Paper Walls
Encyclopedia
Paper Walls is the third major-label album from American
pop punk
band Yellowcard
, released on July 17, 2007, but their fourth full-length studio album with Ryan Key and sixth including those recorded before him. This is also the first Yellowcard album with Ryan Mendez, the last with Peter Mosely
, and the last studio album to be released through Capitol Records
. The album was recorded at Ocean Studios in Burbank
, California
and was mixed at South Beach Studios in Miami
, Florida
.
In an interview with Jason Tate of AbsolutePunk.net
released on June 17 (one month before the release of the album), vocalist Ryan Key
described the album as
, the band announced over their official website that they were back in the studio recording a new album. Pre-production began in October 2006 and tracking began in January 2007. From January to March 2007, studio footage labeled "Yellowcard Sessions" regarding the band's progress on making the album was posted on the band's MySpace.
"Light Up the Sky
" was the first track to be fully mixed and finished. However, "Fighting" was the first track to be released to the public on Yellowcard's official MySpace page. Shortly afterward, the full version of "Light Up the Sky" was posted as well along with another new song, "Five Becomes Four". On June 4, "Light Up the Sky" was released to radio stations across America, and became the most added song to radio that week.
On July 17, 2007, the release date of Paper Walls, lead singer Ryan Key posted a blog on the band's official MySpace page regarding the album's debut as well as thoughts concerning its previous leak onto the internet
Shortly after the album's leak and release date, the songs "Shadows and Regrets" and "Five Becomes Four" were first believed to have been written about former guitarist Ben Harper, who left the band to focus on his record label, after recording Lights and Sounds
last year. However, recently it has been said that "Shadows and Regrets" is about Scott Shad, former drummer of Inspection 12
and best friend of Ryan Key, who died in a car crash. The song seems to reflect this interpretation better, as the chorus states "We were only kids. And we were best of friends. And we hoped for the best. Let go of the rest." While this could understandably be about Ben Harper, he and Key only met in high school, whereas Key and Shad knew each other their entire lives.
and MySpace pages, with a new video added every Thursday. Ten videos were posted in total. The first few videos didn't have much to do with the band's progress on the album, and they just showed the band in their time off from recording and writing. One video was purely a comedy show, featuring Ryan Key getting pranked by the rest of the band. In the ninth video, "Light Up the Sky
" was previewed for the first time for those watching and for the band.
The tenth and last video in the series chronicled the last day of production, which lasted until 6 a.m. on March 22, 2007. The video contains footage of the band finishing the last song to be completely finished and tracked, which was the iTunes bonus, "Bombers".
Since the studio footage videos, the band has been making videos of their experiences while touring and on the road.
, California
. At the show, lead singer Ryan Key announced to a sold out crowd that the new album would be titled Paper Walls. During the Troubadour show, Yellowcard played two songs from their new album ("Fighting " and "The Takedown"). The band played an acoustic set the next night at the Troubadour and also played two new songs, "Shadows and Regrets" and "Light Up the Sky
".
On May 22, 2007, the cover art for the album was posted on the band's MySpace profile, along with new promotional pictures. The cover art of the album shows the night skyline of Jacksonville
, Florida
, the band's hometown. It was announced in a press release for the album that Paper Walls would be released in an additional CD/DVD format, much in the same vein as Lights and Sounds
was the previous year. Additionally, on June 11, 2007, Yellowcard's official website was updated to feature a new design for the new album. Their MySpace
page was also updated to a new layout to match the theme of the album. Three MySpace skins resembling the Paper Walls theme were made available on the Capitol Records
website on June 29.
In June fans voted Yellowcard (over My Chemical Romance
) for the next AOL Sessions Under Cover. The session went live on July 19, one day earlier than planned. It features two songs from Paper Walls.
Following its release, Paper Walls was heavily advertised and promoted. On July 20, the band participated in an interactive meeting with fans on There.com
, a 3-D online virtual world. In August, they played a show in the studio in Los Angeles that was streamed on their MySpace page, while taking song requests directly from fans via the MySpace Instant Messenger
. There have also been several other promotional attempts by the band in the month following the album's release.
Following the album's release, it debuted at number 13 on the U.S. Billboard 200
, selling about 40,000 copies in its first week, which is less than half of the first week sales of their previous studio album, Lights and Sounds. In its second week, Paper Walls fell to #46, selling 17,000 units. On week three it hit #70 with sales of about 10,000 copies, and on week four it fell to #92, selling 7,000 copies that week. A total of 74,000 copies were sold in the first four weeks of release.
The lead single, "Light Up the Sky
", peaked at #32 'Billboard
Adult Top 40 Tracks
in the U.S.
In early 2008, Capitol Records announced that they will not promote Paper Walls anymore, meaning that a second single was not released.
"Fighting" appears in the video game Madden 08.
"The Takedown" is featured in the video game Guitar Hero: Van Halen
.
which is higher than its predecessor Lights and Sounds.
The webmaster of The Music Nazi claiming it to be the best record since Brand New
's "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
". Jason Tate, webmaster of absolutepunk.net has said it is "the best "pop-punk" album of the past 5 or so years" and Drew Beringer claims it to be "like Ocean Avenue, but with more balls." He went on further to say "The more I listen to Paper Walls by Yellowcard, the more I fall in love with it. It has been a long time since a pop-punk album has really enthralled me. Everyone is going to dig this." Down The Road Webzine gave a high score for this album which is 8.5/10 and said "but this is one fun pop-punk record that is worth listening to and in my eyes, they’ve more than redeemed themselves with this album". Rocklouder gave the album 4 stars out 5 stars and saying " Paper Walls is the perfect pop-punk album for those seeking a leisurely listen." Billboard gave the album 8 out of 10. Amazon gave the album a positive review saying "the lyrics are direct and honest, while they've broadened their sonic palette to allow a tad more dissonance in with their urgent and propulsive pop-punk.
Allmusic was satisfied with Paper Walls and claimed "Yellowcard is neither the flashiest nor the most popular among the new millennium's pop-punk bands but their fifth album Paper Walls goes a long way in proving that they are among the best of their breed."
With positive critical reception from critics, fans enjoyed Paper Walls as well. This is shown on Metacritic with an 7.5 out of 10, indicating generally positive reviews
When Ryan Mendez viewed discussion of the leak going on in YCUnderdogs, the band's official fan community and forum, he stated in response, "glad you guys like the album". Also, on the album's release date, band frontman Ryan Key posted a blog entry on the band's official MySpace
concerning the release and the leak:
No other comments have been made about the leak, however the band continues to urge people to buy their record and support them.
Additional musicians
Artwork
Production
Choir on "Paper Walls"
Leanna Brand (contractor
), Emme Lehmann, Vili Lehmann, Amy Fogerson, Nicholas Harper, Casey Rae Hands, Zoë Merrill, Daniel O'Brien, Antonella Quintana, Ann Marie Rizzo, Bobbi Page, Edie Lehmann, Helene Quintana
Singles
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
band Yellowcard
Yellowcard
Yellowcard is an American pop punk/alternative rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, and based in Los Angeles, California since 2000. Their music features the use of a violin, unusual for the genre...
, released on July 17, 2007, but their fourth full-length studio album with Ryan Key and sixth including those recorded before him. This is also the first Yellowcard album with Ryan Mendez, the last with Peter Mosely
Peter Mosely
Peter Michael Mosely is an American rock musician. He is one of the two guitarist, vocalist and pianist for the American punk rock band Inspection 12 as well as the former bassist for the American pop punk band Yellowcard. He joined Inspection 12 in 1996 but left in 2004 to be the bassist for...
, and the last studio album to be released through Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. The album was recorded at Ocean Studios in Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and was mixed at South Beach Studios in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
In an interview with Jason Tate of AbsolutePunk.net
AbsolutePunk.net
AbsolutePunk is a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate . The website mainly focuses on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it has been known to feature artists who have eventually achieved crossover success, including Fall...
released on June 17 (one month before the release of the album), vocalist Ryan Key
Ryan Key
Ryan Key is an American rock musician. He is best known for being the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the American pop punk band Yellowcard, and one of the two lead singers in his side project Big If.-Early life:...
described the album as
Recording and production
On October 16, 2006, only six months after the release of their previous album, Lights and SoundsLights and Sounds
Lights and Sounds is the fifth studio album by American pop punk band Yellowcard, released on January 24, 2006 in the United States through Capitol Records. Lights and Sounds is Yellowcard's first concept album, which was inspired to reflect what the band was feeling at the time of production and...
, the band announced over their official website that they were back in the studio recording a new album. Pre-production began in October 2006 and tracking began in January 2007. From January to March 2007, studio footage labeled "Yellowcard Sessions" regarding the band's progress on making the album was posted on the band's MySpace.
"Light Up the Sky
Light Up the Sky
"Light Up the Sky" is the first single from Yellowcard's album Paper Walls. The live acoustic version was first heard on March 30, 2007, at their concert at the Troubador in West Hollywood, California. It was then played electric in later shows. On May 15, 2007, the fully mixed album version was...
" was the first track to be fully mixed and finished. However, "Fighting" was the first track to be released to the public on Yellowcard's official MySpace page. Shortly afterward, the full version of "Light Up the Sky" was posted as well along with another new song, "Five Becomes Four". On June 4, "Light Up the Sky" was released to radio stations across America, and became the most added song to radio that week.
On July 17, 2007, the release date of Paper Walls, lead singer Ryan Key posted a blog on the band's official MySpace page regarding the album's debut as well as thoughts concerning its previous leak onto the internet
Shortly after the album's leak and release date, the songs "Shadows and Regrets" and "Five Becomes Four" were first believed to have been written about former guitarist Ben Harper, who left the band to focus on his record label, after recording Lights and Sounds
Lights and Sounds
Lights and Sounds is the fifth studio album by American pop punk band Yellowcard, released on January 24, 2006 in the United States through Capitol Records. Lights and Sounds is Yellowcard's first concept album, which was inspired to reflect what the band was feeling at the time of production and...
last year. However, recently it has been said that "Shadows and Regrets" is about Scott Shad, former drummer of Inspection 12
Inspection 12
Inspection 12 is an American pop punk band from Jacksonville, Florida, founded by Robert Reid, Dan McLintock, John Comee and Scott Shad. They have released two full length recordings internationally, one on Honest Don's Records and one on Suburban Home Records and Takeover Records...
and best friend of Ryan Key, who died in a car crash. The song seems to reflect this interpretation better, as the chorus states "We were only kids. And we were best of friends. And we hoped for the best. Let go of the rest." While this could understandably be about Ben Harper, he and Key only met in high school, whereas Key and Shad knew each other their entire lives.
Yellowcard Sessions
Between the months of December 2006 and March 2007, several videos chronicling the progress of the album's production were posted on the band's YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and MySpace pages, with a new video added every Thursday. Ten videos were posted in total. The first few videos didn't have much to do with the band's progress on the album, and they just showed the band in their time off from recording and writing. One video was purely a comedy show, featuring Ryan Key getting pranked by the rest of the band. In the ninth video, "Light Up the Sky
Light Up the Sky
"Light Up the Sky" is the first single from Yellowcard's album Paper Walls. The live acoustic version was first heard on March 30, 2007, at their concert at the Troubador in West Hollywood, California. It was then played electric in later shows. On May 15, 2007, the fully mixed album version was...
" was previewed for the first time for those watching and for the band.
The tenth and last video in the series chronicled the last day of production, which lasted until 6 a.m. on March 22, 2007. The video contains footage of the band finishing the last song to be completely finished and tracked, which was the iTunes bonus, "Bombers".
Since the studio footage videos, the band has been making videos of their experiences while touring and on the road.
Music style
Throughout the months of October 2006 to March 2007, Yellowcard engaged in feedback response with their fans to somewhat suggest or influence the outcome of the upcoming album. When asked about the direction of the album, Ryan Mendez responded that this follow-up to Lights and Sounds "has the energy and intensity that Ocean Avenue had and some similarities, but not necessarily exactly the same". He also stated on the official Yellowcard message board on October 21, 2006 that three songs were currently completed and that "[he] really thinks fans of both older and newer Yellowcard are going to be very happy." Additionally, in January 2007, some sample demo songs were released on the band's MySpace, though they were only rough recordings from pre-production and not the final recorded versions. One demo was a 30-second rough recording of "Date Line (I Am Gone)". Another was the intro to "Bombers", which ultimately did not make it onto the album.Promotion and sales
The first Yellowcard show since October 2006, when the album began production, took place on March 29, 2007 at the Troubadour in HollywoodHollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. At the show, lead singer Ryan Key announced to a sold out crowd that the new album would be titled Paper Walls. During the Troubadour show, Yellowcard played two songs from their new album ("Fighting " and "The Takedown"). The band played an acoustic set the next night at the Troubadour and also played two new songs, "Shadows and Regrets" and "Light Up the Sky
Light Up the Sky
"Light Up the Sky" is the first single from Yellowcard's album Paper Walls. The live acoustic version was first heard on March 30, 2007, at their concert at the Troubador in West Hollywood, California. It was then played electric in later shows. On May 15, 2007, the fully mixed album version was...
".
On May 22, 2007, the cover art for the album was posted on the band's MySpace profile, along with new promotional pictures. The cover art of the album shows the night skyline of Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the band's hometown. It was announced in a press release for the album that Paper Walls would be released in an additional CD/DVD format, much in the same vein as Lights and Sounds
Lights and Sounds
Lights and Sounds is the fifth studio album by American pop punk band Yellowcard, released on January 24, 2006 in the United States through Capitol Records. Lights and Sounds is Yellowcard's first concept album, which was inspired to reflect what the band was feeling at the time of production and...
was the previous year. Additionally, on June 11, 2007, Yellowcard's official website was updated to feature a new design for the new album. Their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page was also updated to a new layout to match the theme of the album. Three MySpace skins resembling the Paper Walls theme were made available on the Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
website on June 29.
In June fans voted Yellowcard (over My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
) for the next AOL Sessions Under Cover. The session went live on July 19, one day earlier than planned. It features two songs from Paper Walls.
Following its release, Paper Walls was heavily advertised and promoted. On July 20, the band participated in an interactive meeting with fans on There.com
There (internet service)
There is a 3D online virtual world created by Will Harvey and Jeffrey Ventrella. There Inc. was founded in the spring of 1998. Closed beta began in July 2001, with various stages of beta following, and ending with an October 2003 launch date...
, a 3-D online virtual world. In August, they played a show in the studio in Los Angeles that was streamed on their MySpace page, while taking song requests directly from fans via the MySpace Instant Messenger
MySpaceIM
MySpaceIM is the official instant messaging client for the social networking site MySpace.In 2009, a web-based client dubbed was released to all English-speaking countries, allowing users to interact with friends and non-friends alike to grow their network...
. There have also been several other promotional attempts by the band in the month following the album's release.
Following the album's release, it debuted at number 13 on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling about 40,000 copies in its first week, which is less than half of the first week sales of their previous studio album, Lights and Sounds. In its second week, Paper Walls fell to #46, selling 17,000 units. On week three it hit #70 with sales of about 10,000 copies, and on week four it fell to #92, selling 7,000 copies that week. A total of 74,000 copies were sold in the first four weeks of release.
The lead single, "Light Up the Sky
Light Up the Sky
"Light Up the Sky" is the first single from Yellowcard's album Paper Walls. The live acoustic version was first heard on March 30, 2007, at their concert at the Troubador in West Hollywood, California. It was then played electric in later shows. On May 15, 2007, the fully mixed album version was...
", peaked at #32 'Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Adult Top 40 Tracks
Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts...
in the U.S.
In early 2008, Capitol Records announced that they will not promote Paper Walls anymore, meaning that a second single was not released.
"Fighting" appears in the video game Madden 08.
"The Takedown" is featured in the video game Guitar Hero: Van Halen
Guitar Hero: Van Halen
Guitar Hero: Van Halen is the third and final band-specific rhythm video game in the Guitar Hero series. As with the previous games Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Guitar Hero: Metallica, the game features 25 songs from Van Halen along with 19 additional songs from selected artists that have been...
.
Response
The reactions of critics who have been sent copies of the album to preview before its release have been positive, which has a score of 62 (indicating generally favorable reviews) on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
which is higher than its predecessor Lights and Sounds.
The webmaster of The Music Nazi claiming it to be the best record since Brand New
Brand New
Brand New is an American rock band from Long Island, New York. Formed in 2000, the band currently consists of vocalist/guitarist/lyricist Jesse Lacey, guitarist/vocalist/lyricist Vincent Accardi, bassist Garrett Tierney, drummer Brian Lane, and guitarist/keyboardist Derrick Sherman.In the late...
's "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me is the third full length album by the alternative rock band Brand New, and their major label debut on Interscope Records. It was released on November 20, 2006 in the United Kingdom, on November 21, 2006 in the United States and Canada, November 25, 2006 in...
". Jason Tate, webmaster of absolutepunk.net has said it is "the best "pop-punk" album of the past 5 or so years" and Drew Beringer claims it to be "like Ocean Avenue, but with more balls." He went on further to say "The more I listen to Paper Walls by Yellowcard, the more I fall in love with it. It has been a long time since a pop-punk album has really enthralled me. Everyone is going to dig this." Down The Road Webzine gave a high score for this album which is 8.5/10 and said "but this is one fun pop-punk record that is worth listening to and in my eyes, they’ve more than redeemed themselves with this album". Rocklouder gave the album 4 stars out 5 stars and saying " Paper Walls is the perfect pop-punk album for those seeking a leisurely listen." Billboard gave the album 8 out of 10. Amazon gave the album a positive review saying "the lyrics are direct and honest, while they've broadened their sonic palette to allow a tad more dissonance in with their urgent and propulsive pop-punk.
Allmusic was satisfied with Paper Walls and claimed "Yellowcard is neither the flashiest nor the most popular among the new millennium's pop-punk bands but their fifth album Paper Walls goes a long way in proving that they are among the best of their breed."
With positive critical reception from critics, fans enjoyed Paper Walls as well. This is shown on Metacritic with an 7.5 out of 10, indicating generally positive reviews
Leak
On June 23, 2007, almost a whole month before the album's official release date, eleven songs from the album leaked onto the internet. The last two songs, "Cut Me, Mick" and "Paper Walls", were leaked closer to the album's release date. Considering the unusually early leak of the album, it is surprising that there have been no official comments on the leak. Between the time of the leak and the release date however, the band members kept insistently urging fans to buy the album and give them their support even if they've already downloaded the songs.When Ryan Mendez viewed discussion of the leak going on in YCUnderdogs, the band's official fan community and forum, he stated in response, "glad you guys like the album". Also, on the album's release date, band frontman Ryan Key posted a blog entry on the band's official MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
concerning the release and the leak:
No other comments have been made about the leak, however the band continues to urge people to buy their record and support them.
Track listing
- All of the songs were made available for listening on the band's MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page from July 10 to July 12, 2007.
Bonus tracks
- "Gifts and Curses" (Live & Acoustic) – 5:02
- "How I Go" (Live & Acoustic) – 4:39
- "Bombers" (iTunes Exclusive) – 3:28
- All bonus tracks were made available on iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. "Gift and Curses" (Live & Acoustic) and "How I Go" (Live & Acoustic) were made available on the deluxe DVD of the album.
Personnel
Yellowcard- Ryan KeyRyan KeyRyan Key is an American rock musician. He is best known for being the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the American pop punk band Yellowcard, and one of the two lead singers in his side project Big If.-Early life:...
– Lyrics, lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Sean MackinSean Mackin (musician)Sean Mackin is an American rock musician. He is best known as the violinist and backing vocalist for the American pop punk band Yellowcard and is now one of the two remaining full-time members of the band from its original line-up, along with bandmate Longineu W. Parsons III.-Early life:Mackin was...
– ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, backing vocals, strings and choir arrangement - Ryan Mendez – Lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
- Peter MoselyPeter MoselyPeter Michael Mosely is an American rock musician. He is one of the two guitarist, vocalist and pianist for the American punk rock band Inspection 12 as well as the former bassist for the American pop punk band Yellowcard. He joined Inspection 12 in 1996 but left in 2004 to be the bassist for...
– BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Longineu W. Parsons IIILongineu W. Parsons IIILongineu W. "LP" Parsons III is a French-born American rock musician. He is best known for being the drummer for the American pop punk band Yellowcard and is now one of the two remaining full-time members of the band from its original line-up along with bandmate Sean Mackin.-Early life:Longineu...
– DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Additional musicians
- Rodney Wirtz – violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Christine Choi – celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
Artwork
- Bill McMillin – Art Direction, Photography
Production
- Neal Avron – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, recorder - Erich Talaba – additional engineering
- Mike FasanoMike FasanoMike "The Sack" Fasano is a drummer who has toured and recorded for several bands, including Warrant, former Eagles guitarist Don Felder, Tiger Army, Gilby Clarke, Shameless...
- drum tech - Rob Dawson - guitar techGuitar technicianA guitar technician is a member of a music ensemble's road crew who maintains and sets up the musical equipment for one or more guitarists during a concert tour...
- Bret Rausch & Bryce Iverson – assistant engineers
- Tom Lord-AlgeTom Lord-AlgeTom Lord-Alge is a four-time Grammy Award–winning record producer and mixer. He is the youngest of Vivian Lord's five children, Mark Lord-Alge, Lisa Lord-Alge, Chris Lord-Alge, Jeff Lord-Alge and Tom Lord-Alge...
– mixingAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - Femio Hernandez – mix assistant
- Ted Jensen – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
Choir on "Paper Walls"
Leanna Brand (contractor
Independent contractor
An independent contractor is a natural person, business, or corporation that provides goods or services to another entity under terms specified in a contract or within a verbal agreement. Unlike an employee, an independent contractor does not work regularly for an employer but works as and when...
), Emme Lehmann, Vili Lehmann, Amy Fogerson, Nicholas Harper, Casey Rae Hands, Zoë Merrill, Daniel O'Brien, Antonella Quintana, Ann Marie Rizzo, Bobbi Page, Edie Lehmann, Helene Quintana
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
13 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
113 | |
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
25 | |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Light Up the Sky Light Up the Sky "Light Up the Sky" is the first single from Yellowcard's album Paper Walls. The live acoustic version was first heard on March 30, 2007, at their concert at the Troubador in West Hollywood, California. It was then played electric in later shows. On May 15, 2007, the fully mixed album version was... |
Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts... |
32 |
| U.S. Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
41 | ||