Prelistening in LA: Exclusive Track by Track Review of Linkin Park’s New Album LIVING THINGS
“The Official Review”: LPU LIVING THINGS Pre-Listening Party 6/15/12
I had the great privilege of attending the LPU LIVING THINGS pre-listening event on June 15th, 2012 in LA with a few other friends and LPU members. Luckily I was able to write down a few notes about my initial reactions to each of the songs. Without giving too much away, here’s my brief review track-by-track.
LOST IN THE ECHO: I’ll admit, I cheated and listened to the 30 second preview the night before. But this might just be my favorite song of all time. It’s perfect. It’s loud, it has rapping, screaming, and is everything a classic Linkin Park song should be. If this hits the radio, the sky is the limit! My prediction; next single.
IN MY REMAINS: I love the intro to this song. The build-up to the bridge is awesome, and the same can be said for the dual harmonies with Mike and Chester’s vocals. Lyrically, it’s one of my favorites from the album. This is one I’d like to see performed on a big stage.
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Beyonce Album Sales Are a ‘Vindication,’ Columbia’s Rob Stringer Says
After reports of dissatisfaction, panic and other pre-release drama, executives at Columbia Records are feeling vindicated by the positive early returns for Beyonce's new album, "4."
"All the speculation that gets around is frustrating when it's just not true," Columbia/Epic Label Group Chairman Rob Stringer tells Billboard.biz. "The story about us being unhappy with the record and stuff is just not true. There's never been any doubt or conversations about moving the record or changing it... Those conversations never existed. We're really, really happy with it."
The label is particularly pleased with sales reports from "4's" initial days of official availability. Stringer says early indications are that the album will debut at No. 1 in as many as 14 countries, including the U.S., and in the Top 3 worldwide. It went triple-platinum in Brazil on its first day of sale, while U.K. projections have it selling "well over" 90,000 copies in its first week -- which more than doubles "I Am...Sasha Fierce's" roll-out in 2008 -- and 1.6 million over its lifespan. The album's second single, "Best Thing I Never Had," is No. 1 on the U.K. iTunes charts and currently sits at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 29 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts....
I've decided to do album reviews here on a regular basis. You can comment this post if you want my opinion on a certain album, or tweet me @adiek84. I've already asked on Twitter and Facebook for some suggestions and the next reviews will be for the latest albums of Kings of Leon, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, Bruno Mars, Cee-Lo Green, Pink Floyd, Sting, Alex Band (or Alex Max Band in Germany) and Kanye West. Most of them I haven't even listened to yet, so be patient, please. I'm gonna start with Rihanna's latest album "Loud":...
Paramore should have new music by the summer. Speaking from the Grammy Awards red carpet on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, frontwoman Hayley Williams told AOL Music. "We are going to go tomorrow to South America to do a tour. And then when we get back, we're hoping to record a batch of songs to release over the summer. All the details aren't worked out yet, but we definitely do want to release ['In the Mourning'] and some other ones before we put out a record."
Some of Paramore's fans feared that the loss of guitarist Josh and drummer Zac Farro would spell the end of the band. Fortunately, it's quite the opposite. The producer of their album 'Brand New Eyes,' Rob Cavallo, is excited to work with them again, possibly for another soundtrack song. Referring to the new band membership, "It's definitely extra motivation," said Cavallo," I'm really proud that they chose me to do this transition and when I heard the first demos, I was absolutely blown away."...
When the Swedish pop ingenue Lykke Li first arrived in 2007 at all of 21, she was an adorable little thing, singing and shimmying with gumption. Her debut album, 2008's Youth Novels, was as resolute and irrepressible as the best of her compatriots -- Robyn, Nina Persson, Jens Lekman, even ABBA. And she enchanted a few notables along the way, including the rapper Drake, who sampled her "Little Bit" for an arresting mixtape deep cut. But there was a chill in the music -- sax skronks, woozy keyboards, Kewpie-ish voice lurching to the brink of sadness -- that her co-conspirator Bjorn Yttling helped install to keep things from ever getting too cute....
Little Survey: What Was Your First CD?