Linkin Park Living Things Album Review

Like many other true Linkin Park fans, I anxiously awaited the day when I could finally hold the new album, Living Things, in my hands. Before I went on my vacation to Europe, I pre-ordered Living Things in the Atlanta airport on my iPod. I had plans to download it the day I returned to America (June 26th) during my layover. When I was in Switzerland, I walked into a tiny CD store. I looked through the entire CD selection and finally found the Linkin Park tab. Since I am short (five feet), I had to stand on my tip-toes to reach it. To my surprise, there was only one CD under the tab. (drum roll, please)! It was Living Things!! I was so excited and I immediately ran to the register and kept thinking "It isn't even out in America yet!" I found a cheap CD player and began to listen. It most definitely exceeded my expectations.

1. Lost in the Echo - Such a great album opener. Mike's raps are full of truth, vividness, and emotion. Chester's Vocals work so well with Mike's. This song reminded me of When They Come For Me from A Thousand Suns.
2. In My Remains - The way Chester sings through the song and the one line that Mike sings are just absolutely beautiful. The beginning reminds me of Crawling and the sound reminds me of a slower version of One Step Closer both from Hybrid Theory.
3. Burn It Down - Even though I knew this song before the album came out, it still impressed me with the way it fit perfectly in the middle of tracks two and four. Chester's vocals are raw and Mike's part is one of the best lines on the entire album. This song reminded me of Somewhere I Belong from Meteora.
4. Lies Greed Misery - I also knew this song before the album came out. Mike's opening rap is my favorite on the album and Chester's screaming at the end is drop dead SEXY! I was looking for an old song to compare this to, then I realized this song has Hybrid Theory written all over it. This song is one of my all time favorites.
5. I'll Be Gone - The chorus is amazing. This song reminds me of "Burning In The Skies" from A Thousand Suns and Given Up and Wake from Minutes To Midnight
6. Castle Of Glass - Mike's vocals are so powerful. Chester's backing vocals are so meaningful. The lyrics in this song have such a powerful meaning. "I'm only a crack in this castle of glass." I feel like countless people can relate to this strongly. It reminds me of In Between, Leave Out All The Rest, Shadow Of The Day, and Valentine's Day, from Minutes To Midnight Easier To Run, and Breaking the Habit, from Meteora and Iridescent from A Thousand Suns
7. Victimized - One of the fastest and most upbeat songs on the album, for sure. It is my personal favorite. Chester's screaming is where it is at. It reminds me of Waiting For The End and When They Come For Me from A Thousand Suns
8. Roads Untraveled - These lyrics honestly made me cry when I heard them. "Weep not for roads untraveled. Weep not for sights unseen. May your love never end and if you need a friend, There's a seat here along side me." I cried for a good five minutes when I heard that. It was really moving. Chester and Mike really know how to harmonize. It reminds me of In Pieces from Minutes to Midnight
9. Skin To Bone - I do not really have an opinion on this song.
10. Until It Breaks - I love love LOVE Mike's rap in the intro. It is phenomenal. Brad's vocals are something new to this album and I think he should sing more! He is great! This song reminds me a great deal of A Thousand Suns especially When They Come For Me and Waiting For The End.
11. Tinfoil - Nice instrumental. Reminded me of The Catalyst from A Thousand Suns
12. Powerless - This song really made me reminisce on Minutes To Midnight especially In Pieces and The Little Things Give You Away. It also reminded me of Robot Boy from A Thousand Suns. I have listened to this album over 10 times now and it gets better each time. Linkin Park writes great lyrics and they did a great job reminding me of why I fell in love with them in the first place. :) Happy Listening! - kinsey!

Justin Bieber Believe Album Review

While I was in vacation in Europe, I knew the new Justin Bieber album would be coming out. So when I got to our hotel just outside of Venice, Italy, I immediately paid for my internet connection and got on iTunes. It seemed to take forever to actually download because my connection kept going out, but I was patient and I was determined. So, I waited. When it finally downloaded it was so late at night, I waited until the next morning to actually listen to it since I had an 11 hour bus ride ahead of me. I was excited.

1. All Around The World - I absolutely love this song. It is so catchy and I can hear the significant change in Justin's voice and I really like. Ludacris has a really good part as well. 
2. Boyfriend - I heard this song before the album came out. It is so catchy and it is one of those songs that I play really loud out of my car. If I ever had to do karaoke, I would belt this song out. No Joke. This is one of my favorite songs on the album
3. As Long As You Love Me - I love the way Justin sings "as long as you l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-o-o-o-o-o-o-v-v-v-v-e-e-e-e-e me" and I love the hand claps. I normally do not like Big Sean's voice, but in this song, I love his part. 
4. Catching Feelings - The lyrics are sweet but this song is a little slow for my taste. But I do like the fact that it offers a nice break from fast songs. 
5. Take You - This song is super fun and it makes me want to get up and dance.
6. Right Here - Well since I do not like Drake, I did not like this song too much. I really think Drake sang more than Justin. Something just does not sound right with it. This is the one song I skip every time it comes on. Sorry, Drake. 
7. Fall - This is such a sweet song. I love the beginning of this song. It makes me tear up every time I hear it. I really think every girl would faint if a guy sang this to her. I know I would. This is the best love song I have heard in the last few years. 
8. Die In Your Arms - I like this song but I think it is really cheesy. I do not really know what else to say about it. 
9. Thought Of You - I love this song. But, his voice seems really high pitched. The lyrics are a little creepy, though. But the chorus is amazing. 
10. Beauty And A Beat - I will start this off by saying that I detest Nicki Minaj and I hate songs that start off with "Young Money". We get it. This song does have some potential just because of Justin. The sound effects are awesome. The reference that Nicki made about Selena was... interesting. This is definitely a club song. It would have been so much better without Nicki. 
11. One Love - I like the chorus. There is not much to say about this song. 
12. Be Alright - I have no opinion on this song. It was not bad but it was not good. 
13. Believe - Justin's tone of voice in this song really reminds me of With You In Your Dreams by Hanson. This song is definitely the most emotional song on the entire album. I love the "Standing Tall" lyric. I also love when artists write title tracks. The background singers did a great job. 
14. Out Of Town Girl - This is my favorite song on the entire album. It makes me want to do some insane dance moves even though I am not a graceful dancer. Did I mention it was my favorite song?
15. She Don't Like The Lights - I think this was probably written about Selena. I like it. I love how he said "Damn" in the song.
16. Maria - This song literally made me laugh out loud. It is so funny because it is true! The "that's not my baby!" lyric about made me fall out of my bus seat. I gained so much respect for Justin for writing this song. That is so punk rock.
17. Love Me Like You Do - I think this is a good closing song, but it is probably my least favorite on the album. 

I can tell Justin did a lot of growing up for this album. It sounds more mature and more masculine sounding that any of his other albums. I think Justin succeeded in, as he says, "Converting the haters." Justin Bieber, I salute you.