Archived from March 6-12, 2008 MALAYSIAN TODAY
Plans Made Simple
Passionate musicians hit the mark, yet again.
Two albums. Over seven million copies sold worldwide. A string of hits like "I'd Do Anything," "Addicted," "Perfect," and "Welcome to My Life" is a proof of their success. Furthermore, they have their legion of fans who can testify to the power of the fi erce live shows that never fail to hit the mark. At this juncture, rockers from Simple Plan simply seem to have it all. So, for their crucial third album the group could just headed 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 Canadian young men. The new effort takes what we love best about Simple Plan; the unrestrained energy, the ripping guitars, the melodious sense, and at the same time incorporates a swing of inventive approaches put in the picture 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). David Desrosiers, Sebastian Lefebvre, Pierre Bouvier, Chuck Comean and Jesf
Stinco are the fi ve strong personalities which make up Simple Plan . They may all be different in their own ways but they have one common interest at heart, their love for music. These lads who have been together for nine years have admitted that they would not like to change anything in the band. Having learnt everything together, good and bad, they have discovered that everything is important in shaping
and placing them at where they are now. The new record showcases 11 songs that are unquestionably Simple Plan yet still sound unlike anything they've done before. Sebastian Lefebvre the bassist, revealed some of his thoughts about their new and mature music while spilling some valuable information about his ‘friends' during a phone interview quite recently. The new sounds of Simple Plan have been infused by some of the new producers who they have worked with. These new producers, who are sought after
people in the industry, may have worried the band but Sebastian revealed that there wasn't too much pressure. Working with Danja, the man who had worked with acts like Timberlake and Furtado was actually interesting. "We write our own songs and have always done so from the very beginning of
this band. It was so different this time though, as Danja would come up with the beat and he would then leave. We wouldn't know what to do with it, so we would re-write a whole new song around it. It was fresh and we had to be open minded to the idea". When asked about the hit When I'm Gone and the other songs in the album, Sebastian said that When I'm Gone is about the ‘small town mentality' which
referred to them when they first started out as a band. They were told many a times that their plans would not work out but they kept thinking that they were still going to do it and everyone would miss them when they have away. That is what the song meant. Sebastian picks a song from the new album to match each band member. "I'd pick Save You for Pierre because the track is about his brother who went
through cancer and it was really hard for him to feel so helpless. He is better now so it's amazing." "For David, it will be When I'm Gone because parts of the song reminds me of him" "I Can't Wait Forever for Jeff because there is a big guitar solo in there and he likes to play guitar solos." "For Chuck I'd pick No Love because as a song writer I think that's the favourite song he ever wrote and I know he is very proud of it, lyrically and musically." "The End will be for me as we stretched everything we could have done for that song. It's the fastest song we have ever written and the chorus is super punk-rock. I like that we can go in every single direction in one song", adds Sebastian. The songs in the album range from R&B, hip hop and even ballads and have managed to capture the listeners . Sebastian feels that Simple Plan has managed to nail all of the genres in one record. He adds that they prefer to play the faster numbers when performing live and on the other hand fans may prefer to listen to beat-orientated songs while driving. If one is feeling down, then they could stick to the ballads. "There is a little bit of everything for everyone in this record." Sebastian also goes on to expose the secrets of his band members. Apparently, "Pierre has a new tattoo, Chuck is a workaholic who would stay up all night to make sure everything is going perfect, Jeff had bleached his hair before he shaved it and no one may ever be able to get hold of his picture with the bleached hair and as for me, I actually have curly hair that I straighten". Sebastian along with the other boys have been touring for quite some time and may begin to feel its toll but despite that, they assure the fans in South East Asia that this is a record to love. There is a bit of everything that is to be liked in Simple Plan. Sebastian assures that that they have added something new which may be a bit different, nevertheless it is equally good and this is an expanded version of them.