All We Know Is Falling/Riot! review

 

And I can't pretend that I don't see this...

I put my faith in you, so much faith...

And you do your best to show real love, but you don't know what love is...

This is how we'll dance when, when they try to take us down...

We'll always know that you shine brighter than anyone else...

So here's a delayed review of All We Know Is Falling and Riot!. Putting them side by side like this allows to be seen how different - and yet still totally awesome - they are.

All We Know Is Falling's generally more known as the darker album, but it's not to say that Riot! doesn't have the dark undertones that establish a clear continuity within Paramore's work. The tracks "Emergency" and "Misery Business", while from two different albums and succeed in creating two contrasting tones, both reflect an almost awe-inspiring honesty that we could all learn from.

The thing about Paramore's music is that it's emotionally grounded and relatable. You feel it rather than process it normally. You can understand seeing somebody and thinking how extraordinary they are, and feeling like you're the only other person who'll ever see them like that ("Brighter"), or furious because you were let down by somebody you had so much faith in ("For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic"). Or seeing somebody who "deserves to be alive" completely give up on themselves and throw in the towel while you stand by, completely helpless, but "[you] can't pretend that [you] can't see this" ("Emergency").

And the music itself is amazing. The band succeeds in creating melodies that can stay in your head for days or weeks at a time. I know I've gone around for weeks with that guitar riff from "That's What You Get" and pretty much all of "Brighter" in my head at the same time.

So I recommend. Highly.