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Rating: "Brand New Eyes" is the third studio album from the band that has been dividing critics worldwide recently. We're talking about the American group Paramore, fronted by the fiery-haired Hayley Williams, who, after the international success of "Riot!" (2007), has firmly established herself among the idol bands of teenagers, even though their fame in Italy is still light-years away from the more acclaimed Tokio Hotel or Avril Lavigne. This is no coincidence, because Paramore have proven to be significantly superior in quality compared to the aforementioned, and it is known that, in recent years, artistic capabilities and popularity often travel on opposite tracks (see also Jonas Brothers, Marco Carta, Dari, and Finley). It's up to Paramore to disprove the equation "great success among teens = lack of musical ability."
Let me tell you right away that they have succeeded magnificently. At the risk of losing much of the popularity gained so far with singles and videos appealing to this type of audience, the band leaves behind the catchy sounds that defined the previous work, to give birth to what is perhaps their best work, but certainly the most mature. I say "perhaps" because, aside from "Riot!" on which I have already expressed myself, it's worth noting that Paramore had already showcased their talents brilliantly in 2005 with their debut album "All We Know is Falling," which surprised the few who listened to it for both the tremendous vocal, compositional, and interpretative skills of a then 17-year-old Hayley, and for the never banal or inappropriate melodies. However, everything was still quite raw and entirely focused on the profound emotional depth of the very young vocalist who was beginning to feel the pressures of life and the wounds of a heart ready to burst.
"Brand New Eyes" reprises the good elements we were already given, presenting them from a new perspective, with new eyes indeed. The new approach to life is evident right from "Careful" and "Ignorance," two songs with a heavy rock sound. The girl once powerless against life's difficulties has grown up and become stronger, to the point of wanting to counterattack ("the truth never set me free so, I'll do it myself"). A completely new mindset that finds no time for regrets ("Feeling Sorry") and shows how the singer has learned to avoid falling into life's traps. In this new perspective, love also seems not to be just a source of suffering. "The Only Exception" is an enchanting ballad, leaving one still and in awe, confronting words as simple as they are profoundly effective ("I promised I'd never sing of love if it does not exist, but you are the only exception"), sung with a genuine and spontaneous sweetness that doesn't need to be shouted: the phrase that gives the song its title is almost whispered endlessly without ever becoming tiresome. The maturation is complete, as is evident in the surprising melodies that play on the contrast between the verses and the chorus. "Where the Lines Overlap" is an anthem to the joy of living ("no one is as lucky as us," "I've never been happier"), although melodically it doesn't add anything new.
The album closes with two beautiful pieces, this time very melancholic, as if to contradict everything said so far. "Misguided Ghosts" is an acoustic song that, with a beautiful arpeggio, brings us back to the feeling of disorientation and loneliness of the early Paramore, still disheartened by how everything must eventually come to an end ("and we just go in circles"). "All I Wanted" is the cherry on top, a midway between the melancholy of the previous track and the unique sweetness of "The Only Exception." Hayley's voice and performance make the difference here: the beginning is slow but grows in intensity, culminating with a desperate scream emanating from an unknown universe—perhaps from heaven.
It is evident that Paramore are not just a teen phenomenon as is often assumed, but after all, they had not done much to prove otherwise. "Riot!" was an album aimed at the mainstream that, apart from a few tracks, had little to say, but yes, even the most acclaimed artists do not always manage to deliver their best. With "Brand New Eyes," Paramore have found their way back to music with a capital "M", the kind that comes from the soul, not from the wallet.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Playing God (03:02)
I can't make my own decisions
Or make my own precision
Well maybe you should tie up
So I don't go where youdont want me
You say that I've been changeing
That I'm not jusy ageing
Well how could that be logical?
Just keep on craming ideas down my
thorat
Whoah
You don't have to believe me
But the way I ,way i see it
Next time you point a finger I might have
to bend it back
And break it, break it off
Next time you point a finger I'll piont you to
the mirror
If Gods the game you're playing
Well we must get more aquainted
Because it has to be so lonely to be the
only one who 's holy
It's just my humble opinion but it's one that
I believe in
You don't deserve a point of view
If the only thing you see is you
Woah
You don't have to believe me
But the way I,way I see it
Next time you point a finger I migt have
to bend it back
Or break it,break it off
Next time you point a finger I'll point you to
the mirror
This is the last second chance
(ill point you to the mirror)
imhalf as good as it gets
(ill point you to the mirror)
I'm on both sides of the fence
(ill point you to the mirror)
Without a hint of regret I'll hold you it
I know you won't believe me
But the way I, way I see it
Next time you point a finger I migt have
to bend it back
Or break it, break it off
Next time you point a finger I'll point you t
the mirror
04 Brick by Boring Brick (04:13)
She lives in a fairy tale
Somewhere too far for us to find
Forgotten the taste and smell
Of the world that she's left behind
It's all about the exposure the lens I told her
The angles were all wrong now
She's ripping wings off of butterflies
keep your feet on the ground
when your head's in the clouds
Well go get your shovel
And we'll dig a deep hole
To bury the castle, bury the castle
Well go get your shovel
And we'll dig a deep hole
To bury the castle; bury the castle
Ba da ba ba da ba ba da
So one day he found her crying
Coiled up on the dirty ground
Her prince finally came to save her
And the rest you can figure out
But it was a trick
And the clock struck 12
Well make sure to build your house brick by boring brick
or the wolves gonna blow it down
keep your feet on the ground
when your head's in the clouds
Well go get your shovel
And we'll dig a deep hole
To bury the castle, bury the castle
Well you built up a world of magic
Because your real life is tragic
Yeah you built up a world of magic
If it's not real
You can't hold it in your hand
You can't feel it with your heart
And I won't believe it
But if it's true
You can see it with your eyes
Or even in the dark
And that's where I want to be, yeah
Go get your shovel
We'll dig a deep hole
To bury the castle, bury the castle
Well go get your shovel
and we'll dig a deep hole
To bury the castle, bury the castle
Guys x2:
ba da ba ba da da ba da......
Hayley x2:
ba da ba ba da ba ba da.....
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