Simple Plan broadens sound, audience with new album

Maybe they were listening to a little too much '90s pop during their recording session.

Or maybe they simply just discovered how to synthesize sounds.

Either way, Simple Plan's new self-titled album sounds as if they've warped back a decade and somehow mixed 'Nsync's first album with their own 2002 debut, "No Pads, No Helmets ... Just Balls."

Although the band has taken a turn from their usual sound on their third disc, fans still can relate to the group's pessimistic yet well-worn lyrics about society's downfall and their latest heartbreaks.

Upon first listen, it appears that Simple Plan is trapped in a severe identity crisis, but their instrumental experimentation eventually finds its own place within the songs.

One notable aspect of the band's latest album is its versatility, which presents the band in a different light.

"When I'm Gone," the band's most recent single, is a cutthroat message to previous loves that they will one day regret having left their former flame. While the lyrics and vocal range are familiar, the electronic elements in the intro and throughout the song encompass the album's new overall sound.

Elsewhere, other relationship-based tunes such as "I Can't Wait Forever" and "Time to Say Goodbye" sound much like the band's older music and would have easily meshed with previous albums.

Album highlight "Love is a Lie" is a lyrical tearjerker that many fans are likely to relate to. With a hum-worthy intro and a catchy chorus, the song tells the story of an unfaithful lover.

What clearly separates the old Simple Plan music from the new, however, are tracks such as "Generation," "No Love" and "The End."

While the topics of love and a spiraling downward society still are prevalent, their presentation is altered with synthesized vocals that sound more like a boy band than rock music. Though it's different from anything else Simple Plan has ever written, this new sound is no better or worse than their old.

It's simply different.

"The End" is the clearest representation of Simple Plan's musical transformation since their debut. While the intro and verses are computer altered and electronic, the chorus recalls the band's rock oriented, guitar screaming predecessors, and is pleasantly put together with versatile transitions.

Although it may not be quite what fans are expecting, "Simple Plan" is packed with great lyrics and music that will not only recapture their fans, but likely broaden their audience right along with their sound.