Blogocentric Formulations

Linkin Park

"Resurrection Jukebox"  | Day 1 | Prompt ▼

Which artist would you most like to see come back to life/reunite for a new album?

"Shadow of the Day"
by Linkin Park

This is a band that double-checks the "Resurrection Jukebox"  criteria as they'e been on hiatus since the death of lead singer Chester Bennington in July of 2017. And this is definitely a band I'd love some new music from. Each of their first three albums (Hybrid Theory, Meteora, and Minutes to Midnight) were incredibly influential for me, and each one gave us something new in terms of their sound. I will admit that I'm somewhat partial to songs like "Faint" and "Bleed It Out" which heavily feature Mike Shinoda's hip-hop input, but it's songs like "Shadow of the Day" that really highlight the band's versatility.

I've always loved Linkin Park's story. Mike Shinoda started the band and initially called it Xero, people came and went from the band as they struggled to catch on. Chester Bennington joined the group and brought a rock aesthetic to contrast with the electronic and hip-hop stylings of Shinoda. They changed their name to Hybrid Theory, later changing it again to avoid name confusion with an existing band called Hybrid. Originally called Lincoln Park (after the Santa Monica park), they modified the name to Linkin Park in order to secure a domain name. As they developed their first album (titled Hybrid Theory, as an homage to their former band name), record execs encouraged Chester to fire Mike and make a more straightforward rock album. Chester refused and they released the album they wanted to make... which went on to sell 4.8 million copies its first year, became the bestselling album of 2001, netted them three Grammy nominations (and one win) and were invited to tour with some of the biggest names in rock music. Over a 12-month span of time, they performed at more than 320 concerts. That pretty much catapulted them into the stratosphere, and their unique sound that they refused to compromise on and always pushed forward with new ideas resulted in the band being one of the most successful bands of the 21st Century, with over 100 million albums sold and nearly two dozen major awards.

As someone who quickly tires of "same old, same old," bands like Linkin Park are exciting to me because you never know what they're going to come up with. New albums don't just have new songs, but also new sounds. New instruments and arrangements and styles and influences. Not everything is a winner, but I can point to at least a couple songs on every single Linkin Park album and either say, "I've never heard anything like that before," or, "That song is amazing."

"Shadow of the Day" is a bit in both camps, as it's an emotionally-charged song that doesn't rely on any of their usual industrial beats or calling-card rap-rock mix of lyrics and styles. It's pared back, simple, and effective. So, yeah, if I could get a new album out of any former band, I think I'd love to see what Linkin Park could come up with these days.