Originally posted on 28/9/09
Before I start, I feel the need to share with you the list of thanks on the album. The following is the first for each member:
Hayley would like to thank: "Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses with persecutions, with difficulties for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong." Corinthians 10:12. Thank you God for being evrywhere and in everything.
Josh would like to thank: My Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. May You be glorified through this new record.
Zac would like to thank: I would like to personally thank... Jesus my Saviour
Jeremy would like to thank: Thanks to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Taylor would like to thank: My Heavenly Father, You are so faithful when I am not. Praise You, Jesus, for Your loving grace!
Bet it's fun to be in this band! Also, note the order the thanks come in. Singer-lead guitarist-drummer-bassist-rhythm guitarist. Good to see who's viewed as the most important then. Moving away from the ego's of a bunch of not yet 21-year-olds and Jee-zuzz, Paramore's 3rd album is lucky to be here. After Riot!, touring pressures coupled with personal pressures, not likely helped by the order of importance as demonstrated in page one of the book for the CD, they cancelled dates (one I was going to!) and all fell out. Jesus must've had a word mind, as they got back together, and even after lead single Ignorance, essentially a lovely "you're all arseholes" cry from Hayley who wrote it, they managed to stay together, and seem stronger for it.
Musically, there's never going to be much difference from a band who's most complex guitar line is the solo from Misery Business, or when the drummer's by far the most talented in the band. But from All We know is Falling, where they were weans and still managed some of their most complete songs, to Riot! where they carried on improving, to Brand New Eyes where each member appears to have developed their talents and sounds to their highest possible level. Opening track Careful is a perfect example of this, and is thus the standout track. Other ones like Ignorance (which still sounds like Pressure to me) and Playing God (wayhey more Jee-zuzz) further solidate their position.
BNE is not without its faults. Brick by Boring Brick, even with its awful title is still a fantastic song..... right up until they ran out of words during the writing process, and then joined a verse to a chorus with the ever thought-provoking line "ba da da da da" etc. Oh how I wept. The Only Exception is also dreadful, some horrid 2 chord acoustic affair where the title's repeated at least 20 times throughout the song. Aside from these slight fluctuations in writing, including actual close All I Wanted, Brand New Eyes does manage to be Paramore's most complete and accomplished album to date. Even though I hated it the first time I heard it, and was bored after 4 songs, it's managed to grow on me, and when you go deeper than just the first listen/impression, you realise that it is a good piece of music.
One slight bone I have to pick aside from this mind you, is the song Decode. Sound familiar? Yes it's the one from that shitty vampire film. And it's not on the album. You get the feeling that Paramore hate the fact that it's still on the CD, as on the back of the case, the tracks are all written in lower case and numbered, with (Bonus Track - Decode) thrown on at the back. Now, whether this was the bands choice to put the song on the CD or not I don't know, but it doesn't seem to be, and I would hope it isn't. A band that lives off one song which, for whatever reason, manages to be heard by more people than will hear their albums is a band which will inevitably hate the song. Look at Radiohead with Creep (please ignore the comparison, I can't think of anything else). They hate the song, hardly ever play it any more and would probably rather it had never been written. I hope Paramore manage to get rid of the tag "The Twilight Band," as they are better than that film and song, and deserve the recognition for the work they put into their albums, which is what made them famous in the first place.
If you talk about Paramore, please don't bring up Decode. Not right away at least.
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