PARAMORE
Brand New Eyes

Right from the opening track, Paramore’s third album “Brand New Eyes” delivers more of the band’s signature pop-punk.

The tunes are matched with vaguely emo-sounding lyrics about depression and breakups (“I scraped my knees while I was praying,” “When I was younger/ I saw my daddy cry”), but they somehow remain uplifting.

The results are mostly enjoyable, but at the same time, “Brand New Eyes” offers very little that is new or different from previous releases “All We Know Is Falling” and “Riot!”.

The first few songs on the album are some of the best, including the singles “Ignorance” and “Brick by Boring Brick.” In general, Paramore seems to shine on its faster songs.

Although the band takes few musical risks, the catchy choruses on “Playing God” and “Turn It Off” prove irresistible and will have listeners singing along after a few plays.

But “Brand New Eyes” also has its fair share of slow songs and ballads, which don’t work as well.

Songs like “The Only Exception” and “All I Wanted” are presumably meant to be bittersweet and romantic but end up sounding like any other radio-friendly soft rock love song.

At other times, Paramore tries to write its own versions of songs that every band seems to write. “Looking Up” tells the tale of the band’s big dreams of success and recent near-breakup, and “Feeling Sorry” is a typical breakup song.

These songs are uplifting and fun to listen to, but they don’t offer anything original – which, really, is the central problem that plagues “Brand New Eyes” as a whole.

It’s an enjoyable album that will likely satisfy Paramore fans, but because it is so similar to previous albums, it hardly seems worth buying.

VERDICT: “Brand New Eyes” isn’t a bad album, but its lack of originality and growth on the band’s part makes it a guilty pleasure at best.

- Briana Gerdeman

SISTER HAZEL
Release

Sister Hazel’s newest album “Release” marks the band’s seventh release since forming in the mid-’90s.

Unfortunately, the most exciting part of this album may be the fact that it makes you say “release” twice.

This is a talented band with gifted musicians, but it doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

On “Release,” the band took an approach it has used one other time in the past: It let all five members of the band write an original song. In fact, each band member has at least two songs of his own on the album.

This is a unique idea, but all the songs still somehow end up sounding the same.

Although there are not many songs that stand out in this album, it is still worth a listen. If you have enjoyed Sister Hazel’s albums in the past, you will enjoy this one.

“Release” is decidedly upbeat, melodic, harmonious, and keeps your head nodding (like “yeah”).

If you have never heard of Sister Hazel, the album is worth picking up, especially if you’re a fan of mellow Southern rock.

Plus, one of Sister Hazel’s strongest suits is that most of its songs contain inspiring, uplifting messages – the song “I Believe in You” could make a girl melt.

VERDICT: The instruments, melodies, and lyrics are all exceptional – it just gets a little monotonous. But one has to congratulate Sister Hazel for its consistency; its popularity speaks for itself, I suppose.

- Rachael Mirabella