Review Summary: The heavier beginnings of a great band. Even if it is their weakest album, that's not saying much.
To anyone, including myself, who had their first experience with Paramore elsewhere -- whether it have been the acoustic “The Only Exception” on the radio or the pop-punk restlessness of Riot! -- All We Know Is Falling may come as quite the surprise. From the immediate crunch of the opening guitars in “All We Know,” it’s undoubtedly their heaviest album, and eschews much (but not all) of the pop influence that can be found on their later works. It shows an incredibly promising band already showing maturity as teenagers, and proves to be a showcase for their assured songwriting and musicianship. And Hayley Williams, as always, sounds pristine. However, for all its greatness Falling is still the weakest Paramore album to date.
Not that that’s an insult in any way.
First, the issues. The main problem with the album -- besides some weaker tracks -- is the pacing, the first three tracks all have that similar guitar-crunch sound, and the final three are by far the most interesting and different sounding. The lovely homesickness of “Franklin,” the most delicate track on the album, featuring gentle backing vocals from Josh Farro, is immediately followed up by the lightning strike of “My Heart”’s intro. Possibly the most memorable song on the album, its descent from melodic beauty to a borderline-metal outro complete with screamed backup vocals and distorted guitars, nearly eradicates the subtle former song from the memory of first-time listeners. On top of this, the middle four tracks are the weakest (save for “Here We Go Again,” a more poppy gem with a nagging, teasing main riff and a fantastically fluctuating structure), surrounded on both sides by much stronger material.
The poorer tracks of the album all falter because of a similar problem -- they simply place too much on Hayley voice without bothering to make the music sound particularly interesting. Both “Brighter” and “Never Let This Go” are nearly indistinguishable rockers featuring the soaring vocals and heavy crunch of the guitars that is usually pleasant, but in this instance it’s almost annoying at times. Both of the songs’ choruses seem to be reaching for fantastic heights but are cut off and repeat before the climax. “Woah” manages to stand only slightly above with a feel-good aura and some decisions that help it distance itself from other tracks, but even though the chorus was probably fun live, it’s hopelessly generic and uninspired. However, none of the songs are weak enough to detract much from the album, and they all have something that save them (“Never Let This Go”’s triumphant bridge/solo and subtle acoustic cameos, for example) from really being anything less than fine tracks overall.
Now for the positives. The entire band sounds incredibly attuned to each other and cohesive. Everyone’s parts sound strong at the same time, and when one of the musicians gets a chance to show off, the rest of the band remains important in the mix. This is very much the work of an entire band, not simply a handful of teenagers playing instruments. And the songs here are really, really good. Aside from the aforementioned tracks, every other song on here is great. “Conspiracy” is an early gem for the band, featuring a nice atmospheric acoustic intro that explodes into an electric version of the same melody, verses pound by with rhythmic paranoia and slide into choruses of gigantic beauty and scope that feels bigger every time. “Pressure” was the band’s first single, released when Hayley was only 17, yet it features the band at their most confident. They’ve written a damn good rock song, and they know it. The best track on the album, “Emergency,” is in a similar vein as the previous, but features much more atmosphere and attitude, switching between subdued and vicious at breakneck speed with more accomplished melodies and an absolutely gorgeous chorus. In all of these songs, the lyrics are satisfying and well-written, if a little uninspired. But hey, the writer’s 17, and it’s not so much the words that matter, it’s how she sings them. Hatley is clearly the most talented member of the band, and she probably knows it. But she doesn’t showcase herself pretentiously at all, she acts as just a little more than a piece of the puzzle.
So, even though it’s Paramore’s least, well... amazing album, it’s absolutely worth a listen whether you’re a skeptic, avid fan, or just a fan of straightforward alt-rock with a touch of this and that.
All We Know Is Falling
All We Know: 8
Pressure: 8.5
Emergency: 9.5
Brighter: 7
Here We Go Again: 8.5
Let This Go: 7
Whoa: 7.5
Conspiracy: 9
Franklin: 8.5
My Heart: 9
