Give Paramore some credit, after the dramatic exits of Josh and Zac Farro, it's a minor miracle that they were able to release their fourth album at all. Line-up changes are always hard for a band that have spent their entire careers together, especially when the absentees were the founders of the band. Occurrences like this bring back to mind Evanescence, who were propelled to super-stardom in 2003 but eventually suffered the same fate as Paramore did in 2010. But there are also a few key differences between the two groups: Evanescence relied solely on front-woman Amy Lee to bring them in front of the masses, whereas Paramore is buoyed by their camaraderie. Most of Evanescence left after their debut, leaving Amy Lee to create, essentially, an entire new band. Only two members of Paramore left the band, with three still very much invested in the band. The last thing that separates the two groups is that after Evanescence fell into disarray, they never quite re-gained their footing. With the release of Paramore's eponymous fourth album, they decided to not dwell on their fallen members, and created their best album to date instead.
However, if you thought they were going to completely change their sound to adjust to their new line-up, there's good news. The album's first two tracks, the excellent "Fast in my Car" and the urgent, pushing "Now" retain Hayley Williams' signature spunk while offering big, catchy choruses to both the punks and punks-at-heart. The third track, "Grow Up" is an electro-influenced new wave track that is definitely more geared towards pop audiences, but they don't abandon their sound. Everybody was gearing towards a more electronic approach in 2013, due mostly to the EDM artists such as Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia, but Paramore is a band, not a brand, they're not going to sink to music so obvious and forgettable. No, the hooks are indelible, the interludes are excellent and ukulele-laden, and the music is just as rainbow-dappled as the album cover suggests. What's equally as impressive is that they've not only created the best album of their careers, but have somehow made a record that gets better with age. The hooks are present, yet slow-burning, so a couple spins are required in order to know the lay of the land. Even better, is that the starting tracks are the album's lowest point (in this case, the low point is still, very, very high), and the album actually gets better as it progresses, leading to the seven minute long "Future" (which features a four minute coda, one that's both fitting in context with the song and the album). And there are many impressive moments to be had along the way, such as the soulful "Ain't it fun" and the enthralling kiss-off "Anklebiters". But, what's best about "Paramore" is that it contains both their signature style and it accepts more modern trends, without ever conforming to vapid, breezy pop. They have already crafted one of 2013's best albums, one that reaffirms Hayley Williams' charisma and it contains everything that has defined Paramore's career, all wrapped up into seventeen tracks.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Fast
in my Car 2. Now 3. Grow Up
4. Daydreaming 5. Moving On 6. Ain’t it fun?
7. Part II 8. Last Hope 9. Still into you
10. Anklebiters 11. Holiday 12. Proof
13. Hate
to See Your Heart Break 14.
(One of those) Crazy Girls
15. I’m Not Angry Anymore 16. Be Alone 17.
Future
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