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Brand New Eyes

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Untitled

Brand New Eyes (styled brand new eyes) is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Paramore, released September 29, 2009 through Fueled by Ramen in the United States and Canada.

The album was produced by Rob Cavallo and recorded in Hidden Hills, California from January to March, 2009.[1] It topped the charts in many countries across the world including Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom, making it the band's most successful album to date. The album was certified gold in the US on January 19, 2010.[2]

Background, writing and production

"I was writing these lyrics, and they didn't feel good — some of it hurt, some if [sic] was like, 'Am I being too honest even with myself?' I had doubts that it was the right record."

Hayley Williams on the "doubts" she had with the initial writing of the record.[3]

After the release of Riot! and a nonstop year, a blog post that stated they were having "internal issues" in early 2008, coupled with a week of cancelled shows, speculation arose that the band was going to break up.[4] Not long after, it was resolved and claimed to be an issue of the members never having time to talk about things such as how they "were all growing up, and sometimes, when you're growing up, you're not always growing together". Further struggles to write new material had singer Hayley Williams speaking of the doubts she had surrounding the writing of the record and meeting the expectations placed on the band after the success of Riot!.[3] She was also concerned about lyrics that involved current issues, as opposed to resolved issues that she had written about in the past. "I was like, 'This isn't a feel-good song, because I'm writing about something I'm going through right now, and it's still painful,'" she continued. "And I confused that with actually not liking the songs, when actually I was prouder of them than I've ever been before. They're heavier emotions for me... I'm still going through some of this stuff, and these songs are really healing to me." The band as a whole treated the writing as a therapeutic experience, which helped them hash out old differences.[5] Now that "all those words were out on the table", they were able to have their first real conversations in a long time, resolving the internal struggles they had been facing, by going back to the reasons why they started the band and had wanted to play music in the first place.[3][6] Consequently, Paramore decided to name the record Brand New Eyes because of the allusion to seeing things from a whole new perspective, "Just trying to let go of whatever we might have struggled with the past and just see each other in a new way," explained Williams.[7]

Paramore spent six weeks in pre-production at Emac Studios in their hometown of Franklin, the first time they had undergone pre-production without the guidance of a producer.[8] A visit from record producer Rob Cavallo reassured the band that they were on the right track with the album and that their new material had the potential to surpass the success of their previous work.[3] Although it was originally planned to record the album close to home in Nashville,[9] the band commenced recording in Calabasas, California with Cavallo at the end of March 2009.[10] They then added to the original material written at home with additional tunes written with the help of Cavallo after the move to Calabasas.[11][12] Paramore finished production by May 2009,[3] in time for a tour in support of No Doubt.

Promotion and release

The first single from the album was "Ignorance", which was made available via digital download on July 7, on the same date the album became available for pre-order on Paramore's official website.[13] "Brick by Boring Brick" was confirmed to be the second single from the album, released in November 2009.[14] The album's cover, an image of a butterfly divided from its wings, inspired the line "The angles [sic] were all wrong / Now she's ripping wings off of butterflies".[15][16]

Two versions of the album were made available: a standard CD edition as well as a deluxe, limited edition package that has sold out worldwide. The deluxe version included the album on CD with the acoustic versions of Where The Lines Overlap and Ignorance, a 40-page hardcover journal written by Hayley Williams, an exclusive poster that comes with only the box set, a booklet with the lyrics from all the songs from Brand New Eyes, a color vinyl 7" single with the acoustic versions of Ignorance and Where The Lines Overlap, one picture of each band member, a certificate of authenticity, and a DVD featuring a 30 minute long exclusive 'making-of' documentary.[17] The CD was also one of the first to use iTunes LP.

Upon release, Brand New Eyes entered the Billboard 200 at number 2, selling 175,000 copies in its first week.[18]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk(82%)[19]
Allmusic[20]
Alternative Press[21]
Big Cheese[22]
Drowned in Sound(8/10)[23]
Kerrang![24]
NME(7/10)[25]
Rock Sound(9/10)[26]
Rolling Stone[27]
Spin[28]

Critical response to Brand New Eyes was mostly positive. According to Metacritic, the album holds a score of 73 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 12 reviews through October 1, 2009.[29] AbsolutePunk.net writer Julia Conny scored the album at 82% and praised frontwoman Hayley Williams, "Simultaneously down-to-earth and on top of the world, there is something about this Williams character that makes an album like Brand New Eyes more than another notch on that slutty pop-rock bedpost. Just imagine what will happen when the band hits their mid-twenties."[30] Andrew Leahey of Allmusic gave the album a positive review, stating, "Brand New Eyes presents Paramore as a stronger, leaner, and altogether more consistent band."[20]

Evan Lucy of Billboard also wrote a favorable review, saying, "Although the new set may lack the wide-eyed naiveté that made the group's past efforts so endearing, the newfound maturity makes for a compelling set of songs."[31] Big Cheese magazine awarded a maximum 5 star rating and Cathy Reay wrote, "Brand New Eyes is a huge milestone for an intelligent, honest young band that deserve far more mainstream recognition than they get."[22]

Alternative Press awarded the album 4.5/5 and Scott Heisel praised the improvement of the album over its predecessor; "Riot! was ridiculously top-loaded, with an unmemorable second half. eyes astonishes from start to finish, with the bouncy and confessional "Looking Up" and the immensely powerful track "All I Wanted" showing up as diamonds in an already gem-covered rough".[21] Sarah Bee, journalist for the BBC gave a largely favorable review and summarized, "If you didn't like Paramore before, their third album is unlikely to sway you. They make the kind of forceful, commercial emo-pop that music lovers love to hate. However, as forceful, commercial emo-pop goes – and it does – Brand New Eyes is very good. It is brash and gauche, but charming."[32]

Rock Sound however, went on to laud the slower efforts. "The album's big surprise comes in the form of the stripped-down closing tracks 'Misguided Ghosts' and 'All I Wanted', which see the fragility of Hayley's vocals laid against sparse instrumentation with truly immaculate results." Reviewer Faye Lewis went on to summarize, "Paramore are a young band growing up in the public glare, and although that would send many to the funny farm, it's made this quintet even stronger and Brand New Eyes is by far their best record yet".[26] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone scored the album at 3 stars out of 5. Much like Leonie Cooper of NME, he was critical of slower moments: "But some of the sweeping moments blunt the band's fresh-faced immediacy — as if the cute kids from the sticks have had a hard time turning pro."[27] Spin magazine awarded 4 stars out of 5 in their review and complimented the band for standing out in a generic genre. "Paramore's follow-up, Brand New Eyes, which, at a moment of wet-and-wild Warped Tour cynicism (see Cobra Starship and 3OH!3), offers a principled reminder of a more earnest, honest age."[28]

Drowned In Sound awarded the album 8/10 and while writer Paul Stephen Gettings stated the record isn't "pushing any boundaries", he praised its longevity: "[...] if you're already a critic, this isn't going to convince you otherwise. This is a realization, and an affirmation, of Paramore's musical craftmanship and potential longevity. They have allowed themselves to grow and still retain the innocence and optimism that makes them so irresistible."[23] Kerrang! reviewer Dan Slessor gave the album 4 Ks (4/5) and claimed, "...in Brand New Eyes they have arguably delivered the most accomplished and affecting record of their career."[24] NME were also favorable in their review. Although being critical of the album's slower moments, Leonie Cooper praised the record as a whole; "Sure, the two slower tracks might make for a break in the relentless pace, but who needs the rest? If you just so happen to be one of the best in the up-tempo pop-smattered emo-punk game, why bother slowing down? For this lot, more is most certainly more."[25]

Accolades

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Rock Sound UK Top 75 Albums of the Year 2009 4[33]
Suosikki Magazine FIN Foreign album 2009 1
Spin Magazine US Spin Magazine Best 09 – Top 40 Albums 2009 20
Billboard 200 US Year-End Charts 2009 113
Drowned In Sound UK Top 50 Albums of 2009 2009 10
Kerrang! UK Kerrang! Critics' Albums of 2009 2009 8
Billboard US Top Alternative Albums of 2009 2009 20
Billboard US Top Rock Albums of 2009 2009 29

Tour

Paramore announced their U.S. tour for Brand New Eyes on their official site, with The Swellers and Paper Route joining them as opening acts. The first show of the tour was played at a packed Fox Theater in Pomona, California, on September 29, 2009 (the day of the album's release).[34][35] During "Decode", Williams lost her voice and the two remaining songs in the setlist were played instrumentally. The tour, which previously went from September 29, 2009, to November 1, 2009, was later officially postponed on October 2, 2009, due to a case of laryngitis for singer Hayley Williams.[36] The full tour resumed on October 10, 2009, in Chicago.

The band also announced that they would be doing a European tour starting off in Helsinki, Finland, on November 29, 2009, with You Me at Six, Paper Route, and Now, Now Every Children supporting all UK tour dates.[37]

They will be performing in 2010 in the Australian Soundwave Festival along with bands such as You Me At Six, Taking Back Sunday, All Time Low and Alexisonfire.

Paramore is also set to do a small US tour through April and May 2010, primarily to visit the cities that were missed on the fall tour, although the venues are larger.[38]

Track listing

All music composed by Hayley Williams and Josh Farro, except where noted.[39]

Standard Edition
No.TitleLength
1."Careful"3:50
2."Ignorance"3:38
3."Playing God" (Williams, Farro, Taylor York)3:02
4."Brick by Boring Brick"4:13
5."Turn It Off"4:19
6."The Only Exception"4:27
7."Feeling Sorry" (Williams, Farro, York)3:05
8."Looking Up"3:29
9."Where the Lines Overlap"3:18
10."Misguided Ghosts" (Williams, Farro, York)3:01
11."All I Wanted" (Williams, York)3:48
Total length:40:16
International edition
No.TitleLength
12."Decode" (Williams, Farro, York)4:22
Deluxe edition
No.TitleLength
12."Ignorance (Acoustic)"3:40
13."Where the Lines Overlap (Acoustic)"3:12
iTunes bundle
No.TitleLength
1."Ignorance (Acoustic)"3:40
2."Brick by Boring Brick (Acoustic)"4:22
3."Turn It Off (Acoustic)"3:47

Deluxe box edition

The deluxe edition is limited to 15,000 copies and includes the full album with two bonus tracks, a 40-page hard-cover journal with Hayley Williams' handwritten lyrics and notes on the album, a yellow colored vinyl 7" single with two songs ("Ignorance" acoustic and "Where the Lines Overlap" acoustic), a DVD featuring an exclusive making-of documentary (with interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, plus rare band vignettes from www.paramore.net), a 16-page full-color booklet, an exclusive Paramore poster, five limited edition collectable Paramore photos printed on hardstock paper, and a numbered certificate of authenticity. It is sold out in all webstores.[40]

Personnel

The following personnel contributed to Brand New Eyes:[39]

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalogue # Ref.
Australia September 25, 2009 Fueled by Ramen Compact Disc, digital download 7567895804 [41]
United Kingdom September 28, 2009 Fueled by Ramen Compact Disc, digital download 7567895804 [42]
United States September 29, 2009 Fueled by Ramen Compact Disc, digital download 518250 [43]
Japan October 21, 2009 Fueled by Ramen Enhanced CD WPCR-13685 [44]
Bahrain September 29, 2009 Fueled by Ramen Compact Disc, digital download 518250 [43]

Chart performance

Chart (2009) Peak
position
 Certifications
(sales thresholds)
Australian Albums Chart[45] 1 Gold[46]
Austrian Albums Chart 7
Argentine Albums Chart[47] 3
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[45] 20
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[45] 34
Canadian Albums Chart[48] 3 Gold[49]
Colombia Albums Chart[50] 1 Gold[51]
Danish Album Chart[52] 26
Finnish Albums Chart[45] 5
French Albums Chart[45] 36
German Album Charts[53] 7
Irish Albums Chart[54] 1 Gold[55]
Recording Industry Association of Japan [56] 15 Gold[57]
Italian Albums Chart[58] 33
Mexican Albums Chart[45][59] 7
Netherlands Albums Chart[45] 23
New Zealand Albums Chart[45] 1 Gold[60]
Norway Albums Chart[45] 27
Peru Albums Chart[61] 1 Gold[62]
Spanish Albums Chart[45] 25
Swedish Albums Chart[45] 17
Swiss Albums Chart[45] 15
UK Albums Chart[63] 1 Gold[64]
UK Rock Chart[65] 1
US Billboard 200[18] 2 Gold[2]
US Billboard Alternative Albums[48] 1
US Billboard Rock Albums[48] 1
Preceded by Irish Albums Chart number-one album
October 1, 2009 - October 8, 2009 		Succeeded by
UK Albums Chart number one album
October 4, 2009 - October 11, 2009 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
October 5, 2009 - October 12, 2009 		Succeeded by
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart number-one album
October 5, 2009 - October 19, 2009 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Peru Album Charts number-one album
October 4, 2009 - February 20, 2010 		Succeeded by
A Llorar a Otra Parte by Hnos Yaipen
Preceded by
Paraiso Express by Alejandro Sanz
 Colombia Album Charts number-one album
October 4, 2009 - February 20, 2010 		Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ "Paramore Announce "Brand New Eyes" Out September 29th". Rolling Stone. 2009-06-26. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
  2. ^ a b RIAA - Gold & Platinum - February 07, 2010 RIAA.com
  3. ^ a b c d e Montgomery, James. "Paramore Battled Doubt, Each Other To Make New Album". MTV. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  4. ^ Montgomery, James. "Paramore Exclusive: Band Addresses Breakup Rumors, 'Internal Issues'". MTV. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  5. ^ Montgomery, James. "Paramore Move Beyond 'Misery Business' With New Album". MTV. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  6. ^ "10 Must-Hear Back To School Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-10-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |1&Ne= ignored (help)
  7. ^ Montgomery, James. "Paramore Explain Why They Need Brand New Eyes". MTV. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  8. ^ Rae, Alexandra (September 2009), "Seeing Things", Kerrang!, pp. 22–26 {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) Issue #1279.
  9. ^ Montgomery, James. "Paramore's Hayley Williams On Next LP: 'I've Got A Lot That I Want To Get Out'". MTV. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  10. ^ Montgomery, James. "Paramore Recruit Green Day Producer For New Album". MTV. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  11. ^ Montgomery, James. "Paramore Are Set To Become The Kings And Queen Of The South". MTV. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  12. ^ Montgomery, James. "Paramore Return To The Room Where Brand New Eyes Was Born". MTV. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  13. ^ "brand new eyes". Paramore.net. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  14. ^ "Paramore announce "Brick by Boring Brick" second single". Alternative Press. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  15. ^ Montgomery, James. "Paramore Say 'No Animals Were Harmed In The Making Of This Record'". MTV. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  16. ^ "Blog > Paramore 'Brand New Eyes' - First Impressions". Rock Sound. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  17. ^ "Paramore Announce Deluxe Edition Of 'brand new eyes'". Rock Louder. Retrieved 2009-07-24. [dead link]
  18. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith and Monica Herrera. "Barbra Streisand Surprises With Ninth No. 1 on Billboard 200". billboard.com. October 7, 2009.
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  20. ^ a b Andrew Leahey. "{{{Brand New Eyes > Overview}}}". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  21. ^ a b Alternative Press (Magazine) #255 October 2009, p. 111 Paramore - brand new eyes - 4.5 stars out of 5 - Scott Heisel
  22. ^ a b Big Cheese (Magazine) #115 September 2009, p. 96 Paramore - Brand New Eyes (Fueled by Ramen) - 5 stars out of 5 - Cathy Reay
  23. ^ a b Paul Stephen Gettings. "Review: Paramore brand new eyes". Drowned In Sound. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  24. ^ a b Kerrang! (Magazine) #1280 September, 23 2009. p52 POWER-POP QUINTET RISE AGAIN IN FABULOUS STYLE - KKKK - Dan Slessor
  25. ^ a b Leonie Cooper. "Album review: Paramore - 'Brand New Eyes'". NME. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  26. ^ a b Faye Lewis. "Reviews > Paramore - 'Brand New Eyes'". Rock Sound. Retrieved 2009-09-30. Cite error: The named reference "RS" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  27. ^ a b Jon Dolan. "Brand New Eyes: Paramore: Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
  28. ^ a b Mikael Wood. "Paramore, 'brand new eyes' (Fueled by Ramen) Pint-size Tennessee titan makes a convincing case for sincerity". Spin. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  29. ^ "brand new eyes by Paramore". Rock Sound. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  30. ^ Julia Conny. "Paramore - brand new eyes". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  31. ^ Evan Lucy. "Brand New Eyes - Paramore (2009)". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  32. ^ Sarah Bee. "An emo-pop collection that never skimps on fiendish catchiness". BBC. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  33. ^ "Top 75 Albums of 2009", Rock Sound, no. 130, p. 28, December 2009 {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  34. ^ "Tours: Paramore / The Swellers / Paper Route". Punknews.org. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  35. ^ "Paramore Rock Hayley Williams' Voice Away at Cali Tour Launch". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-10-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  36. ^ "Paramore tour dates postponed". Paramore.com. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  37. ^ "You Me At Six announced as Paramore support for the December 2009 UK tour". Allgigs.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  38. ^ http://www.paramore.net/blog/paramore-spring-tour
  39. ^ a b Brand New Eyes (Media notes). Fueled by Ramen Records. 2009. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help)
  40. ^ Brand New Eyes Deluxe Edition Box Set
  41. ^ "Paramore - Brand New Eyes CD". CD Online. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  42. ^ "Brand New Eyes (2009)". HMV. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
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  46. ^ http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_album.asp?chart=1G50
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  48. ^ a b c "Paramore Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  49. ^ http://www.cria.ca/goldplat.php
  50. ^ http://kdiscos.com/index.cfm?doc=catalogo_detalle&ID_catalogo=836
  51. ^ http://kdiscos.com/index.cfm?doc=catalogo_detalle&ID_catalogo=836
  52. ^ http://www.hitlisten.nu/
  53. ^ "Chartverfolgung / Paramore / Longplay". Musicline.de. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
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  55. ^ http://www.paramorespain.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=437
  56. ^ http://www.riaj.or.jp/e/list/index.html
  57. ^ http://www.riaj.or.jp/e/data/gdisc/index.html
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  60. ^ "RIANZ Chart #1691 - Monday 19 October 2009". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  61. ^ http://www.phantom.com.pe/
  62. ^ http://www.americatop100.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=505:peru-top-100-2009&catid=113:resumen-anual-2009
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  64. ^ "Certified Awards Search: Paramore". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  65. ^ UK Rock Chart
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