Two albums. Seven million records sold worldwide. A string of Top 40 hits like "I'd Do Anything," "Addicted," "Perfect" and "Welcome to My Life." A worldwide legion of fans who can testify to the power of one of the fiercest live shows ever to hit the boards. At this juncture, Lava/Atlantic rockers Simple Plan simply seem to have it locked. So for its crucial third album the group could just head back into the studio and do just what's worked so well in the past, right? Not quite.
Welcome to SIMPLE PLAN, not just an album but a statement of artistic ambition and growth from the Montreal-based quintet. As you'd expect from any band that would call its debut album NO PADS, NO HELMETS...JUST BALLS, the self-titled release is a fearless, without-a-net excursion into dynamic music-making, taking what we love best about Simple Plan -- the unbridled energy, the ripping guitars, the hook-filled melodic sensibility - and incorporating a slew of inventive sonic approaches informed by new collaborators such as Nate Danja Hills (Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Duran Duran, Nelly Furtado), Max Martin (James Blunt, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne) and Dave Fortman (Evanescence, Mudvayne). The new equation yields 11 songs that are unquestionably Simple Plan but still sound unlike anything it s done before, from the loping synthesizer loops of the opening track and first single "When I'm Gone" (which is this week's new number one song) to the tight dance groove and R&B flavor of "The End," the hip-hop styled beat of "Generation" and the unabashed power balladry of "I Can Wait Forever."
Trademark huge choruses crest in "Hold On" and "When I'm Gone," both of which edge toward the pure pop heart of the pop-punk divide. "I Can Wait Forever," a power ballad, makes you wonder whether front man Pierre Bouvier might have a few more genuinely reflective songs in him. Familiar themes bubble to the surface throughout: "Your Love Is a Lie" and "No Love" say everything about the band's commitment to upholding emo's core of self-pity and general despair. But it's not as if you'll be able to sit still and whine along as the songs roll on. Simple Plan's plan--to get you bouncing, bobbing, and otherwise grooving--is still simple. And like all uncomplicated strategies, it's still remarkably effective.
