Mike Shinoda certainly isn’t afraid of trying new things. Once the Linkin Park adventure had drawn to a close and he began his solo career, he soon set about breaking out of the overly commercial music shackles that restrained him and has been doing so ever since. Following the death of the group’s singer, his great friend Chester Bennington, Shinoda’s discography darkened with the release of the EP Post Traumatic. Since then, it has become progressively lighter and lighter, particularly with the Dropped Frames series which have formed the bulk of his releases for the year 2020. And now, the third instalment of the series has arrived. From the outset, it may seem like the guitarist’s aim was to compose a great instrumental rock album that is grandiose in style. But to think that is not to know Shinoda well at all. As the album unfolds, it begins to make sense that the electronic beats (Mike’s Gonna Mike, Vibe Train) and the slightly kitschy ballads (Robot Yodel) are in the middle of markedly nu-metal tracks such as A Thousand Jams and Genesis Supernova as they provide the perfect counterpart. All in all, Dropped Frames, Vol. 3 has successful moments, and it’s great that Mike Shinoda allows himself to take breaks and doesn’t fear moments of silence. The big tracks struggle but are greatly compensated by the other, more pared-down and sensitive tracks, which shows that the Californian’s music is spot-on when he puts his mind to it. © Brice Miclet/Qobuz