Review #2

Paramore – Riot! (4/5)

Paramore emerged on the rock scene in 2005 with the album All We Know is Falling. The album came on the heels of losing a band member and thus the record is filled with allusions to heartache and sorrow. At the time, most of the band members were in their late teens and lead singer Hayley Williams had just turned 17.
The band built a loyal fan base through touring and Warped Tour. The first album had sold in excess of 300,000 copies by the time they released “Riot!” in 2007. The record is riddled with pop rock tunes of love, defiance, and simple rebelliousness. However, Paramore is an act that is far distant from Avril and her group of wannabes. The shear amount of catchy hooks, captivating guitar flourishes, and angelic tones is a prize difficult to discern on any record with songs about skater boys and stupid girlfriends.
Riot! begins with the title “For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic” which harkens back to “Emergency” in attitude with a little vengeance. “That’s What You Get” is the first love song on the record and purely does not disappoint. The tunes cry of “That’s what you get, when you let your heart win” is a testament the band’s ability to write fairly straightforward material in a manner which somehow grabs you by the ears and screams “Listen to me as you float away peacefully….”. Fan favorite “Hallelujah” keeps Paramore’s aptitude to produce great hooks before moving on to the anthemic “Misery Business”. The song outshines nearly the whole record in an effective rock n’ roll style. The next few songs are great especially the song “Miracle!” which almost personifies Riot! itself if there wasn’t for another song coming up.
“Crushcrushcrush” is a brilliant, sexy melody which bursts on to the scene so infectiously it is nearly impossible to listen to it and move onto track nine without listening one more time. “We Are Broken” breaks the mood with a softer, gentler note that somehow does not misstep.
The carnival air of “Fences” nearly halts one in their tracks with the realization that this sounds like an outtake from My Chemical Romance’s “The Black Parade” with slightly higher pitched vocals. If any track on the record was built for dancing it is the rollicking memo named “Fences”.
“Born For This” ends the record with the embodiment of the record’s namesake. “Born For This” pleads sing with me which is what one inevitably finds themselves doing (everybody sing, like it’s the last song you will ever sing). Beyond that, it is just witty with a reference to an older Paramore track. But you can find out which one for yourself when you check out the album.

Recommended Tracks: “For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic”, “Misery Business”, “Crushcrushcrush”, “Fences”, “Born for This”