Paramore
by Paramore

Okay, so.. Paramore... I never payed too much attention to this band, I knew that song with the Twilight vid + I guess I heard a couple of their most famous songs at one point or another, without really caring about them. Didn't seem like my thing at all. Still, after seeing that this album was highly regarded by a couple of users, I felt like I should give them a proper chance. And so I did. At first I just watched some of their vids on youtube (not just from this album), which gave me an idea of what the band was actually like and gave me some expectations of what I'll get from the album. A lot of them did turn out to be justified, but unexpectedly the album managed to positively surprise me throughout its length and ended up being something I never thought a Paramore album could be.

I expected that the album would be filled with those poppy overly-anthemic choruses - see songs like Still Into You, Proof, Last Hope or Now for biggest offenders. But I did not expect that even these songs would manage to have enough going for them for me to still like them.

I expected that the album, being more than an hour and 17 tracks long, would have its share of stinkers, but I did not expect that the number would be so low - I mean I could easily do without Daydreaming or Be Alone, but they hardly put a damper on the overall experience of the album.
What I most certainly didn't expect is that even at this length the album doesn't drag at any point. Even more so - the album manages to be a varied but cohesive effort, more than justifying its length.

Did I say varied? Well here's another thing I certainly didn't expect. I expected a more or less fun, but often generic and uninteresting pop punk album - having heard Riot! and Brand New Eyes afterwards, I'll say that those two albums were a lot more like that (I still liked BNE though). But this album takes their sound while drawing influences from all over the place. It's not just about slowing it down at some points and going more "aggressive" at others, there are songs here with influences from country (Hate to See You Break Your Heart), some gospel (Ain't it Fun) and even post-rock (Future). What's more - they do it really well!

In general the production and the quality of instrumentation was another thing I didn't expect at all. Future in particular excells here, that transition after the third minute is just fantastic simultaneously going louder and more muffled before evolving into something any acclaimed post-rock band would be proud to have done. But there's little gems all the way through - from the fantastic drumming on Part II to the synth pop influenced ending to Grow Up, to that little guitar riff towards the end of Ain't It Fun, some Yeah Yeah Yeahs inspired guitar on a few tracks. There's a lot of that even on those tracks that I mentioned earlier which I think get a bit ruined by their choruses.. Fuck me, but those songs seem like such a wasted opportunity to me. Now features some of Hayley's best vocals on the album, from doing her best Karen O impression at one point, before showing off her big voice later on, not to mention the great guitar work throughout. Great guitar on Proof as well..

Lyrically I guess the album is what you'd expect, but even here the album manages to be cohesive and with a clear overall message - even after two core members left, Paramore is still here, moving on, leaving them behind, looking towards the future etc. In case you don't get it there's three interludes reiterating the point. Strangely enough I even loved them (or the idea of them). Certainly fit on the album.

Oh well.. I guess another thing that I most certainly didn't expect is that I would still be regularly listening to this album over a week later. I think it's already easily in my top 5 of most listened to albums of 2013. But you know what, I have hopes for more. If those positives on the album are the result of the former rhythm guitarist Taylor York stepping up to songwriting duties, then I'll certainly keep an eye on what they do from now on.

Track picks: Future, Grow Up, Anklebiters, Ain't it Fun, Fast in My Car.

An inspired change in direction from the rest of their catalogue, this has so much more depth and may just be one of the most underrated albums ever made
(Edited)

From zdwyatt TOP 100 COMMENTER 10/22/2013 19:07 | #88891 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

I am surprised how much I like this album. This isn't usually my kind of thing, but Hayley Williams has an amazing voice. The album does run a touch long, and has a couple throwaway tracks. But the bulk of it is catchy as hell.

From slurpdurp 12/16/2016 00:51 | #180295 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Paramore changed direction and established a new sound in a great way. "Last Hope" tops Misery Business for my favourite Paramore song. This album is a huge change, but Paramore swings to a new sound that is much more accessible and fun. They leave the pop-punk pack and give themselves a unique identity outside of Hayley Williams.

I'm not a big Paramore fan, but this album impressed me. The album is heavily front-loaded and a bit too long, but an overall solid achievement that exceeded my expectations.