Flowers for Vases/descansos
by Hayley Williams
  • Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Feb 5, 2021
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 190 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 168 out of 190
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 190
  3. Negative: 15 out of 190

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  1. JLuis_001
    Feb 5, 2021
    7
    Hayley Wiliams' first solo album, at the time received a lot of flattering reviews that surprised me quite a bit.

    I wouldn't say that Petals for Armor was a bad album, but personally I believed it was an album that sought to reach for more than its sound could provide. Especially since many people preferred to pay more attention to the lyrics. FLOWERS for VASES / descansos is a    Hayley Wiliams' first solo album, at the time received a lot of flattering reviews that surprised me quite a bit.

    I wouldn't say that Petals for Armor was a bad album, but personally I believed it was an album that sought to reach for more than its sound could provide.

    Especially since many people preferred to pay more attention to the lyrics.

    FLOWERS for VASES / descansos is a surprise album, both because of its sudden release and because Williams shows a more mature side as a songwriter that she couldn't reach in her predecessor.

    This is basically an acoustic album. The arrangements are minimal and in some cases the finished tracks even sound like demos.
    It's a more ethereal and organic experience, and therefore more pleasant.

    Hayley herself said that she was preparing her own ''folklore'' and it's quite evident that she was influenced by Taylor Swift, although both approaches are definitely different, they both share an indie vein.

    The album loses strength in the last tracks after the middle, but the closing is good.
    Although personally I think she should have arranged the tracklist and closed with "Descansos". The most ghostly and ambient track of them all.

    Notable Tracks

    > First Thing To Go
    > Asystole
    > Over Those Hills
    > KYRH
    > Descansos
    > Just A Lover    … Expand
  2. Skydog
    Feb 8, 2021
    1
    One of the worst follow-up albums I've heard from an artist in about 15 years. Talk about a major letdown.

    Pros: - Production is actually not bad considering most of this was recorded in a home studio. I did get a slight chuckle at the airplane driveby outtake that she kept on the album. I've been there. - Lyricalism is still quite strong. Some areas do slack and just aren't as    One of the worst follow-up albums I've heard from an artist in about 15 years. Talk about a major letdown.

    Pros:
    - Production is actually not bad considering most of this was recorded in a home studio. I did get a slight chuckle at the airplane driveby outtake that she kept on the album. I've been there.

    - Lyricalism is still quite strong. Some areas do slack and just aren't as metaphoric this time around.

    Cons:

    - Way too many ballads on one album. Very boring and repetitious. And what's even worse is that most of ballads are forgettable.

    - Vocals don't branch off much at all. They stay within the same range for most of the album.

    - Including an instrumental [which I usually do love on albums] that is redundant and doesn't try to branch off and be unique. (A small piano solo or something would have made it more interesting.) Boring.    … Expand
  3. Roniiecamelo
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    Hayley is a life saver and her Art means so many things, this album is perfect for some of us and I will listen for the rest of my life
  4. yelyahlosho
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    Hayley Williams propôs uma introspecção neste álbum, um meio de desabafo sobre muitas questões que vem ocorrendo em sua vida pessoal nos últimos anos: casamento, amizade e novos romances. É bonito ver como ela desenvolveu essa maturidade pessoal e artística, sendo seu primeiro álbum totalmente escrito por ela, em sua casa. Este é um momento tão gracioso para Hayley e para os fãs.
  5. sarjunior
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    Mais um trabalho incrível e adorável de umas das melhores artistas da nossa geração. Incrível como a Hayley tem facilidade em compor músicas que tocam na alma e nos fornece uma alta qualidade sonora. Fico ainda mais maravilhado ao saber que ela trabalhou de vários modos e usando vários instrumentos pra nos entregar um sucessor a altura do Petals for Armor.
  6. mathsatan
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    This is pure ART. I consider this album more cohesive than PFA, a meticulous and deliciously melancholy work. Not to mention the most delicate and mature vocals ever. Grammy doesn't deserve you, Hayley, you're superior. Thank you!
  7. wales7388
    Mar 20, 2021
    3
    severely underwhelming and its a shame too considering i was a fan of her paramore days but her solo music simply doesn't interest me. i played it and just dozed off
  8. asdeerty
    Feb 6, 2021
    10
    The lyrics, the vocals, everything on this album is amazing, sometimes repetitive, but hayley never disappoints.
  9. wheredowego
    Mar 20, 2021
    2
    Very boring and repetitious. And what's even worse is that most of ballads are forgettable and strenuous.
  10. lalafan
    Mar 20, 2021
    2
    One of the worst follow-up albums I've heard from an artist in about 15 years. Talk about a major letdown.
  11. NatanReyveha
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    It has been a pleasure to get to know Miss Williams a little more. This album is a wonderful intimate work of art.
  12. Styletoowell
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    parabéns por ser a maior desse mundo sempre hayley williams, você está sempre servindo, o mundo te ama
  13. diegoroberts
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    This album is everything we needed: cohesive, beautiful, calmed, and great.
  14. gabrielhahn
    Feb 10, 2021
    10
    This album was released as a surprise to many people. Hayley surprises us positively with each new release, either solo or with Paramore.
  15. eoinmoore10
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    outstanding, amazing, 10/10.

    The fact she also wrote, performed and recorded this all in her house during a pandemic is INCREDIBLE
  16. Josechotto
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    Un álbum sumamente increíble, muestra vulnerabilidad y sentimientos muy profundos, Hayley no se equivocaba cuando dijo que este sería su "folklore"
  17. kazis
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    This album is beautiful and cohesive. I'm starting to warm up to the thought that this is better than Petals for Armor.
  18. LeviMagalhaes
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    IMPECÁVEL! Just a Lover, faixa que encerra o disco é puro intelecto sonoro, te levando a outro espaço no universo. Recomendo ouvir o album com fones, deitado, no escuro, a noite em seu quarto. A viagem fica cada vez melhor a cada faixa.... TE AMO REILA
  19. guillermolillo
    Feb 8, 2021
    10
    Hayley Williams pulled a Taylor Swift and made of "FLOWERS for VASES / descansos" her "evermore", with a surprise release after her debut solo album less than a year ago.

    With ethereal vocals, minimal instruments, deep lyrics and powerful message, she conceived her strongest piece of work to date under a waterfall of petals: soft, gentle, beautiful, earthy. While the sound is calmer    Hayley Williams pulled a Taylor Swift and made of "FLOWERS for VASES / descansos" her "evermore", with a surprise release after her debut solo album less than a year ago.

    With ethereal vocals, minimal instruments, deep lyrics and powerful message, she conceived her strongest piece of work to date under a waterfall of petals: soft, gentle, beautiful, earthy.

    While the sound is calmer than everything she has ever done, both with Paramore and as a solo artist, the emotion behind is abismal. She sings of self-reflection, hope, regret, melancholy, doubt, accountability, and demonstrates a willingness to let her feelings out in the field, with no apparent fear to be judged or blamed. That honesty is rare and precious, and it is essentially what makes this album so unique.

    Standout tracks include: Trigger, Over Those Hills, No Use I Just Do and Just A Lover.    … Expand
  20. LISOCHIKOTOSA
    Feb 9, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Flowers for Vases is a great album. Its very soft and mellow and the songs are just very "in your face'. The production is very minimal and acoustic. Mostly just guitars to give that good country or soft rock sound (i think). I have to commend the songwriting here which is pretty consistent if you consider that she single-handedly wrote the entire album. This gives many of the songs a very sincere, personal and heartfelt authenticity that i think is rare. Most of the songs are short but very evocative, mostly about lost love and past memories. The opening track, First thing to go, talks about a loved one from the past, whose memories she is scared she is losing. I really love the chorus here, so simple and evocative. The next song, My Limb is perhaps my favorite on the whole album, she says that her lover is her limb without which she cannot survive. I love the lyrics, the chorus is great with some spoken and whispered background lyrics. The melodies and layered vocals are so catchy .Asystole is an acoustic number in which she details a failing relationship and tries to figure out what to do next. I love the guitars and lyrics here.Trigger is another acoustic song in which she talks about a past relationship. I found the chorus here pretty memorable though i struggled to understand the lyrics in their entirety. In over those hills, she finds herself wondering how an old lover is doing, there seems to be some great electric guitars at the end as well.Good grief also explains the feeling of heartbreak in the aftermath of a heartbreak. Its very sad and its the kind of emo stuff i just personally love. The next song, Wait On You is laced with many metaphors and its pretty interesting to analyze if you want. Inordinary is another highlight for me, with its beautiful lyrics. She recalls some childhood memories and reminds the listener that there is beauty in ordinary things. I highly recommend!! HYD is also a great acoustic number in which she ponders about a past lover but No Use I Just do doesn't have much going for it lyrically. The title track also has some beautiful lyrics about supporting someone through a rough time but letting them sort out their issues individually. More like being patient with them i guess, its beautiful. I also love the instrumental Descansos and the beautiful vocals on it, paired with the piano. Stylistically, the closer is the most distinct , with some solid production though it has a strange structure with no chorus or bridge. All in all the album is very calm and minimal but her vocals and emotion in the songs shines bright.… Expand
  21. carlosmenac
    Feb 8, 2021
    10
    After Petals For Armor which if you ask me, it was the best album from 2020 she really got me here again! What a flawless album. You ROCK H! My personal fav is Over Those Hills.
  22. Mmlord
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    Ii like the lyrics, production , and the concept it’s so beautiful, and i think it’s a series between petals for armor,
  23. Kimikimi
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is so lovely. As someone who struggles with depression and loss I found the music striking emotional cord several times. Not just the lyrics, but it feels like the music and how she sings was stripped to its most vulnerable form. Not as catchy or upbeat, but it felt like that therapeutic place of identifying your truth and just letting it exist instead of grappling of how you think you should feel. 5th time listening right now and I’m still absorbing everything.… Expand
  24. gszpta
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    album of the year incoming, i just know it. just a lover will be crowned song of the year. completely surpassed my expectations and blew petals for armor out of the water.
  25. themc
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "All songs written and performed by Hayley Williams" The fact that she did it alone, blows my mind. In my opinion, this is better than PFA.… Expand
  26. JorgeDWilliams
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    album of the year. Intimate, personal, cohesive, melancholy and mature vocals.
  27. MykolasG
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    Did this album finally make me create an account here? It sure did. An absolute highlight of 2021 so far. I haven't found a single song that was underwhelming, this whole album is just so masterfully crafted and I feel like it really shows of what kind of absolute powerhouse of an artist Hayley is.
  28. RevolvedTekno
    Feb 5, 2021
    9
    Everything about this album is wonderful. Hayley's vocals are of course beautiful and enthralling, the instrumentals are powerful and engaging, the songwriting is top notch and the production is fantastic. This album is emotional, powerful, beautiful and personal. This is very, very close to a 10 for me, and is absolutely no doubt an Album of the Year contender.
  29. eliabibarbosa
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    ela realmente fez isso!! esse álbum mostra o talento mais profundo da hayley. ela escreveu, tocou cada instrumento, ela realmente é a maior de todos.
  30. okcumputer
    Feb 5, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I played this album for my dog dying of cancer and she was cured. Thank you Hayley Williams.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

29
#29 Most Discussed Album of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. DIY Magazine
    Mar 12, 2021
    90
    Powerful, but in an entirely different way to its predecessor, it’s a record which further proves that the strength of Hayley Williams - as a songwriter, a vocalist, a woman - is still awe-inspiring.
    Read full review
  2. AllMusic
    Feb 17, 2021
    80
    Largely acoustic with a limited amount of overdubs, Flowers feels somewhat more minimalist than the aesthetically varied Petals -- which isn't to say it's any less impressive. There is a sense that Williams is celebrating her influences.
    Read full review
  3. Pitchfork
    Feb 11, 2021
    68
    There are no obvious singles or earworms, but more so than Petals for Armor, FLOWERS for VASES takes a step closer to healing.
    Read full review
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