Album Review: Paramore - Paramore

Unless you're a prepubescent female, Paramore are usually a band you love to hate or hate to love. Fans not publicly willing to admit their admiration for the band no doubt abuse their car speakers when alone or have them as a guilty pleasure on their iPod. On the other side, diehard groupies make sure the entire world knows about it.

If you sit on the other side of the fence and have a distinct distaste for this band, this record will just throw fuel on the flame, but if you surrender to the cheesy lyrics and pop punk melodies, you'll have Paramore on repeat for quite some time. At the very least, there's no denying vocalist Hayley Williams has an incredible voice.

There's a fine line between generic mainstream pop and well-written original pop rock, and in songs such as Still Into You, Now and Ain't It Fun Paramore are definitely toeing that line. Still Into You is a pinnacle of catchy pop, but don't even think about watching the music video. It looks like Katy Perry threw up on Hi-5, and the whole thing ruins the song. And while most of this record sits dangerously close to generic mainstream pop, there are still a few songs – mainly Anklebiters and Proof – that remind fans where their roots lie.

After three albums, it seems unorthodox to have number four be self-titled, but if a record was ever going to redefine Paramore, this is the one that will do it. It's the angst-filled, heartfelt pop anthems that really bring this album home.