As album sales implode, you might expect the major labels to take more musical risks. Sadly, they seem to be taking cover under a shrinking pool of genres - the few they can still rely on to make a profit. Lately, marketing emo bands to teenagers has been a recurring theme.
Minutes to Midnight finds Linkin Park transformed into an emo band. The rap/rock compositions they once counted on to sell 10 million records are all but gone.
Only vestiges of rap remain, as on "Bleed It Out." At other moments, Linkin Park goes full-on metal. Most songs land somewhere in between, resting in the shadow of emo formulas that play well on modern Top 40 radio.
The production work is frequently well done, but the content just isn't there. Isn't that just the opposite of what a drowning record industry should be doing?
