All We Know Is Falling (Paramore album)

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Album: All We Know Is Falling
Artist: Paramore
Length: 35.47
Recorded: Early 2005
Format: Digital download, compact disc
Writers: Hayley Williams, Josh Farro
Producers: James Paul Wisner, Mike Green, Nick Trevisick
Genres: Pop rock, emo, power pop, punk pop, alternative rock, screamo
Label: Fueled By Ramen

All We Know Is Falling, sometimes abreviated to AWKIF, is the first studio album by Tennessee based pop rock band Paramore.

Introduction and creation of album

The album was recorded in Florida shortly after the band were signed to the Fueled By Ramen label in April 2005. At the time, the line-up consisted of vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Josh Farro, his brother: drummer Zac Farro, bassist Jeremy Davis and rhythm guitarist Jason Bynum. The band had already written two tracks that would later appear on the album: Here We Go Again and Conspiracy, the latter being the first song Williams has ever written. Just before recording for the album began, Jeremy Davis left the band due to "personal reasons" and he was replaced by new bassist John Hembree. Here We Go Again is the only track on the album where Davis is credited for playing bass. After Davis's departure from the band, Williams and Josh Farro (who wrote and composed all the songs respectively) created the song All We Know which would become the group's third single and which lyrics dealt with Davis's depearture. Producers Mike Green and James Wisner worked on the album. The album was recorded in a few short weeks before being released in the United States on July 26, 2005 and contained ten tracks in the genres of punk pop, pop rock, emo, alternative rock, power pop with some screamo influences on the tenth track My Heart.

It was later released in Japan on 2 September 2005 where three additional tracks were added-Oh Star, Never Let This Go (Acoustic Version) and an early demo of Hallelujah which would later be released on their second studio album RIOT! in completed form. The album was released Worldwide (outside of the US and Japan) on April 17, 2006 with the standard ten tracks found on the U.S. version.

Album artwork

In an interview with The Trades website, Hayley Williams and Josh Farro stated that the album cover which depicts an empty red couch with a shadow moving away from it. Williams and Farro stated that this was to signify their emptiness after Jeremy Davis left the band during the recording of the album. The album name All We Know Is Falling is said to emphasise the fact that their lives felt like they were changing when he left. All We Know, the first track on the album also acts as the album's title track.

Musical style and lyrics

The album generally focuses on lyrics that deal with depression, paranoia and broken relationships as well as joy. Heavy alternative rock songs such as Emergency and Conspiracy deals with issues such as broken relationships and paranoia. Due to the large number of songs with depressing or angry lyrics, the album can be categorized in the emo genre. Although the lyrics deal with negative emotions, the tone of the songs are either heavy alternative rock songs or up-tempo pop rock, punk pop and power pop songs such as Pressure, All We Know, Brighter and Whoa. The song My Heart delves into the screamo genre.

Release Dates

Official track listing

You're the geratest! JMHO

Singles

• Pressure was the album's first single and was released in the US to co-incide with the album's release on July 26 2005. The song which dealt with the pressures faced by young people and a music video which featured a performance scene interlocked with scenes of a young couple feeling pressure in their jobs failed to chart on release but hit #62 on the "US Billboard Hot Digital Songs" in 2007 and in 2006 peaked at #107 on the "Philippines NU Chart". Pressure was re-recorded in Simlish by Williams for The Sims 2 console game on PlayStation 2, XBox and Gamecube which was released in November 2005.
• Emergency was the second single to be taken from the album. While Pressure was a catchy, up-tempo song, Emergency has a much heavier, bleaker sound which Williams' described as being the most personal song on the record as it deals with her parents' divorce and how love is taken for granted these. The song was released in the US on October 16, 2005 and the music video depicted the band members covered in cuts and bruises with ripped attire before going out to perform the song on a stage outside. The song failed to chart but the dress Hayley wore and the shirt Josh wore in the video can now be found in the Warped Tour exhibit of the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame.
• All We Know was the third and final single to be released from the album and was released in the US on February 21, 2006. The lyrics deal with the band's disappointment and anger at former bassist Jeremy's departure from the band. The song managed to combine the hard rocking sound of Emergency with the catchy pop rock of Pressure. The music video is simple and feature clips of the band at the Warped Tour.

Critical reception

Music website The Trades gave the album a very positive review with an overall grade of A-(91%) particularly in praising Williams' voice and saying "Her voice wanders from concentrated and forceful to absolutely soaring and back again. It's honestly hard to believe she's only sixteen years old. And since I know it's come up before, the comparisons to Avril Lavigne are sorely unfounded". The site went on to describe Pressure and All We Know as "standouts" on the album but are eclipsed by Never Let This Go stating that "These passionate, rocking tracks are what make this Tennessee group so talented". My Heart, the song that features screaming from Farro is described as a "cool song" and continued to say that Farro's screams are "rough yet very focused". Franklin was praised for it's "male harmonies (that) add just the right amount of flair to this emotionally reminiscent piece". Whoa was described as the only weak song on the album as the lyrics are "politely described as cliché" but the backing instrumentals from the four remaining members were praised for saving the song. To sum up the review the album was called a "stunning debut" and "expect to see more of (Paramore) in the very near future".

Emotional Punk also gave the song a positive review with an 8.0 stating that they were "floored" by Williams' vocal range and lyric writing. They described Williams' voice at the end of Conspiracy as amazing and said the four boys backing her "provide a good background for her vocals" but as a "little redundant".

Chart performance

Credits

• Soorya Arsala = Management
• Tom Baker= Mastering
• Dave Buchanan= Engineer
• Jason Bynum= Rhythm Guitar, Band Member
• Jeremy Davis= Bass Guitar on Track 5, Band Member
• John Deeb= Photography
• Josh Farro= Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals, Songwriting, Band Member
• Zac Farro= Drums, Percussion, Band Member
• Mike Green= Producer, Engineer, Mixing on Tracks 3,6,8,9 and 10
• Jeff Hanson= Management
• John Hembree= Bass Guitar on all tracks except Tracks 1 and 5, Band Member
• John Janich= Executive Producer
• Mark Mercado= Management
• Steve Robertson= A&R
• Lucio Rubino= Bass Guitar on Track 1
• Alice Tweed Smith= Management
• Dave Steunebrink= Management
• Tom Storms= A&R
• Nick Trevisick= Producer, Engineer, Mixing on Oh Star and mixed tracks produced by James Paul Wisner
• Hayley Williams= Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboard, Band Member
• James Paul Wisner= Producer, Engineer on Tracks 1,2,4,5 and 7

External links

• Read the "All We Know Is Falling" album review on The Trades website
• Read the "All We Know Is Falling" album review on the Emotional Punk website
• Listen to the All We Know Is Falling album for free here!!!

Paramore album chronology