Ok, so it's probably no secret by now that I love the band Paramore. And not just the lead singer Hayley Williams. I'm a fan of Josh Farro (lead guitarist), Zac Farro (drummer, brother of Josh), Jeremy Davis (bassist), and Taylor York (rhythm guitarist). But how do I feel about their latest album "Brand New Eyes"?
"Brand New Eyes" is Paramore's third album, the first two being "All We Know is Falling" and "Riot!". This CD is definitely deeper than the previous ones.
Spoken by Hayley, "I was like, 'This isn't a feel-good song, because I'm writing about something I'm going through right now, and it's still painful. And I confused that with actually not liking the songs, when actually I was prouder of them than I've ever been before. They're heavier emotions for me... I'm still going through some of this stuff, and these songs are really healing to me."
As a big fan of Paramore, I know to be true the fact that these songs have a deeper meaning that the others. "Riot!" and "All We Know is Falling" were made when the band was still knew and just starting out. By the time recording of the new album started (January 2009), the band had gotten some experience and knew better what they were doing.
Concerning the lyrics, they obviously were words that came from the heart. "Playing God" is a song about some unnamed person, well, playing God; pretending that he/she isn't doing anything wrong and putting all the blame on the singer. Goes the chorus:
"You don't have to believe me
But the way I, way I see it
Next time you point a finger I might have to bend it back
And break it, break it off
Next time you point a finger I'll point you to the mirror"
I thought this a clever way to say that the blame-er is the real blame-ee. (and I can play it on guitar now!)
"Feeling Sorry" is one of the lesser known songs on the CD. The bridge goes:
"And all the best lies,
They are told with fingers tied
So cross them tight,
Won't you promise me tonight
If it's the last thing you do, you'll get out."
An upbeat sounding song about a person that just didn't try hard enough to make it (hey, whattaya know, I can play this song too!)
What about the actual instrumentals of the album, you may be wondering?
The sounds of the songs, the skill with the instruments being played, are just AMAZING. The songs are very catchy without being too pop-ish. The direction that the rhythm goes is sometimes foreseeable but nowhere near cliché. Paramore comes up with their own guitar parts, bass parts, everything. And I'm no expert drummer, but even I can recognize that Zac Farro is good at keeping time and performing complicated fills and bass drum rhythms. I even enjoy the parts of the bass guitarist, who is also good at what he does.
Most of the songs are up-tempo, rock songs. "Brick By Boring Brick" and "Ignorance" are sure to get you head-banging by the chorus. There are solos galore (what's a Paramore album without a plentitude of guitar solos?). There are also the slower songs.
"Misguided Ghosts" is played with only two acoustic guitars and a steady beat on the bass drum (if my ears are informing me correctly). "The Only Exception" is faster yet is still a slow song that many of you might have heard before (it was sung on "Glee"). "All I Wanted" is faster still, with a display of vocal skill evident enough to give Beyonce the chills.
I realize that I haven't said one bad thing about the CD. That's because I have nothing bad to say. Honestly, I don't, and I'm not being willingly blind to any faults. I just don't see anything wrong with the album. But that's just my opinion. I am URGING you to give the songs a listen. I promise you won't regret it.
Paramore - Brick by Boring Brick (Live Acoustic) from James Crusher on Vimeo.
I really like this song, and I didn't expect you to be a fan of paramore :)
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