First Impressions - brand new eyes

[travel_hymn]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAY.

 

[jchurch004]

Okay, this is more wordy than I had planned...

 

I don't have a favorite yet cause I've only listened to it once through (and yes, I opened the box set like a 5-year-old on Christmas and showed all the contents to my grandma... shut up!), but for once, I can actually hear the band's influences. They've always named influences like Jimmy Eat World, Death Cab, John Mayer, etc, but the first two albums were either too raw or too poppy, and I always knew those were the bands that inspired them, but I could never hear it. Now I do, and to me, this represents them for exactly who they are. Don't get me wrong... AWKIF and Riot! are great albums too, but brand new eyes (cause that's how it's supposed to be stylized) just feels more like I understand them as people now.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by "Playing God," which I thought, based on other people's reviews, was going to be a huge disappointment. Everybody saw those harsh lyrics and expected it to be really loud and angry. Yes, it's about frustration, but it's more confused frustration like Hayley honestly just doesn't understand what's going on. In that case, the music fits a lot better. As soon as I got through the first verse, I literally said, "Oh! I get it!" I really liked this one.

 

Others that really stood out to me: All I Wanted, Misguided Ghosts, Careful, and Turn It Off. Brick By Boring Brick is still among my favorites too. I just remember reading some of the lyrics when Hayley wasn't sure what she thought about them and showed them to a few of us in the fan club chat one night and liking the concept but not getting how it would make sense musically. Then when they played it at Unplugged in June, everything clicked, and I've loved it ever since.

 

Overall, I'm very pleased with the album.

 

 

all the same favorites as me. well put

[Riot!Girlx]

arghh i got mine today i looovee it the only exception and misguided ghosts in particular are beautiful

[Emzy]

i got my boxset today and i love it. amazing album, i really just can't turn it off. see what i did there? ha!

[kwik-silva]

Well I think I might be one of the only exceptions

[Emzy]

Well I think I might be one of the only exceptions

 

All I wanted was for this album to be as good as RIOT!

 

LOL :hyper:

[Riot!Girlx]

i'm feeling sorry for you guys right now, cause this is kinda lame

[Emzy]

i'm feeling sorry for you guys right now, cause this is kinda lame

 

you better be careful or you might start a riot! lmfao!!

[Riot!Girlx]

^lmao well you should stop building this conversation up brick by boring brick haha.

[kwik-silva]

All I wanted was for this album to be as good as RIOT!

 

LOL :hyper:

 

Careful, I think it's too early to judge that

[Wiking]

I haven't listened to it long enough to give it a decent review, BUT the song Playing God sounds exactly like it was a Jimmy Eat World song, especially the chorus.

 

There's also something familiar about the beginning of Where The Lines Overlap. I have heard that melody from another song, or at least something close to it, but can't remember which.

[k4rma]

When I was listening to looking up, I was like "WTF?" at the end! I don't want to spoil it for people who haven't heard it yet, but I thought it was crazy cool!

[travel_hymn]

When I was listening to looking up, I was like "WTF?" at the end! I don't want to spoil it for people who haven't heard it yet, but I thought it was crazy cool!

 

agreed.

 

So I'm gonna make it final now

 

Careful/Playing God/BBBB/Looking Up

 

<3

[MizBiz27]

This is weird, coming from me who loves anything that's heavy, but "Misguided Ghosts" is my favourite song off the album. It may be because it's reminding me of a current moment in my life, but I just love this song so much.

[Stephbob]

i really like playing god, i dunno why but that song made quite a big impression...?

and turn it off is pretty awesome.

but i haven't listene to the album enough to give the bet ones.

[kwik-silva]

I'm really bored, so I thought I might make a little 'track-by-track'.

 

Careful - Excellent riff, really love the melody as well, there are bits where Hayley just doesn't sound like herself though. Bass drum sounds a bit weird in the middle 8. It should sound... fuller? - 9/10

 

Ignorance - Lively, upbeat - Classic Paramore. I love how the song slowly builds up as it progresses towards the chorus. Nice lyrical content as well unlike song no. 3. Kind of drags on a bit, after the first or second listen, it feels like it should be cut by a minute - 8/10

 

Playing God - Don't understand how this got on the album. It's not aggressive as described in other reviews, the lyrics are pretty poor imo as well. The chorus is the worst part too, "next time you point a finger I might have to bend it back and break it off", what the hell? That's not lyrics for a high class song, and it sounds like they're trying to be generic pop music. In fact I find it hard to properly listen to it all the way through. - 3/10

 

Brick By Boring Brick - Poor lyrics again if I'm honest, but they're masked by the melody and the whole feel of the song. Again one of the more 'upbeat' songs. Okay, I take back my first statement, if you actually try listening to the lyrics rather than the melody they actually get really annoying - 7/10

 

Turn It Off - Not sure what it is, but the intro sounds like another song, or it doesn't sound right... Not sure which one. The word setting at the beginning doesn't sound right at all, especially "all my selfish thoughts" - it sounds completely rushed. As great as Hayley sounds in the chorus, it doesn't really elevate the song to anything remotely better than average - 5/10

 

The Only Exception - Again, it has a feel of another song, can't put my finger on it.. but the song sounds so.... pure! Hayley sounds fantastic, and the lyrics are beautiful. The chorus almost suffers from the same 'generic pop music' but somehow I feel it's got away with it. - 7/10

 

Feeling Sorry - I feeeeeeeeeeel, that the chorus lets the song down, the verses sound great, but the chorus doesn't really have the right feel for what it's trying to convey. Having said that I really do like it, very catchy. - 7/10

 

Looking Up - Very good song, everything fits together nicely, and the lyrics are good enough to carry the song through, middle 8 makes the song... No the album, it's simply awesome. Not sure if the little coda is needed on the end though... - 8/10

 

Where The Lines Overlap - Easily the best song on the album, it just makes you want to jump around. Josh's harmonies throughout the verse are great too, another great middle 8 too! Middle 8's are obviously Paramore's speciality, they make you want to sing... I sing through it all but y'know! - 9.5/10

 

Misguided Ghosts - Should really be a Laura Marling song, really want to know Taylor's influence on the more acoustic tracks as he co-wrote this one and Playing God. Anyway, it's a beautiful song, and the instrumentation is perfect too. Could listen to this all day - 9/10

 

All I Wanted - Sounds like Hayley's old demos. In no way is that a bad thing, but it kind of conflicts with the idea of the 'matureness' of the record. I think it's in the wrong position on the album though, I think it would've been a lot better in the middle, or even if it just swapped places with Misguided Ghosts - 9/10

 

Overall - The albums seems to be pretty average with a couple of stand-out tracks. You could argue that most albums are like that, but with Paramore it's usually different. Normally it would be hard to pick a favourite, but yet on bne, the choice seems obvious. The 'bonus tracks' (or acoustic versions of WTLO and Ignorance) aren't even worth having if I'm honest. They take all the energy out of good songs. My other issue with it is that the album doesn't really seem to have any real 'flow'. It seems very Start stop. An album should move from one track to the next seamlessly, which doesn't seem to happen - 7/10

[Catie]

careful is still my favorite

 

PLEASE play on the BNE tour!

[travel_hymn]

I decided I'd do this too.

 

Track by track review:

 

Careful- Best on the album, by far. I'm obsessed with this track. The introduction, the middle, the end. The meaning, the lyrics, the aggression. Everything about it is perfect, and will most likely be the opener for their tour. It is deep and IN YOUR FACE, and does what For a Pessimist previously did for RIOT! Hayley's vocals are also perfect....'moooooore, more, mooooore!' Oh and I love, LOVE the drums. GO ZACHARY! - 10/10

 

Ignorance - This has Paramore written all over it. Nice way to promote the album, it's catchy and once more the drums, especially towards the end, are brutal. Hayley's bluntness with her aggressive vocals and lyrics, much like in Careful, make this a strong track. 'Well it's nice to meet you Sir, I guess I'll go, I best be on my way out!' - 8.5/10

 

Playing God - It's a good track, really. The lyrics are simple and I was hoping they'd be deeper and more emotional like in Careful and Ignorance, considering the meaning of it. It doesn't kick in until the end for me, but because of this I'll be listening to it over and over again. "This is the last second chance/I'll point you to the mirror." I have to agree that this is eh, "Next time you point a finger I might have to bend it back and break it, break it off." It seems redundant. I also would have liked to hear more from Josh than just 'I'll point you to the mirror' repeated. It's like, I want more interaction between Josh and Hayley. It would have made the album that much better and helped us understand the meaning of brand new eyes. :/ However, it's smooth, catchy and I enjoy it tbh, and one that I don't skip over...So here you go. - 7/10

 

Brick by Boring Brick - HOW COULD YOU NOT LIKE THIS TRACK? Right up there with Careful. Hayley makes it obvious what the song is about. Someone's stuck in their fairytale world and they need to wake up. I love how it's sung, and the melody is just great, I have not much else to say. The chorus is the only thing that's lacking but it doesn't matter considering it's basically hitting the meaning of the song and everything else in the song makes up for it. And if it wasn't for the 'ba da ba ba da ba ba' at the end, it wouldn't have been as enjoyable. It's great to hear the guys in this, even if it's that one phrase. But it's ended perfectly. - 9/10

 

Turn it Off - Stronger song than Playing God although I like it more than this, for God (no pun intended here...) knows what reason. Thing is, something about this song just makes me go eh. It only kicks in when Hayley starts the "AGAAAAIIIIIIIIN" which makes me go whoa! That and the rest of the song from that point onwards sounds good. But I don't like it as much....I'm sorry Hayley Although I appreciate the meaning of this, I just think it could have been said/played differently to make it a stronger song overall? Eh. - 6/10

 

The Only Exception - It's beautiful because of the lyrics and Hayley's vocals, but that's it. I dunno, it's like, more poppy and kind of cheesy? Eh. It's a bit much for me...I skip over this. Better than We Are Broken, but I don't like it much. Sorry. I mean, I guess if you were in a relationship and you were in love you'd like this song but it's still boring. - 4/10

 

Feeling Sorry - It's good and I enjoy it but it doesn't stand out so much for me....I don't know what to say because I actually enjoy Playing God more than this to be honest. I agree with Matt in that the chorus is weak. 6.5/10

 

Looking Up - Yum yum. Go Paramore <3 I LOVE THIS. It's amazing and full of energy. A great song to play live. The ending just kills it, damn! We can all agree that the 'woah oh oh oh, woah oh oh oh' is great. "God knows the world doesn't need another band, woah oh oh oh, woah oh oh oh, but what a waste it would have been, woah oh oh oh, woah oh oh oh." This is like, the meaning of the album right here, "I can't believe we almost hung it up, we're just getting started!" More songs like this and Careful plz! - 8/10

 

Where the Lines Overlap - Do I even have to say anything? IT'S AMAZING. I'm so glad to hear Josh. It makes it that much better. XD. Go home if you disagree, ehhh. - 9.5/10

 

Misguided Ghosts - Oh, I do love the meaning of this song. I do. Better than The Only Exception but it doesn't stick out for me so much. I dunno, I tend to skip over this one...Maybe I'll have to listen to it more? I think it's average. - 5/10

 

All I Wanted - What a way to end the album eh? It does sound like old Hayley demos. Her vocals from 2:42 to 2:45 oh my! It freaks me out. The sound of this reminds me of another song or band, I dunno why. Hahaha. I do like it and need to listen to it more. - 8/10

 

 

And the acoustics are awesome....especially Where the Lines Overlap. It's great. YOU CAN'T NOT LISTEN TO THAT ONE!

[Catie]

well i did also except playing god to be more aggressive but i still think it's awesome!

[travel_hymn]

Yeah that's why I didn't give it a 3/10 ;]

 

PSSSH UNLIKE SOMEONE.

[kwik-silva]

It's crap, 'nuf said

[ironwolfuk]

lol, suprised to see "Feeling Sorry" getting quite low ratings (well low compared to rest of songs) from people.. I really like it. Had the CD now on loop pretty much all weekend (sad eh??) but think overall its a very good CD, still dont like it as much as AWKIF (which only has 1 bad song on it .. brighter) and dont think its as catchy as Riot, but i think the songs show growth and are individually better tracks than most on other CD's.

 

Is it just me though or does it not feel as personal as other 2 CD's?? Hopefully people will get this cause i dont want to write half a page explainning what i mean (but will if people want me to )

 

Good CD, will purchase with a smile on my face on Monday.. good week for CD's.. got Hatebreeds new one on Thursday, and only just bought Megadeths new one.. probably both their best yet too!

[Harry]

I haven't listened to it long enough to give it a decent review, BUT the song Playing God sounds exactly like it was a Jimmy Eat World song, especially the chorus.

 

There's also something familiar about the beginning of Where The Lines Overlap. I have heard that melody from another song, or at least something close to it, but can't remember which.

 

Well in all fairness in the world of 4/4 time signature rock and roll, there is probably thousands of songs that have melodies that are virtually the same as other songs.

Doesn't have help you've only got 12 notes in Western music either and only so many chord progressions before we find we are using the same ones as artists that have become before us:wink:

I've got plenty of stuff on on my iTunes list which is extremely out there (avant garde, various extreme metal bands, jazz fusion, contemporary classical etc) and sometimes quite innovative and pushing the boundaries of music too.

Probably the only thing I've found boundary pushing is the audio engineering aspect of the production of this album (BNE and Riot!) and nothing really that different in the actual musical realm of things.

So ultimately I just take it for what it is, which IMHO is some amazing well written, super catchy, very addictive and ultimately very emotional music.

[Starlight]

I like Playing God.

 

I'd like to see it as a single.

[Ross]

My turn to play 'music critic'.

 

Careful: Good opener, got me geared up. I only ever listened to the instrumental once or twice so I didn't have this apparent problem of adjusting to hearing lyrics. Solid start, early promise. Which wasn't fulfilled until track seven onwards. 7/10

 

Ignorance: Didn't like this song when they first played it live, still don't. Pretty bored by it now, doesn't do much for me beyond a decent vocal performance towards the end. 5/10

 

Playing God: Am I the only one who actually finds this on the aggressive side? Chorus withstanding, which is considerably poppier. Not a brilliant song but not a bad one either, which is unfortunately a recurring theme. 6/10

 

Brick by Boring Brick: Don't really like this song if I'm honest as I've said a few times in various threads about it. It does nothing for me, lyrically or musically. Even the "ba-da-ba-da"'s or whatever aren't that good, particularly at the end of the song. 5/10

 

Turn it off: See Playing God. Decent song, not brilliant. 6/10

 

The Only Exception: Wasn't a fan on the first couple of plays but it's not so bad, better than the slower efforts on AWKIF and Riot! for sure. 5/10

 

Feeling Sorry: Finally, a song I like. I find everything up until this point to be on the boring side but this keeps me going. Great little number, best song so far. 8/10

 

Looking Up: And here we have my favourite song from the album. This is exactly the type of song I was hoping for from this album, so I'm glad I got at least one like this. The "woah"'s certainly were a nice touch about two minutes in. It was on a par with Feeling Sorry until about 2:50, that lifted the song above all else on the album. 9/10

 

Where the Lines Overlap: Preferred this to Ignorance when they were both played on the No Doubt tour. Still prefer it. Easily, one of the better songs on the album. 8/10

 

Misguided Ghosts: Loving the Jose Gonzales vibe from this song, Again, good song, nothing special. 7/10

 

All I Wanted: Sort of sums up my general feeling of the album. Good, not great. At least it kept me more entertained vocally and instrumentally than the first half of the album. 7/10

 

Overall, good album. Not great but not bad. May sneak its way into my top ten come the end of the year but I wouldn't count on it. 3.5/5