Paramore - All We Know Is Falling
Record Label: Fueled By Ramen
Release Date: July 26, 2005
Ah, Paramore. You've heard their hit single "Misery Business" off their 2007 release Riot!. You've seen this band become huge among teenagers in pretty much no time. But have you heard their 2005 debut All We Know Is Falling? If the answer to that is no, then you need to.
The opening track, "All We Know," opens up almost immediately with vocalist Hayley Williams displaying her powerful vocals. Williams' vocals are the strongest part of the album, keeping the listener engaged in the music. Without her vocals, Paramore would be just another pop punk band. She is what sets them apart from the others and keeps each and every song enjoyable.
One of the more interesting tracks on the album, "Emergency," is very different from the other songs. If you listen closely enough, you can hear the faint screaming in the background, courtesy of guitarist Josh Farro. The screaming is actually done well and complements Williams' vocals. "Emergency" is one of the catchier songs on the album, making you want to sing along every time it comes on.
"Brighter," the fourth track on the album, starts with a nice guitar riff, then slows down a bit as Williams comes in. The song doesn't really get off the ground until about a minute in, making it a bit boring at the beginning. After that, it is certainly a solid track. The song, like many of Paramore's other songs, is filled with energy and is extremely catchy once it gets going.
One of my favorites on the album is "Let This Go." It's filled with emotion and is where Williams really shows off her vocals. It's an extremely enjoyable song, and you can tell they worked really hard on this one.
The worst song on the album by far is "Whoa." Between the bad lyrics and boring guitars, this song is atrocious. The chorus is awful, with lyrics like "And we've got everybody singing / whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," this song is, to put it simply, annoying. They also put this song right in between two of my favorites off of the album: "Let This Go" and "Conspiracy."
Now for the best song on the album, "My Heart." This song is nothing short of stellar. The second it starts off, the listener can easily tell it will be great based only on the guitar and drum work that opens up the track. It is so catchy, every time it comes on I wanna stand up and run around in circles due to pure joy. You can feel the emotion in Williams' voice when she sings, and it just makes the song so much better. It also features some in your face screaming, done, once again, by Farro. It's not overbearing or too throaty, and the band could not have utilized it better, as it makes Williams' vocals sound twice as good. The only real problem I have with this song are the extremely cheesy lyrics. Things like "We could sing our own but what would it be without you? / This heart, it beats, beats for only you," just make me cringe. If the lyrics were a bit more creative and not so overdramatic, the song would be even better than it already is. "My Heart" is the perfect choice to close out the album.
So, in short, don't let All We Know Is Falling pass you by. If you've never heard it, listen to it now. You will surely be surprised, as I was, at just how good it is.
Nice review, Adam. I agree with most of it. I just don't seem to have as much of a problem with My Heart's lyrics and all aspects of Whoa as you seem to.
you're a cool kid who a few people just jump on to gain indie points. keep writing. i'm not necessarily a fan of the music you're a fan of, but at least you don't care that other people don't like it.
you're a cool kid who a few people just jump on to gain indie points. keep writing. i'm not necessarily a fan of the music you're a fan of, but at least you don't care that other people don't like it.
I think you focused too much on Hayley's vocals throughout this review. While they are definitely the most prominent piece of the band as a whole, you left out any mention of the younger Farro on the drums.
Kid can hit the sticks.
Based on your review, that lyrics score seems much too high. But the review is OK for the most part; this isn't a great album, but it has some pretty solid tracks.