Review: The Brand New Eyes Have it on Paramore's Latest

Franklin, Tennessee's own (vocalist Hayley Williams, brothers Zac and Josh Farro on drums and guitar, guitarist Taylor York and bassist Jeremy Davis) Paramore began from humble roots and slowly built up momentum with hard touring and building their fan base on the way to their second album Riot!. It became a platinum selling record with hits Misery Business, That's What You Get and Crushcrushcrush putting them on the mainstream map. Then the the vampire-tweenage mega-phenomenon of Twilight arrived with a Midas Touch. The song "Decode" off the soundtrack became an instant classic, etched in the music playlists and video countdowns for the better part of the year.

Paramore needed to come back strong with their next album to prove its staying power. Brand New Eyes is exactly that. It's a powerful album with brains, brawn and heart the whole way through.

The strength of the album lies in its cohesiveness-it feels like a complete record with a clear beginning and end. There will be a ton of debate on the fan boards comparing this album to Riot! There are several songs on this one that are as good as any song on that album, although perhaps there is no one song on Eyes that clearly stands out as better. However, these songs and the impetus of struggling as a band provide an unnervingly raw and emotional quality that could push Brand New Eyes past Riot!.

The record begins fast and furious with the one-two-three punch of "Careful", lead single "Ignorance" and "Playing God". Guitar-crunch laden riffs fly by while Williams pours it on with aggressive and smartly-timed vocals.

From there, the album stretches out its wings and shows some broader musical touches while still maintaining the substance and core of their rock band. Brick By Boring Brick exemplifies that stretching out process, while the interesting tonal quality to the outro of Take it Off completes the song and makes it different from any other on the album. The Only Exception is a true-blue love song which is to this album what Maps was to Yeah Yeah Yeah's Fever to Tell. Later, Misguided Ghosts provides a moment for the listener to catch its breath, but yet retains a touching tender emotional centerpiece that shouldn't go overlooked.

Paramore dealt with the possibility of breaking up in their time between "Riot!" and this album. These issues and feelings are documented in the up tempo, almost exultant forward charging "Feeling Sorry", followed by "Looking Up", the album's best track which is a look back at the worst days of the arguments between the band members. There is deep honesty in this one-you will understand the feelings the band struggled through. There is a triumphant, almost celebratory response to the thoughts of doom and gloom with the chant of "I can't believe we almost hung it up, we're just getting started", carrying its way through the rest of the song. From there, "Where the Lines Overlap" takes time to express their gratitude for making it to the level of success they have reached. "No one is as lucky as us" Williams sings, and a listener can easily believe that is exactly how the band feels.

There is also appreciation for the connection the band has with the fans: "I bet if I sing this loud enough, you'd sing it back to me." Paramore is definitely known for their songs having a sing-a-long punch. There aren't as many obvious places for fans to jump in for the live shows, but they are present if you look for them-such as the "ba-da-da-da, ba-da da-da" from "Brick By Boring Brick" and the Jimmy Eat World tinged "Woahohoh" chant on "Looking Up". There is plenty for their fans to be cheering about on the new record.

Vocally, Hayley Williams cuts a swath through each track, singing through with gusto and definitive presence. Her intonations are best when she matches the melody of the song and then rises above it. Somehow she reaches for and nails with precision some out-there high notes, including the high dramatic flourish on album closer "All I Wanted". It's hard to believe she would have been able to hit that on a previous album, but she belts it out there now. She betters even previous notable dramatic ballads in the band's repertoire such as "My Heart" and "We Are Broken". There couldn't have been a better choice to close out the record than the climax of thrashing guitars, percussion and the ringing note leading into a distorted fade out.

I hate to go all cliché and call Paramore's "Brand New Eyes" a "mature" record or write about how much they have "grown" from their previous albums, but I've just gone and done it. I can try to get away from those adjectives, but there is an undeniable ring of truth to them. This is an evolved Paramore and in many ways, an even better Paramore than the one that crafted "Riot!" With the release of this record, Paramore reinforces that it is a musical presence to be reckoned with-making great music, period. As the song goes, they're just getting started.

Rating: 8.5 / 10