Paramore - Riot! Review
Contents |
General Information
Original Author: Duncan
Artist: Paramore
Album: Riot!
Year: 2007
Record Label: Fueled By Ramen
Genre: Pop/Punk/Rock
Track Listing
1. For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic
2. That's What You Get
3. Hallelujah
4. Misery Business
5. When It Rains
6. Let The Flames Begin
7. Miracle
8. Crushcrushcrush
9. We Are Broken
10. Fences
11. Born For This
What ever happened to just writing good, catchy songs? So many bands these days get caught up with trying to for fill some sort of image and end up releasing songs similar to a number of different bands. Then came Paramore. My friend bragged on for ages about this band and long ago lent me this CD. It has sat at my desk for months. The reason for this being, Paramore's last album was incredibly hit and miss with me and I was sceptical about this one. Anyway I've finally got round to giving it a good few listens and I'm pleasantly surprised.
Sound
9
No complaints here really. All instruments are mixed well, and the quality never falters. The bass is slightly non-existent but this does little to put me off. This album though is all about the vocals.
Guitar/Bass Work
7
There's nothing amazingly technical in any of their songs, which scores them down slightly. But at the same time you must remember, they aren't trying to be a technical band. Never the less the guitar work is still solid, and coupled with the vocals creates some killer songs. There are the odd few solos in some of the songs, a lot of which are pretty basic, so nothing to really get excited about.
Lyrics/Vocals
10
I knew Hayley Williams could sing, but my god. She has such a range, which she demonstrates well in many songs. Paramore are all about the singing. The vocal melodies and lyrics are incredibly catchy and will have you hooked for quite some time. Lyrics wise, there are some good lines, such as 'I'm not so naive, my sorry eyes can see' from For A Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic as well as a few others. Apart from that the lyrics aren't really incredible, but are in no way bad. The lyrics aren't tackling world issues or really provoking deep inner thought, but can still have you singing a long and enjoying yourself. The lyrics I would say would be around a 7 out of 10, but this section will still get a 10 merely for Hayley's vocal abilities.
Overall Impression
8
This really is a great album. A band that has gone back to the basics and created simple yet catchy songs that you should enjoy. Riot! shows how much the band has improved since their last album. This CD has at least 6 really great songs, and the rest aren't bad either. Songs vary from the upbeat Misery Business to the slower We Are Broken. Highlights on the album vary from Hallelujah, which will have you singing along, through to other tracks such as Born For This, Crushcrushcrush and That's What You Get. If you are a fan on female vocals and pop in general I strongly recommend you get this album, or at least listen to it. I never really thought I would enjoy this but I was wrong. I hope you will all feel the same way.
If you want to check out some of the songs just head over to youtube where there are various singles. You can also drool over Hayley Williams herself!
