Thursday's Tunes of the Week...

Well, folks, it's that time again. It's time for your latest update from the music world. Can you guess what this week's subject is? CAN YA?!

That's right, kids. Paramore dropped their new EP Brand New Eyes this past Tuesday, and holy God in heaven, it's THAT good!

True to their very paramoristic soul, frontwoman Hayley Williams belts it out track after GLORIOUS track. The ONLY thing I've found to criticize is the following: out of 11 tracks, 9 are instantly in your head, making you jam, screaming their usual angry/heartbroken lyrics over kickass guitar licks. The remaining 2 tracks are a little too upbeat for my taste, discussing the almost-break up of the band, and how lucky they are to have stuck it out. I'm all set with your happy-go-lucky, appreciative tunes, especially when the rest of the album is so AMAZING. All your safe songs do is wear down the rest of the EP. BUT, I've only listened to the album three or four times now, and you'd be surprised how things can grow on you.

Here's the track list and my ratings thereof:

1) Careful. Five stars. Easily one of my favorites. With sweeping melodic hooks and inspirational lyrics including "Shifting your weight to throw off the pain, we'll you can ignore it but only for so long...". A fantastic opener to this fantastic release.

2) Ignorance. Four stars. The first radio relase of the new record, this angry homage to issues within the band is a slap in the face for the rest of the members, as well as anyone you want to associate the harsh lyrics with. "You treat me just like another stranger. Well it's nice to meet you sir, I guess I'll go, I best be on my way out. Ignorance is your new best friend." BAM! A nice, melodic SCREW YOU to anyone you see fit. A catchy song, but not the best on the album.

3) Playing God. Five stars. Yet another angst-ridden jam-fest well worth a listen. I don't even think I'm able to put a brief lyric in as my favorite, as they're all amazing. Regardless, Paramore brings it down a notch with this slower piece, but chills with the haunting melodies with this in-your-face rebuttal. "If God's the game that you're playing, then we must get more acquainted. Because it has to be so lonely to be the only one who's holy. Next time you point a finger, I might have to bend it back or break it off..." Outstanding, Hayley.

4) Brick By Boring Brick. Four stars. The band amps it up with quick guitar hooks on this speedy track. With lyrics such as "If it's not real you can't hold it in your hands, you can't feel it with your heart. But if it's true you can see it with your eyes - even in the dark..." Amazing melodies, outstanding lyrics.

5) Turn It Off. Five stars. This sweeping tribute to willpower will surely get that foot of yours tapping. One of my top 3 favorite songs off this album. "And the worst part is - before it gets any better, we're headed for a cliff. And in the freefall I will realize I'm better off when I hit the bottom..." Surely a song to pump you up when everything's crashing down on you...

6) The Only Exception. Three stars. An emotional departure from the rest of the album, this is one of the very few slow songs on the EP. An intensely personal track, Hayley explains why she shy's away from love, but can no longer. "And I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance. And up until now, I had sworn to myself that I was content with loneliness 'cause none of it was every worth the risk..." A nice change from "I frigin hate you, scumbag..."

7) Feeling Sorry. Three stars. A song from a jilted ex finally giving up, but in a very "screw you" way that only Paramore can accomplish. "I'm getting bored waiting round for you. We're not getting any younger and I won't look back 'cause there's no use..." Excellently put, Hayley.

8) Looking Up. Two stars. While the music and melodies are decent, I still can't get past the happy-go-lucky, "Aren't you glad we didn't break up?" lyrics! Prime example "I can't believe we almost hung it up, we're just getting started..." Shut up, guys. We know you're awesome. Stop singing about it. But the melodies earned it two stars, so maybe it'll grow on me.

9) Where the Lines Overlap. Two stars. Same story. "No one is as lucky as us. We're not at the end, but oh, we already won." Enough, woman!

10) Misguided Ghosts. Two stars. The only other slow song on the record. I can't quite get a handle on this one, or figure out if I'll love it eventually or just skip it everytime. The lyrics are decent, and the music is pretty enough, but it's relatively EH for me.

11) All I Wanted. Six stars. Yep. I just added a damn star for this song. Hayley really stretches those windpipes to belt out the chorus.... like impressively... like should break glass...in Japan. It's amazing. Lyrics? Oustanding. Melody? Wonderful. The song is quite possibly my favorite,... but ask me again in a week. :) "I could follow you to the beginning just to relive the start. And maybe then we'll remember to slow down at all of our favorite parts."

Overall, an AMAZING release. I was a little concerned considering how fantastic their prior albums Riot! and All We Know Is Falling were...figured they'd have to start sucking sometime, and it did take an awful long time to drop this third album. But it turns out, Paramore just did it right - regardless of pressure from the studio, or problems in the band, they weren't going to drop an album til it was worthy. Another shining example of why they're one of my top 10 favorite bands.

Why are you still reading this!? Shouldn't you be out buying the album? Or at least illegally downloading it?!

:)

J