Paramore – Brand New Eyes
Perhaps one of the more profound bands under the Fueled By Ramen umbrella, Paramore has quickly grown into a household name amongst listeners around the world. Having had significant radio and video play, the face of Hayley Williams has been instilled upon millions of viewers. More recently, their single ‘Decode’ has been featured in the box-office hit, Twilight. So Paramore need not the introduction because most average pop-rock fans will have already heard of them. Personally, Paramore has been a favourite of mine for quite sometime. The unique vocals and melodramatic storylines lend a hand in capturing my attention, time and time again. I thought both their previous albums, ‘All We Know Is Falling’ and ‘Riot!’, were seemingly differently, yet powerful. While their themes might not hit home with all fans, it’s their exquisite ability to turn music into an emotion that is powerful. To play in such a way that’s not overly aggressive, but far from being shy with their talents. There’s definitely a sense of attitude when it comes to Paramore, and that’s what makes them special.
Brand New Eyes is the third studio album, and given their positive history, there was much buzz over its release. Having had the opportunity to hear it in full, many times over, I can say that Paramore is still alive and well. While it may not outshine the previous two LPs, it was certainly not a drop in quality. From the very first track you can hear the dark and serious undertones that ellipse the album. ‘Careful’ has the aggressive melody that is pretty standard of Paramore. This includes grungy and mellow guitar melodies combined with hard hitting drums. But the root of most Paramore songs comes down to Hayley’s performance and her lyrical input. While not discrediting any of the other band mates, Hayleys voice really sets precedent on whether the track will be aggressive, soulful or both. In the case of ‘Careful’ it was definitely both an emotional trek as it was a testy statement to the world. Her passionate vocals told a story, but were aggressive enough to leave an impression. This is in contrast to ‘Ignorance’ which fell more towards the aggressive end of the album.
The third track ‘Playing God’ is where things really get good. From here on out the album continues to grow more original and exciting. While I admit you need to be in the mood to listen to the music, when you are, it’s phenomenal. ‘Playing God’ has a mellow, somewhat tranquil melody and verse for that matter. The verse is like the cool breeze before a storm, and that’s where the aggressive chorus comes into play. Perhaps my favourite chorus of the album, it has clever lyrics and an edgy sound which is very typical of Paramore. It can be a calming listen but it’s also aggressive enough to feel intense emotions and to have a more soulful experience. The melody moves with the flow of vocals, leading to a nice transition from verse to chorus. I think it’s catchy enough to stay relevant, yet original enough to have some emotional attachment, and that is perhaps why I could listen to endlessly.
However, like I said, the album only continues to grow more and more epic as each track finishes. ‘Turn It Off’ is another song which had an inspiring chorus and a message so to speak. Another tale about struggle, Paramore does a great job of translating this feeling into music. ‘The Only Exception’ is another notable track off the album. Extremely mellow in nature, it is like the albums second ballad, but there is still a full ensemble of instrumentals. This is followed by ‘Feeling Sorry’, which to me comes off as the most mainstream ready of all the tracks. It uses the rebellious nature that made them so famous with ‘Riot!’ The album is abundant with tracks that have edgy punch lines, and this is made prominent with Hayley’s aggressive singing style. I can continue to list songs from the album, but they all have the same basic makeup, that isn’t to say they aren’t all quite different. I did find the last two tracks rather bland in comparison with the six or seven preceding it, but there’s really no damage done. Especially considering ‘Misguided Ghosts’ is probably the true ballad of the album, being the single acoustic song. Also as a bonus, they added ‘Decode’ which I’m sure most listeners, fans or not, have heard on the radio or in theatres.
A very memorable album, it’s darker than the usual Paramore, and more matured than I’d ever seen them. ‘Brand New Eyes’, is an aggressive and melodramatic kind of pop rock. Lots of emphasis on rock, and subtle hints of pop make it an album worthy of a listen. I think most fans will enjoy this album, but it may not see the same kind of mainstream success ‘Riot!’ had. ‘Riot!’ was considerably more fast paced and mainstream, whereas ‘Brand New Eyes’ is more of a profound thought provoking album, and for that I applaud them.
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Tags: album review
