Paramore, 'Brand New Eyes'

Release date: September 29, 2009
Record label: Atlantic/Fueled by Ramen
Official Web site: http://www.paramore.net/

The buzz: With a punchy, melodic sound and a cute, orange-haired frontwoman who could actually sing, Tennessee pop-punks Paramore conquered the emo-verse in 2007, selling over a million copies of their sophomore album, “Riot!” After expanding their fan base even further with two songs on the “Twilight” soundtrack and a high-profile opening slot on No Doubt’s reunion tour, Hayley Williams and the boys are poised to conquer the world with this ambitious third album.

The verdict: While not quite a great record, “Brand New Eyes” is definitely the sound of a band peaking at the right time. Producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance) is a master of turning straightforward pop-punk into stadium rock without dulling its alternative edge, and he pulls off the same trick here, making Williams’ voice and Josh Farro’s guitar lines sound huge on cathartic anthems like “Ignorance” and “Brick by Boring Brick.” Elsewhere, the quintet flaunts some newfound technical precision (the very Thrice-like opening track, “Careful”) and bolder quiet-loud dynamics (the lighter-flicking closing cut, “All I Wanted”). The album’s most striking song is “The Only Exception,” a back-handed love ballad that feels like the most sincere thing Williams has ever sung—and hints that Paramore’s best days may lie ahead.

Did you know? In recent interviews, Williams had admitted that the band nearly broke up while working on “Brand New Eyes”; the bouncy track “Looking Up” references the near-split in lyrics like, “I can’t believe we almost hung it up/We’re just getting started.”

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