Simple Plan have returned in a huge way with their latest offering, in the form of their self-titled 3rd studio album.  Featuring 11 tracks, this album has taken Simple Plan into a whole new league.  I mean, who would have thought there'd be a Simple Plan album with just as many ballads as there are rock tracks?  Or a SP album that featured a live orchestra?  Well, be prepared for the best SP album yet!

Their first album (No Pads, No Helmets ... Just Balls) was mostly teenage punk-rock, with tracks such as Perfect, Addicted, I'm Just A Kid, etc.  Their 2nd album (Still Not Getting Any) made them evolve a bit with songs like Welcome To My Life, Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me), etc.  With their latest album, Simple Plan have enlisted the help of producers like Nate "Danjahanz" Hills and Dave Fortman (formerly from Ugly Kid Joe), as well as programming by DJ Lethal!

The first single and opening track, When I'm Gone, shows fans the direction that SP have gone into, but still only drops small hints at what the rest of the album contains.  For example, the opening of Your Love Is A Lie (the next single to be released from this album) sounds like it could be the start of a boyband song, with an acoustic guitar being plucked and cut off (think of the opening for Madonna's Don't Tell Me and you'll get the idea), but goes into a full slow-rock onslaught.  Then there's Generation, which sounds so much like it belongs in a video game with synthesized trumpets and bass riffs, yet, in true SP style, it goes into a bit of a punk feel for the chorus ("Hey oh, let's go, it's going down tonight ... cause I've got no reason to apologise, that's my generation").

The biggest surprises, however, lay in tracks like Save You, I Can Wait Forever, and No Love.  Save You is an absolutely beautiful song that was written for lead singer Pierre Bouvier's brother battling cancer (he's now in remission, thankfully).  I Can Wait Forever, is a piano-based unconditional love song about Pierre's current relationship ("Every day without you near me is like a blade that cuts right through me, I can wait forever"), and has to be one of the most beautiful songs SP have ever written.  No Love, however, seems to be about a friend of the band who is in a loveless relationship.

The album is a very personal album based around love, loss, and turmoil.  One example is the track What If, which was inspired by TV show Heroes, and is all about wanting to change and improve the world.

The album has been released in 2 formats, the standard edition and a Limited Edition which features 2 bonus tracks and a bonus DVD, featuring behind the scenes, live tracks, and the video for When I'm Gone.

Simple Plan is out now through Warner Music.

Tracklisting:

1. When I'm Gone
2. Take My Hand
3. The End
4. Your Love Is A Lie
5. Save You
6. Generation
7. Time To Say Goodbye
8. I Can Wait Forever
9. Holding On
10. No Love
11. What If
12. *Running Out Of Time
13. *When I'm Gone (Acoustic)

    * denotes bonus track on Limited Edition CD

Tags: Simple Plan, When I'm Gone