Under the Bus

Still employed! As was made obvious by my having the money to sustain my internet connection.

I have made a couple of brief forays into Ohio in the last three weeks or so: the youngest of my brood finally graduated High School, my soon-to-be-Housekeeper graduated College and my former-biatch got hitched. If I didn't see you on any of these return trips, my apologies. I'm back again the weekend of the 13th for yet another wedding. Then, the next week, I sign my own life away.

And I figure I better include this "above the fold" in an effort to retain readers. We've got another goddamn mouth to feed. His name is Cosmo... for now. The next k"); ?>This is what you do when you really love someone.

Before I dive into the "meat and potatoes" of the post, I feel I should probably explain the title. One of our software guys has taken to calling any embedded glitches I become responsible for "Koberrors". I can't prove it, but I think this moniker was derived from his original mispronunciation of my last name as Ko-bear. That is, he seemed genuinely surprised when I remarked that the 'e' is short. Then there was a joke about my height/age. And some crying the bathroom.

So, I feel that I should delve deeply into the latest CD from Linkin Park that dropped yesterday, but I wanted to make sure that I gave it a couple of run-throughs before making any official statements. I bought it on iTunes yesterday before work because I realized that the wait to get to Best Buy that night might have actually killed me.

If you want a quick, concise review that I pretty much completely agree with, I think the boys at Uncrate did a pretty good job. But if you're looking for something more in-depth, I'll put something down for you.

First off, I like the album. I've yet to reach that stage in our relationship where I can admit (to anyone) that I might love it, but "like" is a good way to start. My expectations grew at first from the single, which (along with one or two other tracks) are real outliers from the general feel of the album. Linkin Park has 6 members. I mention this, because at times it feels like they simply took turns performing rather than working all at once. The sounds can be gripping (the hairs on your neck... they can stand) but it's not because you're being bombarded with a lot of energy. 8 out of the 11 full-tracks have a very slow and soft feel to them that occasionally rise into the sort of gripping ballad you might be used to. The back-and-forth between Shinoda and Chester is just gone. The rap/rock elements are completely separated, and I don't think Shinoda got a fair shake as a result. There are two rap-feeling songs with singy choruses, and a third song that is actually sung by Shinoda. It's almost spoken word... but it's certainly not the hip-hop Shindoa we've come to expect. And... there's clapping... everywhere in the album. On tracks where Mr. Hahn's scratching is absent... I think he just beats his paws together.

Overall, I'd say the band moved in a very "emo" direction with the exception of the three harder-hitting tracks. Again, I like the album, and you'll never hear me say that I regret spending actual money on it. Oh, and it's the first of the three full-length albums from LP to carry a Parental Advisory. There's some potty-mouth.

Tracks for the Listening

• What I've Done - The single is still my favorite off the disc. It's very Meteora.
• Bleed It Out - One of the two rap-tastic tracks. Kind of reminds me of webefreestylin' from Gym Class.
• No More Sorrow - Ooooooooh. How political. Hard-hitting and bad-ass. Tickles my funny-place
• Hands Held High - Sad... and political again. Trying to keep up with the Benjamins, eh?

Just my favorites so far. Everyone score this album, please. You'll be surprised, but hopefully not disappointed.