Jammer

Dear people on PF, Sorry that I've been away for so damn long, there really should have been no excuse for seemingly falling off the edge of the earth. But I assure you that I'll try not to let things slip so badly this time. James

So I got this the day it came out and I have to say I am loving it so far. The general sound of the band has really evolved since Brand New Eyes- it's got less of a scrappier feel than Riot! and AWKIF had, and it has a slightly less polished sound that Brand New Eyes had, but still all that time they spent on making the album definitely wasn't wasted- the songwriting's a lot more mature and varied, and the song arrangements are a lot tighter- you've got the more rock tracks like 'Fast in My Car', 'Now' and 'Anklebiters', and also the more classic emotional tracks like 'Part II' and 'Future'. It really is a full package. And the fact that the album's gone #1 in 8 different countries shows I'm not the only one who loves it!

Happy late birthday Rachel! Hope you had a good one. xxx

Curses! I seem to have misplaced my red wig.

^ Haha. Seriously, I wonder if it's considered treason to fancy a princess-in-waiting.

So...Monday I'll be at the funeral of one of our neighbours who passed away last week. It was cancer, and after two odd years of all types of chaemotherapy and tests and everything in between, it still wasn't enough. Her daughter happens to be a good friend of mine for the last 12 years: we were in the same year at school, and at a time when I was going through a living hell she was one of the few people who was genuinely kind to me throughout, she has the nicest personality ever- and now she's lost her mother that's all been shattered. The night I saw her after the event it just broke my heart, seeing her in such a state. It just feels so unfair sometimes. With this and my brother's passing a year and a half ago, why is it all the good people are taken? You see it every day in the media- the world is so full of murderers and cheats and everything in between, and yet its always those who've said nothing bad about any other person are the ones who are taken first. The ones who still had a lot ahead of them. Like one of my work colleagues said, "life's a bitch".

Frankly Kailey, I doubt many people would complain about the gratuitous nature of those pics.

Yeah, I agree with Chriss about where the two guys were talking...those parts in general really. So much ass-kissing going on. I enjoyed it on the whole, some interesting parts in there, felt that the hype MTV piled on in general was just ridiculous.

Merry Christmas everyone. I just got some new shirts and other clothes, a new game for my PS3, new controller for PS3, some sweets, new pair of slippers, and the Paramore 2011 calender. I think its pretty cool that it's got the birthdays for the band members marked on it. Just had a quiet day in today, and in the next few days before I go back to work I'll be meeting up with some old friends and catching up on what's been happening with them.

Wow. It's safe to say I never saw this coming. Some pretty heavy stuff being going on these last few days, and close to Christmas too: lot of emotions running high. In the end, there's two sides to each story. And I was hopeful that both sides would have remained friendly after this whole thing, but after this post from Josh...I'm not so sure. It'd be a damned shame if they all fell out in the ugliest way possible. As some people say, the music industry isn't as golden as some may say: of course there's a lot of crap going on behind the deals and the gold/platinum discs and the millions of record sales, but whatever happened with Paramore in the past that's in the past. I still love the music, it still means a lot to me, and like Jono suggested, I'm not going to just turn my back on something I love so much. We all have to stay storng people, think of all the good times we've had with Paramore in the past and near present.

OK...time to put my 2 cents out, as everyone else has. First, of course I was pretty shocked when the news first came out (though a lot of people seem to have seen it coming, I didn't, which sounds about right where I'm concerned). And based off of the original blog post, and the fact that they've all known each other for years, I'm pretty sure they can remain friends with one another, cause there'd be nothing worse than falling out with people that you've been best friends with for years (been there, done that. It wasn't a nice experience). Yes, the band's lost two of its original members. But there are bands out there who are still going even though they've been through so many line-up changes (Megadeth comes to mind), and I'm sure Paramore can keep going too, as long as they keep their drive and their passion. And I'll be enternally grateful to them as well: Brand New Eyes was possibly one of my fav albums of 2009, and since it came out not too long after my big brother passed away, I felt that it perfectly mapped out how I felt in the last year, from outright sorrow and anger, to finding the light again and learning to look towards the future with optimism. Sure, some people have suggested that them saying all their problems were solved when BNE came out being BS, but that album came out over a year ago. A lot can happen in a year, to be sure. Josh and Zac clearly didn't make this decision lightly and a lot of people are upset, but there has to be a point where you be selfish for a moment and think of your own needs. I wish them all the best for the future, not just Josh and Zac but the rest of Paramore too. And with the support of your fans, I'm sure there will be good times ahead.