PropertyOfZack Review : : Paramore
Do you remember 2008? It was a sad a year in music. Album sales continued to drop, illegal downloads continued to rise, perhaps the only positive thing in the business side of the world was that vinyl sales began to rise. Did there seem to be less of those songs on the radio that seemed to stick around just a little too long? That’s the one thing I notice, the ability for a song to sustain it’s popularity lacked last year. Not every band had this issue, Paramore did not have this issue. For listeners who did not know of their first release, All We Know Is Falling, Paramore burst onto the scene in mid 2007 and early 2008. Usually when you hear female vocals on the radio it’s going to be Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift, but this was different. Paramore had female vocals on top of pop-punk music, it threw many people off. From “Misery Business” to “crushcrushcrush,” Paramore started conquering fan after fan. Soon going on world tours with a new sound and a new found popularity, Paramore received Teen Choice awards, MTV nominations, and most surprisingly, a Grammy nomination. Finally, after touring for the Riot! was, Paramore entered the studio for record their third, highly anticipated release.
A question should be asked; do you want to hear an updated version of Riot!, a mix between All We Know Is Falling and Riot!, or something completely different. If your answer is an updated version of Riot!, I hope you have open ears. On September 29th Paramore will release the next chapter, brand new eyes. It starts with “Careful,” which right off the back, will show you Hayley Williams’ upgraded vocals and Zac Farro’s drum skills. Hayley, who has stated this will be a much darker album belts out the lyrics “the truth never set me free, so I’ll do it myself.” A casual fan will notice that this is no repeat album. The new emotion that is felt throughout brand new eyes is a huge leap from any previous effort. Skipping the single, “Playing God” is perhaps the best track on the album. With a classic pop-punk feel and edgy lyrics from Williams on her points of view regarding God and individuals with a God-complex personality. “Next time you point a finger I might have to bend it back and break it off. Next time you point a finger I’ll point you to the mirror.” Ladies and gentlemen, that is what you should expect from this album. As the album plays on, Paramore takes their shot with at a ballad with “The Only Exception,” which is sure to be a fan favorite with Williams’ chilling vocals, that are similar on another slower song, “Misguided Ghosts.” One is sure to be a single, the new found talent of the band can be strongly seen in the two songs. “Looking Up” is a song solely dedicated to the turmoil Paramore endured in early 2008 after nearly breaking up because of the break up between Hayley Williams and Josh Farro. But they pieced it back together, they would never give up so soon. The album ends with a familiar song, “Decode,” which has been heard by the masses because of it’s appearance on the Twilight soundtrack.
Dare I mumble the word perfect if I am to talk about this record out loud? I think I might. The overall improvement from Paramore in this effort is mind blowing. The weakest song on the whole record is perhaps the one they chose to be their first single. If you liked that, it can only get better. To be frank, this album will beat the crap out of you.
