Brand New Eyes starts out with "Careful". This is a straightforward, typical Paramore song, with all the qualities listed above. The drum work really shines on this track. Its an enjoyable song, with amazing vocals and catchy lyrics.
The second song on the album, "Ignorance", is the first single to be released off of Brand New Eyes. This is another fast, hard hitting Paramore song. What makes this different from songs on their previous albums is the lyrics. This Paramore album has a darker, more serious tone that Riot or All We Know Is Falling; and that tone gets kicked off with "Ignorance".
"Playing God" slows things down a bit, and opens the curtain a little deeper into the angst this band has been through the past couple of years. Very poignant lyrics really stand out in this song: "If God's the game you're playing/then we must get more acquainted/it must be so lonely/to be the only one who's holy". Very good, powerful lyrics that Hayley delivers in a very honest way.
The next song, "Brick By Boring Brick", picks the pace back up a little. Its a song about wanting a fairytale life, and striving hard for it, only to realize that life is not a fairytale, and you can't always have what you want. A very mature theme for a song from such a young band.
"Turn It Off" is an emotionally wrenching song, and it is my second favorite song on the album. At first listen, it sounds as if Hayley is questioning her faith in God, and if you're unaware of the turmoil within the band that could be so. But, knowing the troubles they've had with each other and with fame, it shines a whole new light on this song. The vocals in this song are chill inducing, very very good vocals and a very good song. The lyrics in the chorus are absolutely beautiful: "and the worst part is/before it gets any better/we're headed for a cliff/and in the free fall/I will realize I'm better off/when I hit the bottom".
On "The Only Exception" Paramore breaks out the acoustic guitars and slows things down significantly. This is a new sound for their studio albums, but not to the band in general. They have done quite a few acoustic performances, and I can say that they really sound exceptionally good when performing an acoustic set. This song is no different. Beautiful sound, and a sad but hopeful message about the longterm effects that divorce can have on children.
"Feeling Sorry" kicks it up with a more traditional Paramore sound. Not much to say about this song...its not a bad song, but on this album it just doesn't stand out.
"Looking Up" is an anthem about where the band is in life and their career now, and how it almost never happened and they almost gave it all up. The guitar riff is fun and catchy. The drums again shine in this song. The whole song is fun and you can really tell the band put everything they had into this song.
The next song, "Where the Lines Overlap", is an upbeat, fun song that will probably end up being a single. Its one of the most radio friendly songs on the album. I can picture this song in a live performance, and the crowd is going to go crazy when she starts singing "now I've got a feeling/if I sang this loud enough/you would sing it back to me". Yep, crowd will go crazy.
Paramore goes acoustic again for "Misguided Ghosts", and in doing so creates another beautiful song with a beautiful message. Life is confusing and there's no right or wrong way to get through it. Because of this we often find ourselves wandering about, trying to run from our mistakes but having no real direction to get away from them. The guitar work is very clean and very comforting.
"All I Wanted" is the final song on the album, and can I just say...O M G! This is without a doubt the best song on the album, and one of the best songs I've heard all year and now my favorite Paramore song. If any of you doubt Hayley's vocal ability...wow, just wow. You have to listen to this song. Amazing vocals aside, the lyrics are heart wrenching, and when mixed with the amazing vocals and powerful music, this song is tear inducing. "I could follow you to the beginning/just to relive the start/maybe then we'd remember to slow down/at all of our favorite parts".
Bottom line: This is an amazing album. Die hard Paramore fans may scoff at the new direction the band has taken, but I firmly believe it is a step in the right direction. Hayley Williams and Company are maturing, and it is coming out beautifully in their music. I'll admit, part of me was afraid that Brand New Eyes would be Riot 2.0. Luckily, Paramore wrote what they were feeling and not what the record company would have wanted them to. This album is dark and soul searching, but it still has moments of fun.
Brand New Eyes is currently the front-runner for my album of the year. I'll give all of the contenders a few re-listens over the next few months, but as it stands now, this album could be unbeatable.
I was gonna pass on this album, but now I kinda may have to get it.
ReplyDeleteI just looked through my iTunes to refresh my memory as to what the best album so far is... going through, there weren't too many I woulda nominated. Needtobreathe's "The Outsiders" is one of them though. If I listened with a critic's ear, Jars of Clay's "The Long Fall Back to Earth" would definitely be on there. Most of this years albums which I own are too rock... which I enjoy, but it's not what I'm truly passionate about. Among them are: Skillet, Red, Decyfer Down, Thousand Foot Krutch... that type of stuff doesn't win "best album overall"