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Paramore
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The third effort from the Boston outfit sees them heading off into pastures new. It’s predecessor found the band attempting to capitalise on the success of the pop punk scene and whilst it had its moments, the band had clearly lost the momentum that had been achieved by the debut. Ex-Veruca Salt drummer and bandleader Stacey Jones has always had a fondness for Cheap Trick, and so it was only a matter of time before American Hi-Fi headed in a more pop direction. Out go the punchy guitars and in comes Butch Walker to produce and co-write the record. The result? An album that is so lightweight that it makes Busted or McFly look like Slipknot. The cute melodies remain intact throughout with opener ‘Maybe Won’t Do’ demonstrating Jones’s-and Walker’s-clear ear for a good song. However, whilst the 70’s psychedelic pop of ‘Separation Anxiety’ and a good proportion of the other songs on offer head off into a Squeeze direction there is little or no substance to the album as a whole. Whether we need a pop version of ‘Flavor of the Weak’ as in ‘The Geeks get the Girls’ is debatable yet the catchy ‘Where Did We Go Wrong’ is as introspective as it is relevant to this ultimately disappointing release.