ARTIST: Paramore                                        

TITLE: All We Know Is Falling

YEAR RELEASED: 2005

CHART ACTION: #30 Heatseekers, #51 UK

SINGLES: Pressure, Emergency, All We Know

OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: Here We Go Again

LINEUP: Hayley Williams, Josh Farro, Zac Farro, Jason Bynum, Lucio Rubino.

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: Debut record for the Florida band positions them for their eventual breakout.

SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: Featuring a radio-ready sound, and some charisma in vocalist Hayley Williams, the debut for Paramore was ready-made for teens who were eating up melodic pop / punk at the time.

Hayley Williams’ vocals are the star here. She rises above the at-times generic sounding music with her charisma and range. Everything else seems a bit generic, though (angsty lyrics, heavy guitar riffs with dynamic changes between slow and fast, loud and quiet – it’s like emo punk 101).

The one thing that bothers me about rock from this era is the compressed sound. Everything was made for the digital music revolution, which pinches everything into mid-range and treble for the most part, and that doesn’t allow for a lot of sonic distance, and the drums seem very tinny (to my ears). But that’s not limited to Paramore; it’s just really noticeable here.

NOTES & MINUTIAE: The drummer, Zac Farro, was only 15. Also, this record was written about former (and future) bassist Jeremy Davis, who split the band right before recording.

IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: Yes, In Japan, they always have bonus tracks, and there were iTunes tracks and anniversary tracks and such.

GRADE: B: It’s a good representation for what was going on in that era, and while it wasn’t a hit it definitely got them buzz in the right places.