Mike Shinoda is a multitalented singer, songwriter, rapper, and producer (among several other things), who you may know as one piece of the ever-so-popular rock band Linkin Park (or some of you may know him as the frontman of hip-hop project Fort Minor). Now, I’m sure I shouldn’t have to point out the elephant in the room, but Linkin Park has battled through a rough period lately, as frontman Chester Bennington committed suicide almost a year ago. It was a passing that really shook the music world, and I’m sure it’s been a turbulent time for the group, who has insisted that they plan to continue without him, an undertaking I can GUARANTEE will be massive. Mike, however, has definitely taken Chester’s passing to heart, as he released an EP early in the year under the same title as this album. Said EP contained three songs that Mike wrote about his feelings from Chester’s passing, all three of which ended up not only making it onto this record but leading off the album.
Now, while I didn’t review it when it first came out, I did give Mike’s EP a listen after its release back in January, and I remember even making a post on some of my socials recommending the EP. It was an EP that really did hit hard, and while I didn’t really return to it afterward, I do remember giving it a good listen and really feeling where Mike was coming from on it. Losing someone like Chester could not have been easy for him, especially to suicide, and I could tell he had put his heart and soul into that project. Naturally, all of that made me very interested in this new album. Even though I’m sure it’s not going to be the most comfortable album for me to talk about, I was really interested in seeing if the success of that EP carried over to this project. Let’s see if it does, shall we?
Place To Start: Kicking off the project, Mike talks about how difficult it’s been to really comprehend what happened and how things have been for him in the months since Chester’s passing. It’s a shorter song, and it kinda feels a little bit more like a freestyle, but it’s a song that has a mounting feel to it with some very minimal production. It’s a track that has very real emotion to it, from the moody instrumentals to Mike’s chilling, sad vocals, and the messages at the end from Mike’s loved ones who send their condolences to them. It’s a really heart-clenching song, and it’s a really great listen.
Over Again: On this one, Mike goes into very real, raw detail about everything that happened with the band a month after Chester’s death. He talks about how they decided to do a tribute show, how difficult it was for him to even think about getting back on stage for it, and how he realized that you don’t say goodbye once, you say it over and over again. The song itself is a bit heavier than the last one, but I actually really like Mike’s vocals, as his half-spoken, half-sung cadence feels a bit rawer to me, and I think his lyrics on this one are really powerful, as he talks about how the thought of performing a tribute concert for Chester made him want to puke up his guts, and how scary it is that Chester’s death causes his life’s work to hang in the balance now. I can’t lie, the song nearly got me to tears. It’s such a powerful track, and there are so many hard-hitting moments on it.
Watching As I Fall: Here, we see Mike talking about how hard Chester’s passing was for him and how tough it was to even show himself in public and how, even after all this time, it’s still really hard to live with the fact that he lost your best friend to suicide. The production on this one is the heaviest of the three songs from the EP, and I think Mike’s sing-rapping is really strong. The hook is also really memorable, as Mike sings on it about how the tough path that was Chester’s suicide will open up to a path that he has no choice but to follow. It’s another really great track, and I think it rounded out the original EP nicely.
Nothing Makes Sense Anymore: The first “new” song from the album (since, as I said, the last three were all featured on Mike’s last EP), this one digs into the confusion that Mike has felt since Chester’s passing, and he exemplifies that in the chorus when he talks about how his “left is right” and his “up is down,” thanks in no small part to the anxiety he faced in the wake of Chester’s death. The song once again features a very moody, somewhat minimal instrumental consisting of some smooth guitar strums, and Mike’s vocals are once again sad, but still smooth and gorgeous. It’s another very emotional song and one that I really love!
About You (feat. blackbear): I’ve gotta say, I can’t be the only one surprised that there’s a blackbear feature on this album, can I? I dunno, that just sounds so strange to me. Regardless, this song takes an interesting lyrical turn in comparison to the other songs, where Mike talks about how, at this point, regardless of whether he makes a song about Chester, there’s going to be a belief that it’s about him. A more rap-flavored track, I love his very confident flow and performance on the verse, and the filtered vocals on the hook are really great (it helps that the hook is ear-wormy on its own, the filters just make the hook even better). And, as weird as the blackbear feature was to me, his smooth crooning fits well against the eerie instrumentals on this one. Very good song!
Brooding - Instrumental: It should be obvious, but this is an instrumental song that, true to its title, is brooding. It starts off with some very sad, atmospheric instrumentals and guitar strums, before changing up a bit and becoming more sinister. Even as a song with no words, it speaks a lot about the feeling Mike had in the wake of Chester’s death, feelings that were very dark, sad, and all over the place. The song successfully conveys that, and it also succeeds at being a great listen.
Promises I Can’t Keep: A song that doesn’t really seem to overtly reference Chester’s passing (though his idea of “losing control” over something that “wasn’t left up to him” might be a reference to it), this is a song that starts off light, but it slowly becomes heavier as it goes on. The electronic beat on this one is head-noddy, and the keys are very emotional as well. I also find the hook to be very compelling, where Mike talks about his fear of the unknown and the promises he won’t be able to keep, even if he wants to keep them. It’s a really interesting, meaningful track!
Crossing A Line: Right from the beginning, the very light, pretty keys grabbed me, as they sound beautiful but broken. The song does change up a bit, and it’s got a somewhat bouncy beat, but it does retain the moody feel that we’ve seen throughout this album. Mike discusses a path of uncertainty on this one, and he talks about how much recent events are changing his career and how he’ll need to try new, different things as a result. I’m not 100% crazy about the hook here, but it’s definitely a pretty decent cut with some solid vocals from Mike and an interesting, somewhat different feel from a number of the other tracks on here.
Hold It Together: Right as I started reading the lyrics on this one, I felt myself relating to it. Lately, I’ve been feeling like my life has been moving at a much faster pace than I’m used to, and that’s something Mike talks about on this track, where he’s trying to hold himself together even though everything is crazy for him. The somewhat brighter, electronic production on this one is really great, and I really like Mike’s very smooth vocals as well. I also have to say that the second verse is particularly fascinating: Mike talks about how someone asked him how he was feeling about Chester at a six-year-old’s birthday party, leading him to make an awkward joke to defuse the situation. Yeah, that’d do a bit more than “fuck up my vibe.” It’s a song I really felt on a deeper level, even as one of the more upbeat cuts on the record, and I really loved it a lot!
Ghosts: Here, Mike takes on something of a more uplifting vibe as he talks about seeing ghosts and how we can acknowledge the presence of non-tangible beings that we may not actually see. I like the brighter feel of the song, the more vibrant production that’s accompanied by a fun 808-drum beat, and Mike’s smooth, nice vocals as well. I don’t think the hook is one of my personal favorites on the album, but I think there’s definitely a lot to like about the song, and it does have the potential to grow on me with a few listens.
Make It Up As I Go (feat. K.Flay): A more upbeat, hip-hop flavored song, Mike and featured artist K.Flay talk here about moving backward in life over a very bouncy drum beat and a really groovy bassline. Mike’s sing-rapping is smooth and his flow is really fun, and while I wasn’t initially crazy about K.Flay’s hook here, it definitely grew on me after a few listens. This song does have a somewhat more poppy feel to it, which could be a turn-off for people going into it thinking about and expecting “Linkin Park-style” music, but it’s definitely an infectious song that I got a lot of enjoyment out of.
Lift Off (feat. Chino Moreno and Machine Gun Kelly): A cut that’s much different than most of what’s on the record (again, seeing a Machine Gun Kelly feature on this one had me a bit confused), Mike and MGK sort of “go into space” to address haters and how they can’t handle the bars being spat. Mike’s confident performance is great, as it MGK’s (some of his lyrics are pretty funny as well), and I do like the very dark production on here, though I do think Chino Moreno’s hook is a bit too spacey for me. Still, it’s a good track with some really clever bars, and again, it might grow on me in the future.
I.O.U.: Mike brings some braggadocio on this track (one that was originally meant for a Fort Minor project, apparently), as he calls out the people that want to take things from him. He raps confidently over a very chilly piano instrumental that’s accompanied by a really great trap drum beat. His flow is varied throughout, and I also love the hook on this one. It’s once again a very different song from a lot of the rest of the album, as it feels like Mike snapping on his haters, but it’s further proof that he can handle a lot of different styles in his music, and I really dig it!
Running From My Shadow (feat. grandson): A song where Mike deals with a number of the dark memories from his career, he returns to the very introspective feel on this track, as he raps rapid-fire style about his past, which adds to the idea that Mike presents about all of the events being a “blur” to him. His vocals are also smooth on the verse, and I again love the rapid-fire flow (I honestly get some Logic vibes out of him on this one). grandson’s verse is also rather chilly, and it rounds out the song nicely!
World’s On Fire: A cut where Mike talks about needing someone to be with him when the world is on fire, this is another more bouncy electronic song, though it’s a little bit more downtempo than some of the previous songs on the record. Mike’s vocals are very pretty on this one (I’m not gonna lie, I actually hear Chester in his voice with this track), and while I’m not really crazy about the hook (or the rather booming drum beat), it’s a nice song to nod your head to, and I might just need to listen to it a few more times to let it grow on me a bit.
Can’t Hear You Now: Finishing things out, Mike writes this final song not just about Chester, but from his perspective, talking about how, as painful as it is that he’s gone, he’s in a much better place where he no longer has to feel pain. It’s a more encouraging end to the album lyrically, and I again feel like the filters on his vocals on the hook add to the song, feeling like it’s being told from Chester’s perspective. Mike’s flow on his verse is really strong, and I like the upbeat feel of the track, as it adds to the more positive feel of the lyrics. It’s a really great note to end things off on, and I can say it’s gonna get plenty of repeat listens out of me.
Overall, I definitely really dig what Mike’s got going here on this album. A record that largely revolves around a lot of the thoughts and anxieties that Mike has faced in the context of Chester’s suicide, I think he really comes through with some very emotional and hard-hitting tracks on this record. Beyond a lot of the very nice, moody, dark production on here, Mike proves to be a really strong lyricist as well, and his performances throughout the album are really captivating. His vocals are smooth, his rap flow is strong, and even though this is an emotional album, he does display some very real confidence on this project. As a whole, the album is a really great exploration into his headspace, and it’s an album filled with memorable listens that manage to hit hard, while also being head-noddy and exciting. I’m not sure where Mike will go from here as a solo artist, as he has said that he plans to continue with LP, but regardless of where he goes, I really hope Linkin Park fans give this album a shot because I really think he’s coming through with some really strong stuff here, lyrically and sonically.
Great job, Mike. I’m sure Chester would love this.
Favorite tracks: Place To Start, Over Again, Watching As I Fall, Nothing Makes Sense Anymore, About You, Brooding - Instrumental, Promises I Can’t Keep, Hold It Together, Make It Up As I Go, I.O.U., Running From My Shadow
Least favorite tracks: Crossing A Line (only if I REALLY had to pick one)
Rating: Excellent
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