Disco de Simple Plan: “Simple Plan”

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.

I've been a fan of Simple Plan since first hearing their huge hit, "I'd Do Anything" years ago. I bought their first album and loved it, and then i grew up. I still like the album, but at times it's definitely targeted for a younger generation.

With their second album, "Still Not Getting Any..." I was highly disappointed. I hoped that Simple Plan would have branched out and created something more amazing with the little bit of talent that they had, but I was met with more whiny teen angst and ridiculous lyrics of how bad the world is.

A few years have gone by and I figured that since I hadn't heard anything new by them, that they had broken up, but then I saw this album had just come out. I figured I'd give it a listen, just to check it out at to my surprise, it didn't sound too bad. With high hopes I bought it, and to my amazement this album is pretty darn good. They finally have grown up with the rest of the world. I really enjoy this album, its good to hear Simple Plan with a fresh twist. I would recommend this CD to anyone for some good ol' pop punk at its best. Give them a chance, they finally figured themselves out.

I would actually give this album 3.5 stars, but I'm willing to give them the benefit-of-the-doubt here. I agree with the general assessment of some of the other reviewers that this album is a significant departure from their previous 2 albums, but whether or not this is truly a bad thing depends a little on your assessment of their work thus far.

On the whole, I have to say this album is infinitely more mature than their prior efforts. They eschew the downright juvenile content of said albums which was a major source of criticism, and they similarly seem to be distancing themselves slightly from the heavily "emo," Goth-teen overtones of their earlier albums. I realize this is a good deal of what people expect from Pierre et al., so this is likely to rub a few hardcore fans the wrong way. But, as someone who simply likes their music for its sound, and has never identified with any of the content, I find this to be a neutral change.

On the negative side, I have to say that I do find in this an overall (unrelated) deterioration in the quality of the music from a pop standpoint. The hooks just aren't there like they were in "Pads, Helmets, Balls," and the instrumental work isn't as crisp as it was back then. They're beginning to sound less like *them,* and more like some imaginary generic rock band. I agree that some of the tracks sound overproduced, and feel this is responsible for a good deal of these changes-for-the-worse.

The bottom line: I honestly don't know whether or not I would recommend this album to the SP faithful. It's simply too different from their older work to draw any continuity with much of it. Having said that, it's still a good album on its own merits; I did give it an unofficial 3.5 stars. Whether the change is because they're finally growing up or have simply undergone a profound shift of style is irrelevant: it still sound good.

This CD the BEST CD you will EVER find. If you are a diehard Simple Plan fan, YOU HAVE TO GET THIS CD!!!!! ANY fan of rock or punk rock will LOVE this CD. My fav. tracks are: 2. Take My Hand 4. Your Love Is A Lie and 11. What If, not to leave out any of the other amzing songs. BUY THIS, coming from a DIEHARD Simple Plan fan. GO SIMPLE PLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe I'm just into when bands grow up past their punk sing about anything days.. now don't get me wrong I'm a fan of their last two cd's but they grew up a lot in this album. All the songs sound different as compared to their other two efforts where they kind of all sounded the same.. I'm impressed by this album and hope that their next efforts get even better off this base.. I'm all for bands changing their sound when they become better musicians.. Very good album