Deep below
Each word gets lost in the echo
So one last lie I can see through
This time I finally let you
Go!
Living Things (stylized in Caps Lock) is the fifth studio album by Linkin Park, released on June 20, 2012, by Warner (Bros.) Records.
Following 2010's A Thousand Suns, the band found themselves "comfortable in [their] own skin" and started work on an album that combined elements of all of their previous works, with the final product being electronic-based with mostly more conventional song structures than its immediate predecessor. Lyrically, this album is less about social issues and more about personal topics, which motivated its title. It was the band's last album to be produced by Rick Rubin.
The album produced four singles: "Burn It Down", "Lost in the Echo", "Powerless", and "Castle of Glass", the lattermost of which was released as a promotional single for Medal of Honor: Warfighter (following the previous album's "The Catalyst" being used for the 2010 Medal of Honor). "Burn It Down" was the last Linkin Park song to make the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 when lead singer Chester Bennington was alive.
Tracklist:
- "Lost in the Echo" (3:25)
- "In My Remains" (3:20)
- "Burn It Down" (3:51)
- "Lies Greed Misery" (2:27)
- "I'll Be Gone" (3:31)
- "Castle of Glass" (3:25)
- "Victimized" (1:46)
- "Roads Untraveled" (3:49)
- "Skin to Bone" (2:48)
- "Until It Breaks" (3:43)
- "Tinfoil" (1:11)
- "Powerless" (3:43)
Principal Members:
- Chester Bennington - Lead vocals
- Mike Shinoda - Lead and rap vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Brad Delson - Guitar, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Until It Breaks"
- Dave "Phonenix" Farrell - Bass, backing vocals
- Joe Hahn - Turntables, synthesizers, sampling, programming
- Rob Bourdon - Drums
Each trope gets lost in the echo:
- Alternate Album Cover: The vinyl version
◊ has a completely different cover. - Asshole Victim: The verses of "Lies Greed Misery" address one. The chorus is implied to be the victim's trash talk being thrown back at them.I wanna see you choke on your lies
Swallow up your greed
Suffer all alone in your misery - Breaking Old Trends: This is the first Linkin Park album since Hybrid Theory not to have an Album Intro Track.
- Caps Lock: On streaming platforms, the titles of the album and its tracks are spelled this way.
- The Dog Bites Back: "Burn It Down"You told me, "Yes,"
You held me high
And I believed when you told that lie
I played soldier, you played king
And struck me down, when I kissed that ring
You lost that right, to hold that crown
I built you up, but you let me down
So when you fall, I'll take my turn
And fan the flames
As your blazes burn - Downer Ending: The album ends with "Powerless", one of the bleakest Linkin Park songs.And you held it all
But you were careless to let it fall
You held it all
And I was by your side
Powerless - Fading into the Next Song: "Until It Breaks" fades into "Tinfoil", which, itself, is essentially the intro to "Powerless".
- Instrumentals: "Tinfoil" is a short instrumental that links "Until It Breaks" to "Powerless"
- Miniscule Rocking: "Victimized" (1:46) and "Tinfoil" (1:11). The former is a fast song with a rap in the middle, and the latter is a short instrumental interlude.
- New Sound Album: This album mixes elements of all previous Linkin Park albums to make something new, particularly an electronic rock album.
- Remix Album: This is the second Linkin Park album to get one (Recharged), after Hybrid Theory (which got Reanimation).
- Song Style Shift: "Until It Breaks" is mostly a rap song for the first two thirds, save for an interlude by Chester, but becomes a more ethereal-sounding electronic song in the last third with Brad singing lead. The song was stitched together from multiple different demo tracks.
- Step Up to the Microphone: Brad Delson sings in the outro of "Until It Breaks"
- Give up your heart left broken
And let that mistake pass on
'Cause the love that you lost wasn't worth what it cost
And in time you'll be glad it's gone
