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In the past eight years, I’ve learned that there are two types of days that can be categorized. The first is the kind of day that you pretty much accept that things are the way they are because there’s no time to question or complain about anything but what’s right in front of you. Then there’s the second type which isn’t much different than the first except for the fact that you want nothing to do with what’s right in front of you obscuring and interrupting your soul searching questions to the universe wondering why things are the way they are.

Over the last few years, I’ve learned to spend more time in the former rather than the latter in order to keep moving forward. But today I’m taking the time to let the other noise around me to fade out of focus so I can center on the ‘why.’

I last physically saw my little brother with life in his eyes was February 2004. It was the final time we laughed together in the same room. But more importantly, it was the last time we shared the one thing we always wanted to share more of together; music. That cold night rainy night in February we saw Linkin Park. I remember when I surprised him with the tickets over Christmas. It blew him away. Little did I know that only a few short months later, he’d be gone and the musical tie of that band would leave a tangled emotional mess of despair that would eventually germinate into hope.


And for awhile, I wanted nothing to do with it; creating music or Linkin Park. We talked about working on our own music idea. Now that would never happen. And because Linkin Park was the last thing we shared, I didn’t want to not open that proverbial box. But eight years later, I can honestly say to myself that I’m much more open and receptive to the subtlest signs of something clearer. At ground zero when it was all too fresh, I couldn’t see anything, I was blind and jaded by my mistrust of the universe and its plan. Now being aware of my own emotional limits, I can have clarity when it comes to my pit of irreparable pain.

With a little bit of growth and perspective, I now notice the universe trying to communicate with me. There's been an odd shift that I've just recently picked up on and I can't help but think that it’s my little brother trying to connect with me in a way only a sweet lost soul can.


The signs started with a discussion about energy conservation and how we treat our world. The dialogue was primed by a drive up the freeway when “What I’ve Done” came on the music player. It set in motion the talk about improving our world, which is the subtext of the song, and the reopening of an old dormant connection. This song was also on the Transformers soundtrack. This started my obsession with wanting to see Transformers 3. Transformers 3 included my favorite song “Iridescent.” I had forgotten how great this song was and it prompted me to add the album “A Thousand Suns” to my media player. I also work with very creative people. To continue the signs, I had an email exchange with a close friend about the lyrics being revolution-inspiring and the song “New Divide.” This song was on the Transformers 2 soundtrack. While working on my bike one night with the radio as background noise, I heard “Crawling” which reminded me of my little brother’s memorial. Strangely, “Crawling” repeated itself without human intervention. After all, it was my brother’s favorite song.

Then things began to snowball. On a cold and wet walk to the office, “Waiting for the End” began to blast through my ear pods. The very next weekend, the boys and I were watching TV. As I browsed through the online guide, I noticed Palladium had something of interest; Linkin Park live at Milton Keynes in the U.K. The three of us watched and Son #1 made the statement that he really liked the lead singer’s voice. All of this prompted a full-scale overhaul of the tunes on the media player to be replaced by all of my Linkin Park albums. But what really got me is one night while making dinner. The boys were upstairs playing, I could hear their laughter echoing through the house. My wife was napping and I was preparing tacos, drinking an ice cold PBR, and listening to some digital music on Music Choice. As I’m frying shells, “Leave Out All the Rest” came on. And for the first time, I really ‘heard’ the message.

And all of this may not have any significant effect on you and may seem completely coincidental. On the surface it may be nothing more than dumb luck and my own subconscious way of not feeling so alone in such a large sea. But couldn't it be more? Couldn't it be the inexplicable and tangled tapestry of our existence on a larger communicative plane? Think of children with autism so acutely focused on patterns and how their connections are related. Is this not a pattern? Could it not be all related to something? Or maybe even someone?


This is how I know things are connected. I climbed into my brother's wrecked car only hours after his death eight years ago. I was able to understand one last time where he was emotionally because I ejected the last and only CD in his changer. It was Linkin Park. I will always be tied to him through the mist and mystery of where he is now because of this, coincidence or not. In life and death, he and I have this.

I inadvertently missed last month’s ‘New Music Monday.’ Well sort of. I went on vacation, came back, closed on a new house, and become a soccer coach. So an entry about music was a distant thought in my clouded mind. I thought I could sneak an entry in but decided that entries about Son #1 and the house were more important.

September has been pretty busy with work around the house. It has successfully distracted me from a plethora of things. But music happens to not be one of those things. This month was a busy month; I picked up five new albums both legally and somewhat more liberally. But of all of the records, all of the music, and all of the emotion, there’s one album that stands out prominently. This is no short order considering I just attended a show of the Gaslight Anthem and knowing that Authority Zero is playing this weekend.

I’ve been listening to Linkin Park for going on a decade now. In the beginning, their albums fit a recipe and were predictable and that’s exactly what I needed. A Nu-Metal Rap-Rock genre. Mashing up rap and metal was perfect for a misunderstood young adult like I was back then. But as I’ve grown, so have these musicians. And I like the fact that they’ve used their creativity and staying power to redefine themselves.


“A Thousand Suns” came out on September 14. It’s a vast departure from the previous album, “Minutes to Midnight.” I always thought the previous album was a little too emo mixed with political motivations. These are two characteristics that Linkin Park has never been known for. Then, they went in trying to make a different record. The band succeeded but I think it was a more self indulgent action. This time around, redefining was the concept again. Rules on what Linkin Park ‘sounds like’ were cast aside in the name of creativity and exploration. What transpired during the creation of this album was something so different yet so distinct that it can not be confused for anything other than Linkin Park.

It’s sonically saturating in its existence. There’s quite a bit of stuff going on in every song. Conceptually in both music and lyrics, Linkin Park is more exploratory than they’ve ever been before. This can be good or bad depending on the band and your fan base. Typically, most die hard fans will like whatever the band puts out. However, the naysayers will question the intent of the record. Likewise, critically established bands are much more likely to be accepted for making such bold moves musically. Lesser established bands do not get the creative freedom nor are willing to potentially alienate a fan base and critics.

For a long time, Linkin Park was musically predictable until they released “Minutes to Midnight.” Trying to be politically charged is not their forte. However, the exploration of musical compilation and the cross pollination of sounds and genres charting new creative directions is right in their wheel house. “A Thousand Suns” is a concept album which explores a theme (love, life, and death brought to us by the hands of humanity and science) in continuum throughout the record. From first track to last, this is apparent. The songs tie together musically and conceptually to create a non-stop sonic experience. It’s not a rock opera like the Who or Green Day. It’s not a message like The Wall. It’s a journey through existence told by sound and music like nothing you have ever heard before.

“Burning the Skies” – Beginning so mellow and innocent, this track morphs into a driven, almost marching tempo accompanied by an electronic warfare of sounds and impeccably poetic lyrics.

“When They Come for Me” – In one word. Tribal. The rhythm is intense and hails a subcontinent type of urgency. This is LP type rap-rock synergy. However, the intense lyrics lead into something a little different. Chester Bennington singing hymn-like into a crescendo leading back into that intense tribal drumming with Hindi chanting for effect.

“Iridescent” – As this song begins, you get the sense of feeling alone and solemn. But the music and the lyrics begin to lift the soul. It’s a song about recovery and rebuilding after an apocalyptic letdown. During one section, you are treated to a harmony of voices telling you to let go of the loneliness and desperation.

It’s difficult to draw a summary from three songs on the record. Everything is so tied together that listening to the entire body of work is the key, including the creepy yet evocative intros.

This record seems so familiar in format. But listening, I couldn’t place it. I was just stoked to listen. It’s not Nu-Metal like years and albums past. It’s a reinvention along the lines of Crystal Castles meets Prodigy meets Shiny Toy Guns. There’s a similarity to “Reanimation” which came out years ago and was an ‘electronified’ remix album. And then it occurred to me…Information Society. An electronic saturation of sound in a very 1992 format without being ‘retro’ or ‘old school.’ I love Information Society so it’s no wonder that I’m drawn to “A Thousand Suns,” its music and its message. Again. This is an album like you have never heard before. It’s genre creating and is due a complete listen rather than spotty track selection out of our short-attention span existence. Beautiful and epic in its entirety. Treat yourself to the beautifully intense and destructive music of this record.