Move over,
Avril
; there's a new gun in town. And even though
Paramore
's lead singer
Hayley Williams
is a few years younger than her predecessor, she has a way bigger set of vocal pipes.
Lavigne
and
Williams
share a similar register, but
belts it out with way more control and authority. She may even be more of a respectable
pop
idol since her image isn't manufactured to be rebellious and angst-ridden; instead,
appears to be a genuinely sweet girl, bottling up a huge voice and a heart full of lost loves. On 2008's
Riot!
, she fills the majority of her
punk-pop
tales with
emo
angst and declarations of boy woes. Contrived as this may sound, her lyrics feel authentic and representative of actual teenage puppy love, where a breakup feels like the end of the world. Filled with crossover potential, the songs are consistant and zippy with catchy hooks in the vein of
Boys Like Girls
fronted by a young
Shirley Manson.
Meanwhile, the production is sparkling and heavily compressed due to the golden hands of
David Bendeth
, but these ultra-clean sonics also tend to cramp up the band -- clouding the dynamics and turning the listening experience into a relatively risk-free one. When the group breaks away from the chugging guitar
Fall Out Boy
formula, they're at their best. Mid-song breakdowns and cathartic power ballads (think
"Don't Speak"
) showcase the band's maturity as musicians. More importantly, Williams shines through in these openings. In the last track,
"Born for This,"
she takes a break from her love confessions and commands everyone to sing like it's the last song they will ever sing, making for a sentimental finale and a perfect closer for the live shows. ~ Jason Lymangrover