"Brand New Eyes," originally the title of a song the band cut from the track listing, begins with the track "Careful," a song with a message. "You can't be too careful anymore/when all that is waiting for you/won't come any closer/you've got to reach out a little more." The song capture's the album's essence and vibe from the very beginning, Williams' strength and resilience to the tension between the band members.The first single off the record, "Ignorance," was released in July 2009 and is the second track on "Brand New Eyes." The song was written from Williams' perspective, how she felt like an outside of the band, isolated from the world that used to be Paramore. "You treat me just like another stranger/well it's nice to meet you sir/I guess I'll go/I best be on my way out." Williams talks of the tension between everyone, how the band was splitting down the middle, how she felt like they were falling apart. The edgy beats and hard vocals by Williams relieve more tension that any amount of conversation ever will. For anyone who doubted Paramore's musical talent and ability to resolve issues hasn't listened to "Ignorance."
The album continues with a number of other catchy songs, all pointing to the inner struggles, all hashing out the pain of all of the members. Williams croons a haunting, yet begging tune in "Playing God," almost pleading for everyone to see what was happening to them. "If God's the game that you're playing/well we must get more acquainted/because it has to be so lonely/to be the only one who's holy." Songs of shots of self realization and a bright light at the end of the tunnel ("Turn It Off") and bits of disappointment ("Feeling Sorry") fill the track listings. A ballad, "The Only Exception," was released as the third single from "Brand New Eyes." A sweet song, filled with the realization that love exists and the person who allowed Williams to make an exception.
The second single released off the album, "Brick By Boring Brick," is a story of a little girl who is stuck in a fairy tale world. The familiar guitar starts the song off, the drums setting a head bopping beat for the imagination of a child. "She lives in a fairy tale/someone too far for us to find/Forgotten the taste and smell/a whole world that she's left behind." Gone is the edginess of "Ignorance," what's left is the determination to drag this girl out of a fantasy world and into reality.
Williams and co-writer York didn't leave out the more blunt observations of what the band could have missed if it had broken up. "Looking Up" shows how the band won't give up on each other yet through feet stomping beats and words of wonder. "God knows the world doesn't need another band/but what a waste it would have been." "Where The Lines Overlap" has the same concept, maybe in a less catchy version of "Looking Up." The idea is still there, proclaiming "no one is as lucky as us."
The album closes with a haunting song, showing all the gold in Williams' vocal chords. In "All I Wanted," all of the pain and tension and contempt Williams was feeling as an outsider is released through an amazing vocal performance that no one was expecting.
"Brand New Eyes," while written for fans of the band, I feel is more written for the band themselves. It's messages are clear, the variety from song to song is obvious, and the talent of Paramore is unmatched. For those who doubt that they are here to stay hasn't heard this album yet. They're not going anywhere.
