Rating: NN
There’s a built-in redundancy to a Linkin Park remix album. Their music already sounds like hard rock that’s been tweaked by a knowledgable 15-year-old on his first laptop, and I’m fairly certain that dozens (if not hundreds) of bootleg remixes of their songs already exist on YouTube, mashed up against MMA highlights and PG-rated clips from True Blood. (Note: we’re not bothering to verify that.)
That said, Recharged boasts all the familiar highlights that have made Linkin Park one of the few bands immune to the record industry’s collapse: Mike Shinoda’s tight (albeit conventional) little rap couplets interspersed with Chester Bennington’s polyp-inducing vocals across 12 remixes from their previous albums, plus two versions of new track A Light That Never Comes.
The rest of the band must have been busy elsewhere, since producers like Rick Rubin, Steve Aoki and Dirtyphonics take control of the backing tracks.
Top track: A Light That Never Comes (Rick Rubin Reboot)
