I know I usually review the band's first albums first, but I've been listening to this a lot lately so why not? Paramore is a pop-punk band, with a female lead singer, Hayley Williams, and some other dudes on instruments. I don't think a lot of people care about them, though, so it's pretty safe to just call them 'those guys who stand behind Hayley'.
I wasn't kidding.Get ready for a story before the review, kids. Grandpa's at it again!
Some people get into this band from a catchy single, some get into this band just because they're sexually frustrated teenage boys who thinks Hayley is cute, some get into this band just because they're angsty. None of those, except arguably the last one can relate to how I got into this band. I remember telling my sister Amber something my brother Josh said about My Chemical Romance and Paramore being great bands, and she asked if I liked Paramore. I thought I liked a song by them, 'Kiss Me', until I learned it was actually by Sixpence None the Richer. I have no idea why I ever thought it was them, but the lead vocalists kinda look similar sometimes, maybe like cousins. Lodey dodey doe.
Then that Christmas I got this album from my sister Amber, and at first only one thought came into my mind: "Do I even know this album..? I don't know any of these songs.." and I felt like a jerk for even thinking it. I gave it a few spins in the CD player with Josh, usually just the singles to hear it, and I wasn't terribly impressed, but I kept listening to it for a while, and while it did get better, it just wasn't holding my interest for too terribly long and to the CD holder it went for a while.
Then a year later, I pulled it out, and I liked it even more, this time listening to it for quite a while with some internet friends. A lot of fun memories were had with them while listening to this album, including what we thought was an 'epic' singalong, but one of the guys always tried to play their songs on guitar but failed at it, so we'd pretend we liked it and thought he was talented, but truth was we never heard anyone play guitar before (somewhat) in front of us, so we were young and stupid and thought he could be the next Jimi Hendrix, but he's probably just working at a Subway now, like all the real rock stars. But lo and behold, it retreated to my stack of CDs yet again! Then recently, I pulled it back out again, and I swear it sounds even better than it did before.
Me, my brother Josh, and my sister Amber own a copy of this album, we used to joke and say that we were going to get a copy for Heather, but we never did, which is a shame, because she'd probably like this. Kinda weird that Amber got me this album too, considering she's gotten me a few that greatly expanded my music interest, such as Sublime's self titled album. Hell, she's probably part of the reason why I love music so much, because she was the one getting me albums outside of my regular ol' Less Than Jake albums, which are still awesome, but still. She expanded my horizons a bit to show me that ska-punk wasn't the only music around. Why am I ranting about my family?
Here's a picture of a monkey eating cheese in the woods to serve as an intermission to the actual review. Look at that little rascal go! Where did he get the cheese? It is a mystery!A lot of people will dismiss this band just because they have a female, Hayley Williams as the vocalist, thinking it'll turn out to be some girl band, or that she's going to try to be the new Avril Lavigne or some other retarded assumption. What we have here is a legitimately good vocalist who can sing her heart out, sounding so innocent through 'When it Rains', to her energetic, spunky self in songs such as 'Misery Business'. I think Hayley is one of the few female vocalists I totally like, and doesn't turn every song into a ballad like some other female singers, as she's able to hold more grounds than just "oh let's make an emotional song", instead being able to tread further to deliver high-paced pop-punk anthems.
The songs are all pretty good, and well written, with catchy melodies, but the sequencing is kinda bad, you'll know what I mean if you hear it. You'll be getting into the fast songs, and then out of nowhere, a slow song appears! Not that big of a problem, but then it happens again, and it just breaks the mood of the album for me, or maybe it's a subtle hint that most women are psycho and bipolar, to which I must tip my non-existent hat to. Good show, Paramore, good show indeed.
Hayley actually impressed me as a vocalist, because she can sing pretty well, and hype up a song the best she can. She's probably trying her hardest to sing, but she makes it sound so natural. Why do I keep talking about Hayley? Because let's face it, a lot of Paramore fans can admit this: Paramore is basically only musically notable for her, the rest of the band isn't bad by any means, but basically any other guitarist/drummer/bassist can do what they do. Hayley has the real unique talent in the band that I think goes unnoticed because she showed up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and was marketed as some emo girl.
The songs are catchy, and some can actually bring up my mood, despite what some of the lyrics are, like in 'That's What You Get', I don't care what you say, that's a good song right there. The problem with some of the songs though is really just the placement, for me. You'll be nodding your head to 'Crushcrushcrush' when 'We Are Broken' comes on afterwards, and while it is a good song, no denying that, it's a slow song about Christ, so while you were just having fun with an energetic song, here comes a ballad about Christianity to punch you in your musical cock, and I can assure you, in the right mood, there is nothing worse than being punched in the musical cock, or any kind of cock, really. Cock.
This got slept on. This is a grower, and I believe that everyone who overplayed this album back in 2007 should come back to it and hear it, because like me, they may hear it in a different way, and like it even more. I'm almost half-tempted to stop listening to it now, because I'm afraid I might get burnt out on it, and give it another try in a year or so to see if it sounds any better, but the problem is that right now it just sounds too good to consider putting down at the moment. I'm no Parawhore, but I can certainly see why some are.
7/10
Recommended tracks: That's What You Get, Born For This
The songs are all pretty good, and well written, with catchy melodies, but the sequencing is kinda bad, you'll know what I mean if you hear it. You'll be getting into the fast songs, and then out of nowhere, a slow song appears! Not that big of a problem, but then it happens again, and it just breaks the mood of the album for me, or maybe it's a subtle hint that most women are psycho and bipolar, to which I must tip my non-existent hat to. Good show, Paramore, good show indeed.
Hayley actually impressed me as a vocalist, because she can sing pretty well, and hype up a song the best she can. She's probably trying her hardest to sing, but she makes it sound so natural. Why do I keep talking about Hayley? Because let's face it, a lot of Paramore fans can admit this: Paramore is basically only musically notable for her, the rest of the band isn't bad by any means, but basically any other guitarist/drummer/bassist can do what they do. Hayley has the real unique talent in the band that I think goes unnoticed because she showed up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and was marketed as some emo girl.
The songs are catchy, and some can actually bring up my mood, despite what some of the lyrics are, like in 'That's What You Get', I don't care what you say, that's a good song right there. The problem with some of the songs though is really just the placement, for me. You'll be nodding your head to 'Crushcrushcrush' when 'We Are Broken' comes on afterwards, and while it is a good song, no denying that, it's a slow song about Christ, so while you were just having fun with an energetic song, here comes a ballad about Christianity to punch you in your musical cock, and I can assure you, in the right mood, there is nothing worse than being punched in the musical cock, or any kind of cock, really. Cock.
This got slept on. This is a grower, and I believe that everyone who overplayed this album back in 2007 should come back to it and hear it, because like me, they may hear it in a different way, and like it even more. I'm almost half-tempted to stop listening to it now, because I'm afraid I might get burnt out on it, and give it another try in a year or so to see if it sounds any better, but the problem is that right now it just sounds too good to consider putting down at the moment. I'm no Parawhore, but I can certainly see why some are.
7/10
Recommended tracks: That's What You Get, Born For This
