Most music buffs turn their noses up at Paramore. And why wouldn’t they? Paramore comes off as just another bubble gum punk band that sounds too immature to be taken seriously.
Brand New Eyes
, the band’s latest album, is not too different from their previous two albums. They still sound like a bunch of kids simply having fun, jamming out on their instruments and screaming in their bedrooms about the “real world.” The band seems to make a constant effort to keep with their signature sound, which becomes terribly monotonous. All of this and, of course, their typical Hot Topic mentality makes it easy for listeners to not take them seriously.When the Tennessee pop-punk bunch first appeared on the music scene, they could not seem to make it. Everything they were trying had been done before. All of their songs seemed to have Avril Lavigne written all over them. The band’s most prized possession is the young, colorful and vivacious Hayley Williams, their outstanding vocalist. However, the music scene has no shortage of awesome female-fronted bands, including Gwen Stefani of No Doubt, Amy Lee of Evanescence and Joan Jett of The Blackhearts. Still, Paramore managed to overcome their problems when their second album.
Riot!
earned them a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist with the likes of Amy Winehouse and Taylor Swift. The band has also secured two songs on the soundtrack for the forthcoming
Twilight
sequel, including the lead-single “Decode.”And so Paramore made their mark, and now have another up-tempo, pop-splashed, teenage-trauma-filled album that sounds exactly like what they’ve always sounded like. I suppose emo-ness and self-obsession, mixed with huge bursts of energy is what people are into.
Rating: **1/2 (out of 5)
Standout Tracks:“Careful” and “Where the Lines Overlap”
Paramore seem to want to be taken more seriously in the rock world, and
Brand New Eyes
is a little less bratty and less whiney then their previous work. Although their music is still speeded up, on the whole, the album is comparatively slower and softer than their forerunners. The songs have a great variety of hooks, and Hayley sounds incredible, showing not just vocal ability but amazing range and power that is perfectly suited for their rock sound. The themes they delve into on this album are more cynical and tormented, which becomes apparent in “Turn It Off,” “Ignorance” and “Playing God.” In spite of these dark tones that prevail, the pop approach to the music makes the songs catchy, distinguishing themselves from bands like Nightwish and Flyleaf, who explore similar themes but express them with much more intensity. Unfortunately, because they seem to be trying so hard to stick with one particular style, their songs are ridiculously repetitive, extremely predictable and show little variance.Paramore does, however, attempt to change things up a little by including a power ballad, “All I Wanted,” and a much slower, acoustic song, “The Only Exception,” which are bring an entirely different campfire-strumming-meets-”American Idol” angle to the album. These songs provide a breather between the fast paced drumming and shouting that persist throughout the album. Still, the songs by themselves are uninspiring and rather nondescript.Personally I feel that the album makes well for mindless listening. I definitely think that
Riot!
, their previous album was superior. Three albums in, the best thing about Paramore is, sadly, Hayley’s hair color.