band and the fans with the passing of Chris Cornell, former lead singer of Soundgarden and Audioslave and a good friend of the band, the day before the album released. Seeing them perform the song in honor of him on Jimmy Kimmel was an incredible and heart-wrenching experience (see it here, be prepared with tissues). It showed how much these lyrics mean to the band and the personal level that they went to when they approached this album.
This album definitely had its ups and downs. It wasn't perfect, by any means, but I personally feel like it did a better job than The Hunting Party in terms of showing a progression from the band. It's another entry in their ever growing discography that shows the versatility of the band, even if it wasn't their most successful attempt. Lyrically, it was very honest and refreshing, it covered a lot of ground that the band hadn't touched on before; a specific example being "Sorry For Now", which Mike sings to his kids about always being gone on tour and away from his family. It shows the band is maturing, they're growing and addressing their issues, both past and present, and looking towards the future. "Sorry For Now" also showcases some of Mike's best vocals to date, revealing his growth as a singer and his vocal range and power, and has Chester (sort of) rapping, which is an interesting reversal of roles. Instrumentally, the songs can fall a little flat sometimes, relying a bit too much on current trends of fabricated drums, lots of hi-hat ticks, and somewhat bland backing synths and arrangements. It's not the best album they've ever done; I think most people can agree on that. But it's also not the worst; it was their venture into more "pop-sounding" music, and it probably won't be replicated again, given their tendency to never make the same album twice.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended: "One More Light", "Nobody Can Save Me", "Invisible", "Sorry For Now"
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