) at iTunes, when you can buy it at Amazon for only $3.99! This is a great, great deal, and won't be around for long. I liked what A. Boston had to say about the new CD:
I started out as a casual fan of Paramore a while back. Gradually, both albums grew on me, and now they're one of my top 5 favorite bands. I tend to think of myself as being a bit outside the usually demographic of Paramore fans, being in my late 20's, but I don't care! I've been anxiously awaiting the release of this album, and to be honest, it's one the first time in years that I've paid any attention to the 'official release date' from any band.
Paramore has catchy, rock driven tunes with smart, well written lyrics. Hayley Williams' vocals are stunning...for such a tiny person she sure has a set of powerhouse pipes. I actually had expected this album to be a lot darker then the 1st two albums, after hearing the first single, "Ignorance" and also knowing they was going thru some personal band turmoil while recording "brand new eyes". But besides "Ignorance", and some lyrics you can tell are clearly pointed at her bandmates in other songs, there is no huge addition of somberness compared with the other albums.
Paramore has progressed and grown, while still retaining their distinct Paramore sound. I also think the drummer, Zac Farro, was given a little more liberty in letting the drums really lead and set the tone on a few songs. There are two quieter, pretty songs like "Misguided Ghosts" and "The Only Exception". Thinking back, I can't recall any slower jams on the other albums that are acoustic and lacking drums like "Misguided Ghosts", and that stood out for me. But don't take that the wrong way, they're both awesome songs, and show a different side of what Paramore can accomplish.
While writing this review I struggled to find something I didn't like about this album(trying to be well rounded and not just chock full of praise!), and I'm sorry, but I couldn't come up with anything, I'm a fan, not a critic.
On the whole, the album is amazing and I think will stand out as one of the year's best Rock/Alternative albums, just like "Riot!" did in 2007. A must have in my opinion.
Definitely check them out when they start touring in support of "brand new eyes". I caught them last summer opening for No Doubt, and it was an excellent show. I actually complained when the set was over that it wasn't long enough. Though I've loved No Doubt for well over a decade, I was secretly there more to see Paramore for the first time and it made me excited for the upcoming fall tour.
Monsters Of Folk
, the collaboration between Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes (of the critically acclaimed I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning), Jim James of My Morning Jacket (Easy Morning Rebel
), and M. Ward (singer/songwriter of the album Hold Time), just came out with a new album. I thought it might be good to share some thoughts on the new album.
First, if you are fan of vinyl like me, I would suggest buying the vinyl edition Monsters Of Folk (Amazon Exclusive Vinyl + mp3 Album Download)
of the self-titled album which comes with a free mp3 download of the album all for only $20. Second, I would suggest you see them live as they tour this coming fall.
Rudolph Klapper says this about the album:
Unlike, say, James Iha and Taylor Hanson, Monsters of Folk's previous bodies of work definitely share a sort of kinship. From Oberst's post-Cassadaga work, to James' obviously country-ish bent, to Ward's folksy, `60s-pop-worshipping solo releases, it seems almost preordained that this foursome would eventually find each other, with Mogis' instrumental wizardry and understated production serving as the glue of the album. Best of all, despite its 15-song length and influences-on-their-sleeves style, Monsters of Folk never comes off as a gimmick, or, worse, a mere compilation. Oberst never dominates one track and then disappears on the next; James' doesn't make one song his personal My Morning Jacket clone and then let someone else take the spotlight on the next. Rather, Monsters of Folk melds them all into what consistently feels like a natural record, one where new listeners might be surprised to learn of the members' disparate backgrounds.
"Dear God (sincerely M.O.F.)" does start things off pretty shaky, and you'd be forgiven for thinking it was an Evil Urges outtake, and a terrible one at that. But the bad taste is quickly wiped away with the irresistible, fuzzy energy of "Say Please," where the gorgeous but clearly distinct harmonies gives the song a true group feel, a `la Crosby Stills and Nash (or, dare I say it, the Beatles). From there on it's a veritable treasure trove of woodsy, vibrant music, a grab bag of styles notable not for their differences but by how well they mesh as one. Hear Ward and company burn it on up tempo alt-country rocker "Whole Lotta Losin;'" hear Oberst do his best Johnny Cash impression on the fingerpicked western-flavored "Man Named Truth;" best of all, hear all three of them play off each other on the restless build-up of highlight "Baby Boomer."
It's easy to distinguish between the three vocalists, from Ward's smoky, soulful vocals to Oberst' wobbling entreaties to James' immediately identifiable falsetto, yet their effortless harmonies and vocal interplay is sharpened to a lovingly refined point. Musically the band's closest touchstones are Ward's last two solo efforts, as songs like the woodsy "Goodway," "Magic Marker" and many more mimic the kind of `60s pop/Americana folk pastiche he's strived for, although Oberst's Mystic Valley influence is well represented here (his inexplicable Mexico fascination continues on "Temazcal"). But far be it from them to discriminate - songs like acoustic shuffler "Map of the World" reflect Fleet Foxes' multi-part harmonies and Appalachian character, while "The Right Place" sounds like vintage, It Still Moves-era My Morning Jacket. The record as a whole continues to build up its own identity as it goes on, thanks in large part to Mogis' eclectic production and the refusal of the tracks to fall into a stylistic rut.
Sure, it's a little long, and the opening and closing tracks are two of the worst bookends for an album in recent memory, but perhaps that's just merely a testament to the strength of the material in between. After hearing Monsters of Folk for the first time it's easy to write it off as a success in its genre and a (huge) success for the supergroup ideal, but repeated listens show it as much more than that. Songs like "Say Please" or "Baby Boomer" practically sound like they were recorded in a live setting, the band's energy a nearly palpable feeling throughout. Monsters of Folk is a great album, and it achieves this excellence not with fancy studio tricks, particularly amazing songwriting, or virtuoso musicianship, but with that which so many other supergroups have lacked: a refreshing passion for the material, the kind of passion that is impossible to ignore.
Read More
, the collaboration between Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes (of the critically acclaimed I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning), Jim James of My Morning Jacket (Easy Morning Rebel), and M. Ward (singer/songwriter of the album Hold Time), just came out with a new album. I thought it might be good to share some thoughts on the new album.First, if you are fan of vinyl like me, I would suggest buying the vinyl edition Monsters Of Folk (Amazon Exclusive Vinyl + mp3 Album Download)
of the self-titled album which comes with a free mp3 download of the album all for only $20. Second, I would suggest you see them live as they tour this coming fall. Rudolph Klapper says this about the album:
Unlike, say, James Iha and Taylor Hanson, Monsters of Folk's previous bodies of work definitely share a sort of kinship. From Oberst's post-Cassadaga work, to James' obviously country-ish bent, to Ward's folksy, `60s-pop-worshipping solo releases, it seems almost preordained that this foursome would eventually find each other, with Mogis' instrumental wizardry and understated production serving as the glue of the album. Best of all, despite its 15-song length and influences-on-their-sleeves style, Monsters of Folk never comes off as a gimmick, or, worse, a mere compilation. Oberst never dominates one track and then disappears on the next; James' doesn't make one song his personal My Morning Jacket clone and then let someone else take the spotlight on the next. Rather, Monsters of Folk melds them all into what consistently feels like a natural record, one where new listeners might be surprised to learn of the members' disparate backgrounds.
"Dear God (sincerely M.O.F.)" does start things off pretty shaky, and you'd be forgiven for thinking it was an Evil Urges outtake, and a terrible one at that. But the bad taste is quickly wiped away with the irresistible, fuzzy energy of "Say Please," where the gorgeous but clearly distinct harmonies gives the song a true group feel, a `la Crosby Stills and Nash (or, dare I say it, the Beatles). From there on it's a veritable treasure trove of woodsy, vibrant music, a grab bag of styles notable not for their differences but by how well they mesh as one. Hear Ward and company burn it on up tempo alt-country rocker "Whole Lotta Losin;'" hear Oberst do his best Johnny Cash impression on the fingerpicked western-flavored "Man Named Truth;" best of all, hear all three of them play off each other on the restless build-up of highlight "Baby Boomer."
It's easy to distinguish between the three vocalists, from Ward's smoky, soulful vocals to Oberst' wobbling entreaties to James' immediately identifiable falsetto, yet their effortless harmonies and vocal interplay is sharpened to a lovingly refined point. Musically the band's closest touchstones are Ward's last two solo efforts, as songs like the woodsy "Goodway," "Magic Marker" and many more mimic the kind of `60s pop/Americana folk pastiche he's strived for, although Oberst's Mystic Valley influence is well represented here (his inexplicable Mexico fascination continues on "Temazcal"). But far be it from them to discriminate - songs like acoustic shuffler "Map of the World" reflect Fleet Foxes' multi-part harmonies and Appalachian character, while "The Right Place" sounds like vintage, It Still Moves-era My Morning Jacket. The record as a whole continues to build up its own identity as it goes on, thanks in large part to Mogis' eclectic production and the refusal of the tracks to fall into a stylistic rut.
Sure, it's a little long, and the opening and closing tracks are two of the worst bookends for an album in recent memory, but perhaps that's just merely a testament to the strength of the material in between. After hearing Monsters of Folk for the first time it's easy to write it off as a success in its genre and a (huge) success for the supergroup ideal, but repeated listens show it as much more than that. Songs like "Say Please" or "Baby Boomer" practically sound like they were recorded in a live setting, the band's energy a nearly palpable feeling throughout. Monsters of Folk is a great album, and it achieves this excellence not with fancy studio tricks, particularly amazing songwriting, or virtuoso musicianship, but with that which so many other supergroups have lacked: a refreshing passion for the material, the kind of passion that is impossible to ignore.