Paramore: Brand New Eyes
Paramore: Brand New Eyes
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By Michael Younger. |  |
Wednesday, 07, Oct 2009 04:27
Fuelled by Ramen, out now.
In a nutshell...
Twinkly, power chords, sequencial, strong vocals and a little déjà vu.
What's it all about?
The third full length outing by everyone's favourite Teen Choice award winners. 12 tracks mixing twinkly guitars with power chord choruses
Who's it by?
Now firmly established in the music world, Paramore are made up of lead vocalist Hayley Williams (most recognisable for her iconic orange hair), brothers Zac and Josh Farro on drums and guitar respectively, Jeremy Davis on bass and Taylor York on second guitar.
As an example...
"And the worst part is/Before it gets any better we're/Heading for a cliff/And in the freefall I/Will realise I'm better off /When I hit the bottom."
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
It seems impossible for Paramore to do any wrong in the eyes of the critics, with the album release following a successful end theme to one of this year's hottest movies, (bonus track Decode featured on the Twilight soundtrack).
What the others say
"Paramore are a young band growing up in the public glare, and although that would send many to the funny farm, it's made this quintet even stronger and Brand New Eyes is by far their best record yet." - Rocksound
"Third album maturity amounts to the anger being turned up, and effectively so." - NME
So is it any good?
After the debut of All We Know is Falling, Paramore had set themselves as a band capable of both tremendous energy, beautiful melodies, and a leading lady with an amazingly powerful voice. They still have those qualities, however it is clear that time in the studio has not tempted them to try anything particularly new and it is by staying in this comfort zone that they do themselves the biggest injustice. More than one listen is enough to recognise almost any track from Brand New Eyes, and remind you how the chorus fits in, while a formulaic pattern to each track sits them well in place for radio playback. For the occasional tracks that slow the pace, such as forthcoming single The Only Exception, we hear examples of a stark contrast to the earlier, edgier pieces, and it is with the penultimate song, minimal acoustic number Misguided Ghosts, that we finally get to hear something that really stands out as different for the band. Sadly it's not the best example of their talent, however it is something that I personally would like to see evolve for their next release.
For anybody that knows Paramore, you know what to expect. It wouldn't be fair to say this is a bad album, and it is certainly the most polished from the young band so far, but despite it's similarities I just didn't find it as memorable as previous offerings. Hayley's voice is still powerful and this is most noticeable on the emotionally charged choruses throughout, however what previously floated now on occasion sounds rough, a sign perhaps of too much angst where it isn't needed?
For anybody that doesn't know Paramore, this is a good example of what to expect, however personally I would recommend picking up their debut for a beautiful mix of emotion and raw energy.
7/10
Ben Brady