Trace("Hello World");

thanks to an internet leak i've been listening to Paramore's new album "Brand New Eyes" for the past week and i'm still trying to decide what I feel about it (if anything at all.)

The album is out to the public today.

(i like the cover art...a lot)

Now I've been an avid fan of Paramore all the way back to the days of "All We Know Is Falling" when female lead singers of pop-punk bands were not THAT common....and before the disney triad of tween-rock evil had formed (cyrus, gomez, lavato)....so i've been looking forward to this release for a while now.

Hayley really pushed this female pop-punk movement forward....i would probably go as far as to say she lead it. And the one thing that has remained true though all the MTV fame, the Warped Tours, and the unfortunate Twilight Soundtrack sell-out....she can rock. she always has and always will. no matter what the song...

....that being said. i'm kinda unmoved by this album. Now, i might just need to listen to it some more. Spin gave this album pretty glowing reviews, but I've yet to hear what they are hearing. To me the melodies seems repetative and old which unfortunatley overshadow the more "adult" lyrics and thoughts they put into it.

Paramore has a very unique/well defined/amazing sound, but they seem scared to try to stray away from it....at all. I do give them props for the slower ballads on this album, with "The Only Exception" and "Misguided Ghosts" coming in as 2 of my favorite tracks. The single being releases is "Ignorence" --- which is growing on me. The opening riffs were so similar to "Misery Business" that i actually hit skip because i thought it was "Misery Business"....but the song eventually finds its own melody and then is able to become a good song.

"Careful" is my favorite track.....hayley belts out "You can't be too careful anymore...." and maybe that is irony of this album. Personally i think that this album is just a little too careful. Definitly enjoyable and worth listening too, but....it sounds too.....perfected and manufactured.

2 things i'd like to see happen.

a.) this album get re-released live acoustically. paramore has always been better live and acoustic anyways.

b.) their next album to be a little less about being careful and a little more about exploring what they could become. they have the talent for it.

Paramore - "Brand New Eyes" - 2.5/5

hayley is definitely smoking hott tho and this video is awesome....

"Use Sombody" Cover if you haven't seen it already.......awesome.

ok....so theres this new "what to do next" formula out there for indie rockers...

step 1.) go get your acoustic guitar

step 2.) start writing up-tempo folky songs about love gone wrong

step 3.) grab a high profile and famous actress to sing with you

step 4.) pretend you're singing for a different generation

mix all of this together with a plaid shirt and it somehow equasl a fairly decent album.

Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson released their album "The Break Up" on September 8th. It has already split the critics. (like any good album should) Some reviewers are praising the album, while others seem dissapointed.

But i have nothing bad to say about this album. this is the music i crave. truthful, unperfection - at it's finest. while it may not be the best display of musical "genius"....its enjoyable to listen to with meaningful lyrics that get you thinking. it sounds like the music you would sit around and listen to your friends play in your bedroom on cool fall day. the catchy beats bring a nostalgic feeling that is hard to surpress. i give scarlette johasson a high five for her effort on this project. she is not a professional singer and while it shows....it is also very clear that she has real talent, raw talent and that is sometimes the hardest thing to come by these days in the music industry.

This duo's release seems to be a follow up to widely succesful and critically aclaimed, M. Ward and Zooey Deschannel release last year. Their album Volume 1 was release under the band name of She & Him. The main difference here is that Zooey Deschannel has one of the most haungtingly beautiful voices of our generation and M.Ward is not lacking in talent either. They are well practiced and well trained - which means they have the ability to focus less on getting the songs right and focus more on putting all their emotions behind their performances.

Pete and Scarlett may be catching a lot of backlash for seeming less original, but to me this should not be the point. if a formula works, why not use....These are 2 albums i can't get enough of. I say this formula is working.

Pete Yorn & Scarlette Johansson - The Break Up   4/5

She & Him - Volume 1   4.5/5

the video for "the relator" is fabulous. it helps to have a beautiful actress to play your love interest.