Paramore’s follow-up to debut album ‘All We Know Is Falling’ has come at an ideal time. Their popularity seems to be growing by the day, and with such stunning acoustic performances by Hayley Williams (vocals) hitting youtube, it’s easy to see, and hear, why. Hayley Williams has such a powerful voice, hitting notes spot on at will, but not only that, the emotion she puts into the songs really comes across – if it wasn’t for her sensational vocal abilities, the band may well have been seen as just another teen band. But thankfully, someone did notice, and gave them a record deal. It wouldn’t be fair to not mention the rest of the band, and although the focus is somewhat inevitably on the gorgeous feisty redhead front-woman, Josh (lead guitar), Jeremy (Bass), and Zac (Drums) are just as charismatic on stage from what I’ve seen, and are obviously talented on their respective instruments. Indeed, Josh creates such instantly catchy guitar riffs that always fit perfectly with the feel of the song.
After listening to Riot! through the first time, the first striking thing is that the variety in the songs is brilliant. There are slow melodies which show off Hayley’s voice perfectly, fast up-tempo songs that are more catchy than anything you will hear in the charts, and even within these songs have variation in the tempo, notably in ‘That’s What You Get’, which is a ridiculously catchy song, and also in ‘crushcrushcrush’. Songs like ‘We Are Broken’ and ‘When It Rains’ and ‘Hallelujah’ are absolutely made for someone with a voice as spectacular as Hayley’s, both songs are so emotional and have meaning that really comes across in the song. The first single from the album, ‘Misery Business’, is a fantastic mix of pop/punk that has a typical Paramore style to it, but also has from the sound of it, personal experience. For example, “Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse!!” is rejecting the Paris Hilton’s of the world, which needs to be said quite frankly, and anyone who has seen the video will know this is the theme for the song. This goes for all the other songs as well, each is distinctive and at the same time gets a point across by using meaningful lyrics.
In complete contrast to my recent Linkin Park review, Paramore have not changed from their pop/punk roots, and fans of the original album will defiantly recognise the catchy choruses, and be singing along within minutes. In fact, anyone who doesn’t sing along to ‘That’s What You Get’ might have something wrong with them. On the downside, it is arguably a short album being only 38 minutes long, but when the songs are as varied and well crafted as they are, it doesn’t need to be longer. Living up to the utterly flawless debut album release was always going to be tough, but I think they just about manage it.
The energy, emotion and truly talented band members in Paramore are really refreshing to listen to. Whether you’re in the mood to relax or have a mosh, there’s a song to fit, and while Paramore have definitely matured since the debut album, (which shows throughout Riot! In the lyrics and song construction) they’re sound remains as it should; exciting, upbeat and above all, fun. So, while not as good as ‘All We Know Is Falling’ the album is carried by a truly magnificent vocal performance, catchy sing-along choruses, well varied tempos, and excellent guitar riffs, for me make this one of the best albums of the year.
Overall – 9/10
