#MusicBlog

[downtherabbitholewithauntieblegh]

Linkin Park/Emily Armstrong Controversy

Y'all paying way too much attention to this Linkin Park business. Move on. Rock and metal are suffering from drama. We're forgetting the music and why we pack into venues and festivals. We're forgetting that band members have families they're away from for months at a time. We're forgetting that suicide, depression, mental illness and addiction are rampant in our business because of the stress. STFU about Linkin Park and let those people move forward. Go to a show, buy a t-shirt, hit the pit and tell all your friends about it.

#inuswetrust always. Peace.

~ AJ Channer (Lead Singer of Fire From the Gods)

So, let's talk about Linkin Park, Emily Armstrong and this controversy. Almost a week ago, Linkin Park premiered a new song along with their new co-singer, Emily Armstrong. Emily is the front woman of the band Dead Sara. The controversy was almost immediate with a huge amount of backlash.

The first round came from Cedric Bixler-Zavala (The Mars Volta) and his wife, Chrissie Carnell-Bixler. The husband-and-wife duo did not hold back with their disdain for Armstrong, her ties to Scientology and her alleged support of convicted rapist, actor Danny Masterson. According to one article, Carnell was a victim of Masterson. Bixler and Carnell are former Scientologists themselves and left years ago.

Armstrong has since come out and apologized for her actions in supporting Masterson, explaining that she went to one court appearance and supported him as an observer to later realize her mistake. Some people, including Bixler and Carnell, say that the apology isn't enough.

Bixler and Carnell released a statement after Armstrong's apology and did not accept it, stating, "If you're not going to speak out against the human and child trafficking cult in which you are a part of and in which you enable by remaining silent on crimes you know about then you have no right to fill the shoes of Chester Bennington, a true advocate."

Mike Shinoda, original founding member, as well as Joe Hahn, have both released statements. Both stated that they support Armstrong and know that having her a part of their band would be a "hard pill to swallow" for most people.

"To say it as clearly as possible, I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathize with the victims of these crimes," Shinoda said as a part of his statement.

That wasn't good enough for Chester's son, Jaime Bennington. Bennington released a scathing statement, denouncing Shinoda and the other original members that are still in the band. Bennington released his statement via Instagram on September 9th. Ever since Bennington made his feelings known, he has been getting death threats from Linkin Park fans.

Some folks are even questioning him and whether he truly understands what his dad would want if Chester were alive today. Bennington highlighted the hypocritical comments, saying if they really understood how his father died, they would realize that their comments are inappropriate and crass.

Bennington was very outspoken with his disdain and blasting Shinoda for betraying their fans by choosing Armstrong as their new singer, especially during International Suicide Awareness month. Bennington addressed Armstrong's alleged ties to Scientology and support for Masterson.

Bixler-Zavala resurfaced some messages, one that showed Armstrong did indeed attend the 2020 preliminary hearing of Masterson. That did hit fans hard, as Chester had openly discussed surviving sexual abuse in the past. Chester passed away back in 2017.

With the drama weighing heavily on everyone involved, Shinoda, Hahn and the others are sticking by Armstrong and their decision to have her as their singer. We cannot take away the noticeable missing original drummer, Rob Bourdon. Bourdon made the choice to not reunite with the band for this new venture.

It just came out that original lead guitarist, Brad Delson, will not be touring with the band moving forward. In a statement by Shinoda, Delson has made the choice to just record with them in the studio and not take part in live performances in the future. Colin Brittain has replaced Bourdon on the drums. Brittain is known for playing with Oh No Fiasco.

Alex Feder has been announced as Delson's replacement for the upcoming tour to support their new album, From Zero.

With all this information provided, people are still divided on whether Linkin Park making a comeback, 2.0 as some people have called it, is a good thing. What people are failing to realize is how hurtful their comments are. Shinoda has stated that they will not be getting rid of Armstrong.

Some fans are saying they should change their name. Something a lot of people agree with. Some are saying they should just not continue on with Linkin Park without Chester. At this point, everyone just needs to take AJ Channer of Fire from the Gods advice. We are forgetting the music. We are forgetting that these musicians have families at home. We are forgetting that suicide, depression, mental illness and addiction run rampant in the music industry.

We are forgetting that they are people like we are. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. If you want to listen to Linkin Park, by all means, listen to Linkin Park. If you don't want to support them, don't. That's the end of that story. How do expect people to heal and move forward when people constantly bring up the past, negative or not?

Everyone's feelings in this situation are real and valid. Don't negate someone's feelings if they don't align with yours. We as a society, we must do better. In the end, it does really matter....

[violatorverse]

Depeche Mode, 1988

[calicotisane]

I used to think of this a lot and talked about it before. But this is my ideas So I think in this song the horns are the Moon. The Moon is a headache and a lump in the throat. And it is massive and looming all the time and the cover art for the 7'' is like this

I think I said before the Moon is "grief" but I think more precisely and obviously it's the memory(s) that absolutely cannot be buried/discarded no matter what he does. He physically goes back to where memories occurred and then later goes out to "stare it (the Moon) down..." ...very clear... The horns rise loudly through the fuzz and recede threateningly throughout. My favorite part is "we just lied on the roof and watched..." long pause cant say it the Moon is right there. And also the fuzzy synths and stuff his voice is buried under feels like dense heavy forest and foliage that does not help much to hide him I think but that is the texture vibe. There's much more to this song I was just very fixated on the presence of the horns for a long time

[popchopstick]

PopChopstick Best New Track: ifeye - NERDY

New K-pop girl group ifeye made their debut on April 8 with the EP ERLU BLUE, and its lead single NERDY immediately stands out.

NERDY follows a classic K-pop formula: a steady drum kick and spacey synths run through the track, creating a sleek, minimalistic backdrop. The chorus shifts gears—starting with a slightly tacky Western-style power pop, then snapping back into the familiar, charming world of K-pop where the girls spell out “N-E-R-D-Y” with playful flair.

What earns NERDY its Best New Track title is ifeye’s vocal delivery—refreshing yet full, sweet yet subtly coy. The group sounds like one unified chorus, filling the track’s sparse production with vibrant personality. It’s the kind of debut that makes you curious about what’s coming next.

[warrenwoodhouse]

Fallout 4 Main Theme Guitar Tab (Guitar Tabs) (Music Tabs) (Music) (Guitar Tutorials)

Photo and Tab by @warrenwoodhouse #warrenwoodhouse

Written up this guitar tab for the main theme song of @fallout #Fallout4. The theme song is by #InonZur.

[mysweetenemesis]

They changed. It is called growth,it's when your brain keeps developing your frontal lobe.

Artists are people and people grow.

You dont have to like it, but dont disrespect it.

[illuminatingfacts]

🎸✨ Rock out with the best all-time rock bands from the San Francisco Bay Area! From legendary classics to iconic sounds, discover the music that shaped generations. 🌉🎶 📖 Read more: [https://mentalitch.com/the-best-all-time-rock-bands-from-the-san-francisco-bay-area/]

[byzahraartz]

₊˚.༄🌊₊˚.༄ Squishy’s Sounds to Beat the Summer Heat ₊˚.༄🌊₊˚.༄

₊˚.༄🌊₊˚.༄ Float into a sea of calm with this relaxing ocean ambience—perfect for drawing, studying, napping, or just escaping the heat. 🐚☀️🎧 ₊˚.༄🌊₊˚.༄ Let Squishy keep you cool while the waves do their magic 🐙💤

🎧 Watch now: [link in bio] or tap here 👉

₊˚.༄🌊₊˚.༄ ₊˚.༄🌊₊˚.༄ ₊˚.༄🌊₊˚.༄ ₊˚.༄🌊₊˚.༄

[hiphophaven]

Wholeheartedly agree with Tyler the Creator, hip hop has become a cash grab and it’s been more love than that always for the genre

Some folks say to bring gatekeepers back. I definitely think there should be more discernment in who you allow to build community before that community crumbles.

[downtherabbitholewithauntieblegh]

Makes me sad but I get it.

[opusscience]

Not done of these in a while...

[calicotisane]

📻 pyxis

Pyxis has so many of my favorite songs i rolled a new number like 5zillion times before settling

I think some of me is like embarrassed by the fact that so many people have alex g songs on every playlist (and i also have them on many of mine) but he makes very good character pieces it's like his whole thing, if it's relevant then it works very well to reinforce the concept... Pyxis is embarrassed by being a child who likes childish things, and fixated on maintaining control and guidance over her world. this is repeatedly prevented by the fact that she is a child and disabled and is thus never allowed agency from family or society. Family is mostly an unseen background force in Visionary from what i imagine but it's a major factor in the powerlessness that shaped many of the residents' lives. Nowadays people older than her have come to rely on her, but even still the smallness remains, and she is unable to achieve the role of "adult" ever. just perpetual nauseous mid-metamorphosis state which has ceased to progress. This song is interpreted reasonably as "lost and moody teenager" but it also feels much less dismissive and more empathetic to this position than a lot of other media. Everything is so mean to her and nothing is fair and she cant get away.

[popchopstick]

PopChopstick Curated Highly Anticipated Album in June 2025 

Addison - Addison Rae - Columbia Records (06/06/2025)

Lotus - Little Simz - AWAL Recordings (06/06/2025)

DGTL ANML - LSDXOXO - Because Music (06/13/2025)

I quit - HAIM - Columbia Records (06/20/2025)

Idols - YUNGBLUD - UMG Recordings (06/20/2025)

Scratch It - U.S. Girls - 4AD (06/20/2025)

Virgin - Lorde - Universal Music New Zealand (06/27/2025)

Vanity - Isabella Lovestory - Giant Music (06/27/2025)

[song-writer-melo-wrath]

Most recent song in this series this time! I gave it the title "Your Therapist", and in terms of title expectations, it's a bit of a plot twist.

Also, I sometimes wear glasses irl (I'm not blind without them, but they are a requirement to drive…or read menu displays) so I thought I'd add that to the drawing this time. This song does feel like the musical equivalent of an anime glasses tilt, after all.

If you like this, head over to @athy-art ! All my work is archived on there for easier access.

[mysweetenemesis]

How I feel dealing with men in this generation 💔💋##sabrinacarpenter

[ladynahualli]

My song 'Outcast' was added to this playlist!! 💥💥