Numb - Tainted Youth (Pop) Tainted Youth takes an EDM approach to alt rock classic Numb, originally recorded by Linkin Park, taking the track in a new and surprising direction. While still applying heavy distortion to the vocal at times, the approach here was to take out a lot of the “grunge” from the original production and instead focus on the power of the lyrics themselves. The vocals are clear and strong, centering the track, as a relatively sparse production sits back and allows the singer to shine. Without the crushing guitars of the original, this pivots the focus of the track from the raw emotion of the original to a more storyteller approach. Our favorite part is the little call back to the original’s counterpoint melody which Tainted Youth puts in a heavily verbed bell hanging in the back. When it first appears, if you didn’t recognize the cover up until then, that’s the moment that it really jogs your memory. It’s such a great eureka moment for oldheads like us here at Necessary Outlet.