Search - Simple Plan :: Simple Plan

Can't Argue With Good Hooks

Cory T. Shaeffer | Pittsburgh | 02/14/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Believe me, I am not a big fan of the electronic blips and blats that are littered throughout Simple Plan's third full length album. And I also might add that there are no less than 4 ballads on the album (one of which is a transparent re-write of Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and the other sounds way too much like the Backstreet Boys' "More Than That"). However, there IS a spectacular ballad on the disc, the piano-laden "I Can Wait Forever." Simple Plan is always at its best, though, when it attacks a straightforward rocker, such as "Time To Say Goodbye" and the hook-laden "Take My Hand." The boys don't always hit the mark, but they deserve props for not putting out the same album three times in a row....or like so many bands do, soften out completely (like Relient K). There is a good bit of guitar rock here, and far more hooks than other bands in this genre crank out every few years. I give it four stars because at times the sound is intriguing, and other times it is annoying (like on the disasterously embarrasing track "Generation'), and although the band goes to great lengths to sound different or unique, in some form or another, you have heard all of these songs before.



Here's a run-through of a few selected tracks:



When I'm Gone - First single off the album, big hook & chorus, but kind of slow-paced.

Take My Hand - The beat sounds exactly like The Bravery's "Honest Mistake" but the hook is very catchy.

Generation - Wretched synth intro, worse than Europe's "Final Countdown." This track is embarrassing.

Time To Say Goodbye - Their trademark pop-punk sound.

I Can Wait Forever - No, this is not a cover of the song by Air Supply. This is actually a great track and the best the band has ever done. Hope you enjoy.

"

A Solid Album from a Maturing band

TonyB | USA | 03/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Simple Plan's first album was 100% pop punk, with songs that portrayed stories about how miserable their lives were as teenagers, such as "I'm Just a Kid" and "The Worst Day Ever." These songs were solid pop punk songs and were enjoyable to listen to. Simple Plan's second album showed that the band grew up from their first album with more mature lyrics. However, many of the song were still pessimistic like "Welcome to My Life" and "Jump." I liked their first two albums and the new album "Simple Plan" is no exception. Of course, the genre of music on this new album has changed. Most of the songs on the first two albums were pop punk or punk rock, as well as just rock. This album mixes the elements of pop, rock, alternative, punk,hip hop and even electronica into one unique package. The songs on this album also show maturity from Simple Plan. Below is a list of ratings for each song on the album:



1)WHEN I'M GONE- The first single off the album, this song mixes electronic elements with their classic punk rock genre. Its a good starting single- 9/10



2)TAKE MY HAND- This song starts off sounding like a song from their old albums (punk rock) but when it enters the second verse, electronic elements are added for effects. I like this song, but its not my favorite on the album- 8/10.



3)THE END- This is a critical turning point song for Simple Plan. The first part of the song sounds like the beginning of a electronica/dance track. But once the song gets into the chorus, it switches to pop punk. Its one of the better songs on the album- 9/10.



4)YOUR LOVE IS A LIE- This song sounds like a replica of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" from Green Day. Its pure punk rock with a little tweaking from producers; solid song- 8/10.



5)SAVE YOU- This is one of the best songs on the album and shows the maturity that Simple Plan has went through. Nice instrumentation and vocals- 10/10.



6)GENERATION- This song is not one of the better songs on the album. It starts out with a weird horn that doesn't sound like Simple Plan at all. At least when it reaches the chorus, it switches to a punk rock song- 6/10.



7)TIME TO SAY GOODBYE- This is one song that comes directly from the Still Not Getting Any era- totally pop punk/punk rock. I like it because it shows that Simple Plan could still make a solid punk rock song- 9/10.



8)I CAN WAIT FOREVER- Something totally different from Simple Plan, this song is actually one of the best songs on the album. Nice piano and instrumentation as well as vocals from Pierre and the others. Sounds like a wonderful pop ballad- 10/10.



9)HOLDING ON- This song is not bad, but it sounds too generic. Also, the verses sound like a Linkin Park song because one of the members (I heard it was Chuck Comeau) speaks like Mike Shinoda. Not a bad song, but not my favorite- 7/10.



10)NO LOVE- The very beginning sounds like "It's True" from the Backstreet Boy's Black and Blue album. Right after that, it sounds like the beginning of "Perfect" from Simple Plan's first album. And then the song turns into a solid pop/rock ballad. Different, but a great sounding song-9/10



11)WHAT IF- A very long song (5:54) but unique in its production, vocal performances, and instrumentation. A nice solid punk rock song- 9/10.



CONCLUSION- Simple Plan makes a solid album which I think most loyal Simple Plan fans will find refreshing and more mature. I like their new direction and I hope others will appreciate it too. I give this album a 4.3/5."

A change that isnt a bad one

zee | new york | 02/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"ultimately i give this album a 4.5 out of 5. after reading the reviews and seeing how some were bad, i decided that i have to go to this bands defense because this record seriously isn't that bad. sure they changed and there are some beats in it, its not a bad thing. it kind of gos with how the songs are. and its not like the beats are throughout the entire songs, they are just brought in here and there. and for those saying that they didn't write their own songs, well guess what? they did, they aren't a band that would all of a sudden not write any songs. pierre's voice is so much more better in this album and we get to here sebastien's voice too more in this album and his voice is also a very good voice that is unde . and of course david's is always the same...good. the lyrics are so much more grown up and deals with personal situations such as "love is a lie" and "save you".



sure this album is a HUGE step from still not getting any...(my fav album by them), but they still maintained who they are. which is something every band should maintain...their true selves. you can tell that they are growing up musically, look at their first album; no pads, no helmets...just balls, you can tell they were all young there. sebastien was just 18/19 years old at that time and the others were under 24 i believe. here you can see that they took the risk and i believe it was a great job and i cant wait to see a show of theirs with these songs performed live.



heres and overview of the songs:



when im gone: 4/5...first single, very good, the video isnt great, but its still a great song



take my hand: 5/5 possibly my favorite song on the record, it upbeat, fun, and the guys sang awesomely in this song



the end: 4/5 another great song, it starts offf kind of cryptic and the chorus is great



love is a lie: 3.5 this song is ok..i think its supposed to be the 2nd single off the record..i gues thats ok...but not something that great



save you: 5/5 another one of my favs. awesome lyrics and the way it flows is just awesome



generation: 4/5 they took a risk in this song with the beats and stuff, but i think its a great anthem song for the teens and a fun song



time to say goodbye: 5/5 this is true SP. a great song and the way it is live is just something amazing. a great song



i can wait forever: 4/5 one of the slower songs on the album...its a ballad and a touching song if i say so myself



holding on: 5/5 another one of my favs. i love how this song goes and the lyrics are great, and this is something they never did before and its a really great song



no love: 3.9/5 its an ok song...not one of their best in my opinion...but its a good song nonetheless and the lyrics are really good.



what if: 5/5 this song is awesome. the strings in the beginning just chill your bones. i love this song and they did a great job on this song



running out of time: 4/5 a great song and its a fun song to sing along to



so basically this album is really good and if you're a first timer for simple plan, i suggest to listen to their first two albums and then this. for the ones who are already fans, get the cd because im sure it wont let you down =)"