Paramore - "Brand New Eyes"

Paramore - Brand New Eyes
2009, Fueled By Ramen

1. Careful
2. Ignorance
3. Playing God
4. Brick By Boring Brick
5. Turn It Off
6. The Only Exception
7. Feeling Sorry
8. Looking Up
9. Where the Lines Overlap
10. Misguided Ghosts
11. All I Wanted

Some people probably think Paramore is nothing but fluffy teenage girl music. Well... in some sense it is, but I don't care. Now that they've discovered how to write a hook they've fast become one of my favorite bands. I can't think of one clunker on this disc and that is quite a feat! Songs like the album opener and the first single, "Ignorance" don't stray too far from the power-pop formula the band perfected on Riot! However, there are some surprises here like the ballads, "The Only Exception" a quiet, acoustic love song and "Misguided Ghosts." The latter is a soft, melodic ballad that almost reminds me of The Sundays or Sixpence None the Richer. I think it's quite possibly one of the most beautiful songs they've recorded. Haley's voice shows a lot of range, tackling that particular song with an unexpected sweetness while effortlessly transitioning into a rock grrl -belting out the chorus of "All I Wanted" like she was Ann Wilson from Heart. I really hope these guys stay around awhile because they've got a lot of potential. And unlike Avril Lavigne (the person to whom they're often compared), I have no doubt that the band's song-writing will only get better with age.

Useless Fact: Apparently Haley's fashion is all the rage. There are websites out there that are wholly devoted to Haley wears. One of these websites is in my wife's "favorites." I hope she doesn't plan on dressing our impending baby girl in skinny jeans.