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The sophomore effort of rap-rockers Linkin Park, “Meteora,” an album that sold 810,000 copies in its first week, followed up their best-seller “Hybrid Theory.”

Most of the tracks sound like what Linkin Park did in its previous album – pounding and simple guitar riffs with the lead singer either singing or yelling.

The band infused the emotions from “Hybrid Theory” into its new venture. Linkin Park seeks to further convey its sense of self-alienation in tracks such as “Don’t Stay” and “Lying From You.”

Throughout the whole album, two words stick out as overused, “me” and “I.”

The songs are almost exclusively about pain and emotions the songwriters feel. Meditating on the band’s feelings gives listeners a sense that they are being excluded, and the music is some kind of public therapy or sympathy for the artists.

A couple of breakthrough tracks show the potential of the group, like the more melodic single, “In the End,” from the first album. That track brought Linkin Park to an audience that appreciated the intersection of pop, punk, rap and rock that Park is capable of in its better moments.

This is where the group is able to show its depth and distinction.

“Meteora” has a few good tracks to it that are worth a listen. The first single from the new album, “Somewhere I Belong” is one of the best tracks on the album. Aside from that gem that has been catching on with listeners, the only other songs innovative and melodic enough to listen to are “Faint” and “Numb.”

“Faint” begins with a strange bouncing riff made by violins and has a fast drum beat underneath it. Of course the guitars and yelling crash through, but they seem to play well with the rest of the song.

In “Numb,” there is a softer tone with a more sincere vocal track. Instead of portraying bitter, self-indulgent loneliness, the band earnestly meditates on the agony of conformity.

These three really great tracks of the album are sandwiched between filler songs that don’t work alone as single-worthy material.

A failed attempt to break free of their abrasive guitar and turntable scratching instrumental style is “Nobody’s Listening.” This track features a catchy flute riff, but it suffers from poor lyrics and bad singing.

One avenue Linkin Park should not venture down is evident in “Breaking the Habit.” Here the band sounds like a B-side of one of those new punk-pop bands like Good Charlotte or New Found Glory. There are already too many bands that rip off the Violent Femmes, Green Day and Blink-182, and Linkin Park shows too much promise to become the likes of these new Top 40 friendly imitators.

If “Hybrid Theory” was the bold statement that propelled Linkin Park onto the musical scene, they already have reached their turning point with the unbalanced “Meteora.” Now the band must choose to linger in its formula, conform to the new rock-pop mold or innovate and evolve.

All three options are present in this new album, and though taking the latter of these three paths is more risky, it guarantees Linkin Park a place in music history and in better CD collections.