In 2004 in Franklin, Tennessee Paramore was born. Their first album, All We Know Is Falling released 2005 was fantastic. From the first listen through I was addicted and needed to know what the female lead singer looked like.

I wasn’t disappointed but I did feel a little bad – she was so young and so was the band. I would never have guessed it from their music.

In 2007 they released RIOT! Which, if truth be told I wasn’t too impressed with. I liked a few songs but the real clincher was that their age was so evident that it just didn’t do it for me. Then came Decode from the Twilight soundtrack. They had more than won me back with this song. Hayley looked super hot in the video too, YAY! It is no secret that the band very nearly parted ways. Hayley has been very candid in interviews about this and her past relationship with Josh (lead guitar/backing vocals). Their break-up understandably made things difficult, especially with Hayley now dating Chad from New Found Glory. Luckily all of this heartache and drama has provided material for their new album.

Careful is the opener on Brand New Eyes. To my ears Hayley’s vocals sound more mature and stronger. For fans that have been with Paramore since the beginning you won’t be disappointed. It’s up tempo and has that rock edge that we all love and crave. Overall a catchy song with that pop hint that won’t alienate new listeners. Ignorance is next and is their first single to be released from the album. The guitar and drums are severely addictive and upbeat and Hayley is as strong as ever! Playing God slows us down somewhat with a more acoustic sounding guitar. Feistiness is the name of the game on this song though and Hayley’s lyrics show she’s got as strong personality as her onstage aura suggests. Brick By Boring Brick and Turn It Off also deliver super catchy hooks accompanied by lyrics deep enough to keep us entertained. Number six on the album is The Only Exception and I can’t get passed the fact that it sounds like a Coldplay song. It’s such a shame as the lyrics and message of the song are really quite honest and lovely. Its okay though, next up is Feeling Sorry and it brings us back to Paramore.

The next few songs are catchy little numbers delivering all that we hope for. Misguided Ghosts is the tenth track on the album and is another well constructed acoustic song. All I Wanted starts beautifully and is just amazing. Hayley’s voice is very harnessed but powerful, fantastic song and definitely my favorite. It’s a good idea to purchase the deluxe version. Apart from Decode you get a few acoustic versions of songs and two videos; Ignorance video and Ignorance making the video.

Overall a great little album, it doesn’t have that addictive quality that the first album did but Paramore are maturing and life experience is adding to their talent.

What you’d be listening to this month, if it were up to me: Jonny Craig, A Dream is a Question You Don’t Know How to Answer. This guy has the best voice in town. I challenge you to check him out and tell me you disagree.

What’s on my iPod: Saosin, In Search of Solid Ground. I’ve been waiting literally YEARS for this album to come out. I was a tiny bit disappointed at first but it’s grown on me and I’ve been finding myself enjoying it nearly as much as the previous album.