Riot !

Spin (p.100) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[With] massive guitars, sweetly infectious choruses, and soaring power ballads..." Alternative Press (p.163) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he musicianship shown on RIOT! is mightily impressive. The younger Farro brother pounds the skins brutally on 'Let The Flames Begin'..." Kerrang (Magazine) (pp.46-47) - "There's big, bristling vocal melodies aplenty and clean, grooving guitars that you'll need a scalpel to remove from your frontal lobe."

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 Williams 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, Williams 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

そもそもエモってのは、コマーシャル化したパンクやヘヴィー・ロックに対するアンチテーゼだったわけだが、フォール・アウト・ボーイをブレイクに導いたフェルド・バイ・ラーメンの勢いはいまや留まることを知らない。パニック!アット・ザ・ディスコ、キュート・イズ・ワット・ウィー・エイム・フォーとこれまた大ヒットを連発しているなか、前作がインディーで話題となったパラモアの2作目が登場!　17歳とは思えないズバ抜けた歌唱力を持ったヘイリーは、等身大のアメリカン・ガール的な魅力を放つティーンのカリスマだ。グウェンがバカ・ポップ、アヴリルがバカ・パンクなら、彼女はバカ・エモ!?……って言われてもピンとこないと思うから、とにかく聴いてみて。いよいよ世代交代の時が来たよ。
bounce (C)塀戸門家