Paramore, brand new eyes

Rating: A+

Label: Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen

Rocks like: Fall Out… Paramore, brand new eyes

Rating: A+

Label: Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen

Rocks like: Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is…

Paramore’s third album, brand new eyes, is louder, more aggressive and absolutely delightful.

Hayley Williams is an interesting lyricist in that, while her lyrics rarely rhyme, her delivery keeps the syllables flowing together so melodically that it’s impossible not to sing along.

“Ignorance,” the album’s first single, is dark and mature. Over vicious guitars and hyperactive percussion, Williams pants, “What’s my offense this time? / You’re not a judge, but if you’re gonna judge me, well, sentence me to another life,” making for one of the most powerful moments on the album.

”Brick By Boring Brick” is uniquely structured and takes a long time to hit a groove, but the chorus is eventually infectious, and Williams’s powerful voice doesn’t overtake the music the way it has in the past.

It soon melts smoothly into the acoustic track, “The Only Exception.” Ruminative and gentle, it fits where it shouldn’t in the middle of an exceptionally chaotic record.

”Looking Up” has Paramore openly discussing its near breakup following the major success of Riot! and the extra attention on lead singer Hayley Williams, very much in the fashion of No Doubt dealing with Gwen Stefani mania. It is by far the liveliest track on the album.

“All I Wanted” is the second ballad and doubles as the closer. The musical arrangement is lazily strewn together, a perfect interweaving of dizzying guitars, hectic bass and organized percussion.

Williams lays down her best vocals on this track, fluctuating between nearly whispering, singing and screaming with chill-worthy inflections, crafting an abrupt and stunning end to the album.

It might be true that “the world doesn’t need another band” as Williams sings in “Looking Up,” but she backtracks beautifully with, “But what a waste it would have been [for them to have broken up].”

And that it would have, because if this album proves anything about Paramore, it’s that it has growth and staying power.