Paramore - 'All We Know Is Falling' (Fuelled By Ramen) Released 24/04/06

Paramore sit on the roster of Fuelled By Ramen records next to the likes of Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy. Now this information will either excite you or disgust you depending on your musical taste. If you have decided to carry on reading this then can we recommend you get your ears syringed? It will help you make better choices next time you are out shopping for CD’s.

That maybe slightly harsh on the current American Rock music scene but Paramore seem to be a derivative and stereotypical of what is coming over the Atlantic in 2006. With bands like FOB and P!ATD you get the feeling you are being manipulated but are overcome by the expensive videos, massive production and ultimately fun tunes, Paramore feel you leaving cold and used. They make you feel part of a demographic, spoken about from behind the fog of cigar smoke in the penthouse office of a major labels skyscraper.

The band are an A&R mans fantasy band. They have bucket-loads of angst healthily restrained by melody, pounding riffs to keep boys happy and a female lead singer seemingly custom built for girls to aspire to be. However, scratch at the surface of Paramore and they collapse into a pile of cliché, faux anger and pointlessness. Opening track and download only single ‘All We Know’ tells the tale of when the bands bassist quit the band, they wrote the song about him and he came back.” This isn’t what you wanted, all we know is falling down” wails Williams, you can practically hear the song now can’t you? An Avril Lavigne B-Side at best. Speaking of Miss Lavigne seems relevant; Hayley Williams’s vocals are very reminiscent of the likes of ‘Confused’ and ‘Skater Boy’ and though its not a criticism once the thought lodges itself in your brain its very hard to remove it.

The other nine tracks on the album follow the quiet verse, loud chorus line almost without fail. Forthcoming single ‘Pressure’ stands out but Paramore ultimately leave the listener frustrated and reaching for the Be Your Own Pet album to see how female punk is done properly. Paramore are for the kids who think Pink is not cool enough but My Chemical Romance are too scary, they want to rebel but they have to be in by 9 o’ clock. Paramore are not terrible; they are simply a transitional band. The band you listen to between the pre teen pop and the late teen music that ultimately satisfies you the most. This reviewers Paramore were Limp Bizkit, so things could be much, much worse.