Paramore
Talent shows are held all over the country. But it seems they particularly resonate in the South. There are kids who are run through the talent show mill from the time they are able to walk, talk, sing, dance or act. Some talent show teens have spent more time on stage than veteran Rock stars. The lucky ones might end up in broadcasting, fronting a covers band or making a run at American Idol. Usually though, the ribbons, trophies and newspaper clippings are stuffed in a closet when the "real world" of jobs, rent, food and credit card bills takes over. It's rare that a talent show queen ends up fronting a Rock group.
Hayley Williams was raised in Meridian, Mississippi, where her talent show experience led to commercials. And that might have been the end of it. But the Williams family relocated to Franklin, Tennessee. Moving is always a traumatic, life altering experience, especially for a thirteen year old girl. But it was even more so for Williams, since it was in Franklin she came across Josh and Zac Farro. The brothers played guitar and drums respectively, and invited Williams to join their effort.
Seeing Paramore perform only once, Fueled By Ramen's head honcho, John Janick, decided to sign the group. He shipped them down to Orlando, closer to Fueled By Ramen's headquarters. The group also picked up bassist John Hembree. He'd stepped in for Jeremy Davis who had left for "personal reasons." But after five months, Paramore asked Davis to return - which he did. Also, Hunter Lamb took over from the band's original second guitarist.
Debut album "All We Know Is Falling" arrived in '06. Having appeared on The Fueled By Ramen & Friends Tour and Taste of Choas, Paramore graced the '06 Vans Warped Tour.
Paramore recorded their sophomore effort "Riot!" between January and March, '07. But they did it with out Lamb. He left the band shortly after getting married leaving (Josh) Farro to record both the lead and rhythm parts. However, Taylor York, who had worked with the Farro brothers prior to Paramore, was brought onboard.
"Riot!" was chosen as the title because it meant "a sudden outburst of uncontrolled emotion" and that, according to the band, summed it up. The album entered the Billboard 200 cracking (just barely) the Top 20. Then Paramore took another spin, their third, on the Warped Tour.
Paramore wrapped up a pretty successful year with a performance on MTV's New Year's Eve. A couple months later, Alternative Press named them the "Best Band of 2007" and the group received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist - they lost to Amy Winehouse (who has needed rehab ever since). In November, '08, following an extensive tour of the same name,"The Final Riot!," a live set arrived.
Around the same time, Paramore issued the Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Avril Lavigne) produced single "Decode." That song and "I Caught Myself" appeared on the hugely popular "Twilight" soundtrack.
Cavallo returned to produce Paramore's third studio album, "brand new eyes." The lead single from the '09 release, "Ignorance," made its debut in July - the accompanying video was broadcast on all MTV platforms a month later.
Paramore did very well at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. Beating out the likes of Green Day, the group picked up the Choice Music: Rock Group and Choice Music: Rock Track ("Decode") trophies. Gotta love that "Twilight" connection!
Paramore plays engaging, accessible pop-Rock. The guitars spurt and churn as they roll through catchy riffs. For her part, Williams, with help from the Farro brothers, finds the lyrical passion and glazes it with a slight pop sheen. On "All We Know Is Falling," Paramore presents a strong set of songs leading off with "All We Know." That song is followed by a pair of good Rockers, "Pressure" and "Emergency;" the latter features male/female vocal trade-offs.
The songs are lean and to the point. "Here We Go Again" is about as majestic as Paramore gets, and even then they don't get pretentious or overblown. Lyrically, Paramore is topical and straight-ahead. "Never Let This Go" has the line "I don't feel like I know you." The usual girl/boy stuff. But Williams, by virtue of her age (still a teen) and gender, gives her vocals a top-of-mind urgency.
"Riot!" isn't riotous but it is a kick-ass Rock album. Veering between Punk and Metal, Paramore drives hard into their melodic hook laden songs. There's plenty of drama but surprisingly it doesn't dissipate the energy.
"For A Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic," and "When It Rains" shows Paramore at their most open, airy and unguarded. But those are exceptions. More often, the band is a muscular platform for Williams. She spits out the lyrics on the laser focused "Misery Business," then the band leans Metal with double-tracked vocals on stellar "Crushcrushcrush."
"Decode," a power ballad of sorts, and "I Caught Myself" are easily the best songs on the "Twilight" soundtrack.
Williams' plaintive vocals and the band's melodic drive are the keys to "brand new eyes," which is hardly "brand new" but is still exceptional. "Careful" rips and "Playing God" features the band's alluring mix of pop and Rock. "All I Wanted," a romantic power ballad ("all I wanted was you"), is a good one at that. 'The Only Exception," with an acoustic guitar and strings, actually connects. Unfortunately, Paramore goes to the ballad well once too often with "Misguided Ghosts." Though they usually do ballads fairly well (thank you Ms. Williams), it's really not where their strength lies.
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