Product Description

Two years after their debut 'All We Know Is Falling' catapulted them into the spotlight comes this sophomore effort from precocious, teenaged Tennessee emo band powered by the astonishing vocal talent of 18-year-old Hayley Williams. Expanding on the punk-pop template of their first album with 80s influences and a full, rocking production sound from David Bendeth (Hawthorne Heights, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus), the band blast through eleven anthems of teenage angst and lust with barely a pause for breath. Includes the single 'Misery Business'.

Track Listing

1. For A Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic
2. That's What You Get
3. Hallelujah
4. Misery Business
5. When It Rains
6. Let The Flames Begin
7. Miracle
8. CrushCrushCrush
9. We Are Broken
10. Fences
11. Born For This

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #301 in Music
• Released on: 2007-06-25
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Rocking stuff
So many US bands deliver not-too-bad yet easily forgettable emo-albums these days. So I didn't expect all that much from Paramore after buying this on the strength of their excellent 'Misery business'. How wrong I was.

Opener 'For a Pessimist' sets the tone for the entire album: a blistering rocker with a catchy chorus. And the pace never lets off from there. Crushcrushcrush and That's What You Get are two more standouts, but the band sounds very accomplished in mid-tempo songs like When it Rains and We Are Broken as well. Singer Hayley Williams is first class - the way she holds her longer notes could teach many of her collegues a thing or two (are you payin' attention, Mariah Carey??).

All of Riot!'s eleven excellent tracks were composed by the band, which is even more impressive considering their youthfulness. The guitars sound great, the drums are creative, the production is flawless and the lead singer looks like an angel. What more could we possibly ask for?

Polished sophomore effort from Tennessee pop punks.
A good, catchy pop rock album... but the overall the album is a lot less genuine, it's very clear how deliberately polished each track is and how much effort went into the commercial appeal of the sound and image.
I have to say that I prefer All We Know Is Falling purely for the rawness of the bands sound. The lyrics of Riot! are perhaps more complex, but the simplicity in All We Know Is Falling's lyrics boast much more spirit and emotion than this sophomore effort.

It is also pretty difficult to pick any tracks that stand out as much to me, while it's easy to claim Riot! is a stronger album in all the technical aspects, none of the tracks capture my heart the way Pressure, Emergency and pretty much every other All We Know Is Falling track did. It seems that as Hayley's hair became more processed, so did the music!

However, if you're a pop or a rock fan then I'm sure you will enjoy this album and will be able to look past all the stuff that prevents me from doing so as much.

Brilliantly catchy

Formed in Franklin, Tennessee in 2004 Paramore are a four piece band led by teenage female vocalist Hayley Williams backed by Josh Farro on guitar/vocals, brother Zac on drums and Jeremy Davis on bass.

Paramore - the unusual name is derived from a former member's maiden name and the word `paramour' meaning secret lover - are variously described as power pop, punk/alternative rock and emo, and their influences, according to their website, are all US bands of similar punk/rock/indie/alternative styles.

Orange-haired, brightly dressed singer Hayley cuts a striking image and the comparisons to Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne are inevitable, but this is no brat teenager-in-a-tantrum pleading for understanding, it's one who is confident, enthusiastic, full of raw energy and intends to have fun whatever life throws at her. Her appeal is wide-ranging - a readers poll by Kerrang! magazine in 2006 voted her number 2 `Sexiest Female' (beaten by Amy Lee of Evanescence) and in an article in NME magazine she was described as `young, articulate and with plenty to say'. But the other members too must take equal credit for the bands appeal, being nominated for `Best New Artist' in the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony in February 2008, but in losing out to first-placed Amy Winehouse suggests that not everyone wants to listen to happy music!

For me, everything about this album shouts `fun', from the name `Riot' which was chosen because it means `a sudden outburst of uncontrolled emotion', to the barrage of unrestrained energy and excitement which infects every one of the 3 to 4 minute-long tracks. The album reached number 15 and 24 in the U.S and U.K charts respectively and its importance to the band is summed up by Hayley Williams (on their official website):

"We want everyone to hear this album. We want to take it as far as we can. 'RIOT' is everything we ever wanted to say on one album. If it all ended today, this is what we'd want to be remembered for".

For a band with an album which is as good as this, it really shouldn't end for a long while yet.