“Do you really want me to review this? I asked for anything heavy…and you sent me this!” And so went the conversation with TLOBF editor in chief.
I feel aurally violated, this is commercially derivative shit of the first order. Actually that is a wee bit harsh, as some of the song structures and especially drummery is ok. What really offends is the vocals of Hayley Williams. To say that others have compared her to Avril Lavinge should be enough to dissuade the discernible listener, but in case there is any doubt, ‘Brick By Boring Bick’ includes a lyrically imaginative “Ba-da-ba-ba-ba-ba-da-ba-ba” hook. Elsewhere the influence of Gwen Stefani is never far away, especially on the acoustically led ‘The Only Exception’.
Where Paramore are falling down is their lack of identity, on one hand they want to be a really cooler than thou EMO band, but alternatively they want to sell big units and appeal to the masses. The two paths are difficult to combine especially when you have a lead singer sounding like Lavinge/Stefani and citing Robert Smith and Etta James as big influences, it all ends up a confused mess.
The label have really pushed for commercial success calling in production from Green Day and My Chemical Romance and even managing to shoe horn the bands most popular song ‘Decode’ on to the end of the album. However, unless you enjoy American emo-chart-pop-rock then this can’t be recommended.
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Other albums by this artist
As much as I agree with the review, I still hate that bands like Paramore are labelled as “Emo”. The Emo I grew up loving and listening to couldn’t be further removed from this dross. Not an attack on you Shawn, just the media that decided to re-coin the term “Emo” 3 or 4 years ago, and make it a joke genre. Just tarnishes the legacy that bands like Far, Mineral, Braid, Texas is the Reason and Sunny Day Real Estate created. I appreciate genres evolve, but it’s like call Bowling For Soup “punk”.
That’s a rant not a review! I’m a boy into all that is heavy but paramore should not be thought as a rock band but more a pop rock band. This is a genre that should not be really be given to people of the metal/heavy rock persuasion it offends them more than most things. It’s a watering down of their love…I remember feeling that way.
Also…what he said!
There must be a butterfly protection charity
@ A Gun Rack – But y’see the era of emo you’re talking about is itself a descendant of a different era with different bands that were also described as emo (the likes of Rites Of Spring, Embrace, Indian Summer, Moss Icon), I’m uncomfortable with the idea that it gets ‘watered down’ everytime the term gets re-interpreted. Aspects of the sound change, sure, and you might find those changes disagreeable, but I would argue that there’s always a direct correlation to what has come before and what it is now, even though emo has moved more and more towards pop (harsh edges smoothed over, catchiness and earnestness emphasized), any rock elements have distinct punk (or rather hardcore) overtones. That is, I would argue this line further if I wasn’t completely knackered from work right now.
Anyway, the only thing I have to say about Paramore is that some of their songs manage to capture a certain feeling that I got from listening to early Funeral For A Friend or Texas Is The Reason or Mineral. And I always feel somewhat positive about them because they have a female lead singer which is a precious commodity in the actually quite sexist realm of emo (no matter what era [by that i mean the lyrics of a typical emo band usually go along the lines of "she did this, she did that, I am hurt, the bitch, angst angst angst, it's all her fault" where's the sense of perspective? It's all blame and no self-evaluation, shifting the blame onto one person, etc]). But having said that, I don’t own any Paramore albums.
Simon,
That last bit made me chuckle. Perhaps I was a bit harsh…..no I wasn’t its done nothing for me whatsoever. However maybe I am a closet sexist…just written some words on FFAF to appear some time soon and tey get away quite lightly.
Maybe we should run an article as to your guide to the genres a-z, I think EMO was/is just a turn of phrase dreamed up by some bored music journo that got accepted into mainstream culture/language. I’m off to Wiki it now because remember kids the interweb never lies.
I think that’s where all genre names come from, duder. I wasn’t saying the review was sexist, I was saying the musical culture it grew from, and into, is. I have no problem whatsoever with the review.
I didn’t mean to imply that anyone who doesn’t like Paramore is sexist.
You’ve got me bang to rights on that Mr. Gurney :)
I think I just need to let the term go. I’m not a fan of labels as a whole anyway, so I don’t know why I’m kicking up such a fuss. And I also don’t need to listen to Paramore. It’s not like anyone is making me… yet. So that’s settled, we can move on with our lives.
Rites of Spring were immense.