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Paper Walls By: Brian Campbell  |
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 Yellowcard
Paper Walls
Yellowcard vocalist Ryan Key said recently in an interview something along the lines of their 2003 release, Ocean Avenue was about being young and living life, and 2005 release Lights and Sounds was about losing yourself along the way and that their latest release, Paper Walls, is the culmination of the finding yourself altogether. Well, I would like to ask Key what he is going to do is help me find myself after getting lost listening to Paper Walls.
Paper Walls is more of the same beige pop punk that has made this band famous. Paper Walls is a bit more mature than Lights and Sounds, but just fails to grasp me at any turn. Sure the guitars are crunchy and chugging, the drumming is amazing, and as you would expect, there is a very prevalent hook in every track, but they aren’t anything to write home about. Ill admit I was, and still am, a big fan of their work on Ocean Avenue, but have since fallen off the bandwagon as a true fan. I thought Lights and Sounds was cheap and generic, albeit powerful and energetic, but to me, Paper Walls sounds too vague and impersonal.
A lot of the sounds on Paper Walls have been done before, at times sounding regurgitated, and the hooks are not as strong as they have been in times past. The Takedown was a good track to start the album off, as it is one of the more upbeat and conversational songs, but soon after it gets hard to find a song to sink your teeth (and ears) into. Fighting is a strong part of the effort, and it definitely has one of the better hooks on the record. Further into the album, the debut single, Light Up the Sky is one of the quicker tracks on Paper Walls, and definitely is one of the most enjoyable and easy to follow.
He is how I gauge Paper Walls. I love Ocean Avenue and that CD is in steady rotation in my CD player, and I own Lights and Sounds, but do not listen to it. I would do the same with Paper Walls. I do not think I would listen to it recreationally.
Paper Walls sounds more like Lights and Sounds than it does Ocean Avenue, as some media outlets would have you think. If you are into pop punk, or a die-hard fan of Yellowcard, then be sure to add this album to your collection. If not, then pass on this one. You can find a suitable replacement elsewhere, like the new Sound the Alarm record, Stay Inside.
Grade: C
Listen To: The Takedown, Fighting, Light Up the Sky |
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