Paramore Has The Spirit, Lacks The Angst
Brand New Eyes continues Paramore's legacy but loses their edge
Paramore
Brand New Eyes
Released on Sep 29, 2009
I don’t feel the need to
hide that I have spent multiple nights since the release of Paramore’s Riot in 2007 in my room fist
pumping and singing along to every word lead singer Hayley Williams
belted. Nor will I conceal my love for the single Paramore recorded
for the teen-hit Twilight “Decode.” Guilty pleasure
or not, this Tennessee act has remained on my iPod through countless
cleanses. Why? Because for a pop band, Paramore has everything
they need to capture my attention. Simple yet effective lyrics,
power chords, and a strong front woman round out the three necessities
to keep the band strong since their first release in 2005. But
can this continue to keep the band afloat on their third major release?
Let’s set this straight: Paramore needs to be reviewed in the context that they work in. They are not Radiohead and are not making poetically beautiful lyrics with complexed arrangements. They are a pop punk band making catchy music to entertain. Thusly, they need to be critiqued for what they do do as a band and not for what they could be doing. On their latest release Brand New Eyes, Paramore continues their female-driven music. Williams still maintains her fantastic control over her voice, and the songwriting quality is still on par to the past albums. Their single “Ignorance” bursts with the same effervesce that their previous work had. When Williams sings “Ignorance is your new best friend” over that staccato guitar and snare hits, it’s the same great snarl that makes Paramore a hit with the female sex.
But something that was present on Riot and All We Know is Falling is missing. I still found myself tapping my foot but not with the exuberance I had on my first listen of Riot. The same caliber of production was still present Brand New Eyes. But there was nothing new. It was the same “I want the boy, can’t have the boy, rebel against society” subject matter present on the last two albums. It’s fine to stick to what you know, but Williams and the gang aren’t in high school anymore. Even Fall Out Boy had to switch it up and sing about booze and girls instead of illegal booze and girls. “Feeling Sorry” is something I would have related to in high school. It’s a simple story – girl dates boy, they break up but still living in the same town, girl fights to get over boy. But it’s the same story Paramore has been singing over and over, except now it’s from the perspective of an older girl. There are enough girl-fronted bands that sing about their sorrows of losing their man, but what made Paramore so appealing was that they were sardonic about it. Brand New Eyes doesn’t have that same zeal for bashing the opposite sex Riot did, thus making it less entertaining and more generic.
High Point
You will be singing along to “Brick By Boring Brick.” Don’t be ashamed. The breakdown is so catchy that it cannot be considered a sin to chant along.
Low Point
Brand New Eyes needs less “Feeling Sorry” and more “Crushcrushcrush.”
Posted by Amy Dittmeier on Oct 08, 2009 @ 6:30 am
