danfrank
12/06/08, 11:35 PM
Fall Out Boy - Folie à Deux
Record Label: Decaydance / Fueled by Ramen / Island
Release Date: December 16, 2008 (USA)
Reviewing your favorite band can be a daunting task. There is an assumed bias to be either blindly favorable to the material, or to be underwhelmed because of the legacy of the artist, or the albums’ hype. I fully understand both of these obstacles coming into this, and will openly admit that; yes, Fall Out Boy is the quintessential band of my youth. Naturally, I was more than excited when word got out about their newest disc Folie à Deux, however with delays and a disappointing promotion scheme, much of the anticipation was lost. The onset of this album would leave almost any fan disappointed for whatever material they released; it simply was too hyped for its own good. Looking past this blunder, though, Folie à Deux contains some of the catchiest material in the bands catalogue.
The introduction organ tones and guitar riff of opener “Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes” ring a foreboding tone that carries throughout the disc. It is glossy, wet, and at times over-produced; but it suits Wentz’s tragic tone well. With catchy, sure-to-be AOL away message chants like “boycott love” and “nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy,” it is clear that Pete Wentz has found a niche in the genre with a very distinctive lyrical style. A quick cut to single, “I Don’t Care,” ups the tempo, and fades into the funky, synth-heavy “She’s My Winona.” The similarities between this album and Infinity On High become clear by this point in the album, luckily most of the similar material is reminiscent of the high marks of their previous work.
At this point, the work begins to drone - but Fall Out Boy respond with “America’s Suitehearts.” Although the corny wordplay might suggest an MTV reality show, the track is one of the most musically-interesting pieces the group has ever recorded. An opening that intertwines an 80’s guitar riff (complete with delay and much distortion) with a My Chemical Romance-esque drum pattern deceives the listener, as the track quickly breaks down to one of the last-known pop songs that doesn’t reek of overproduction. It’s evident that the strong vocals of Patrick Stump are essential to the Fall Out Boy formula, so much so that it’s sometimes hard to distinguish guitar under his powerful voice. The band seem to hit a hot streak halfway through many albums (i.e. "Hum Hallelujah," "The (After) Life of the Party," with “Golden” excluded), and this album is no different. By the time “(Coffee’s for Closers)” (evidently Wentz hasn’t strayed from his parenthetical love) is done, you will almost certainly have a melody or a witty chant stuck in your subconscious for the rest of your natural born life.
Their most orchestral work follows with “What a Catch, Donnie,” which is a surprisingly genuine self-analytical ballad, with a big chorus. Really big. With a full string arrangement and a well-composed piano score, Stump captures the moment with a wide range, and a strong, potent vocal track. After a couple of chorus loops, Elvis Costello joins in, to momentarily shift focus from the distinctive voice. The finale of the song has been the pipe-dream of Fueled By Ramen supporters for some time - a vocal medley of some of the biggest names in the genre: Brendon Urie, Travis McCoy and William Beckett, among others. This song very well might be the most complex, masterful, and pleasing work that the band has ever recorded.
“27” is a cold track, that feels monotonous and drags on with an unnecessary guitar solo. “Tiffany Blews” isn’t much of an improvement, and with a forced, literally undecipherable bridge courtesy of Lil' Wayne, the album reaches a low point. “W.A.M.S” is a jam, though; the best throwback to 80’s pop ever recorded, this song blends a great mix of Michael Jackson-like vocal patterns and synthesizer, with an almost Kanye West sound of low-end-heavy production and minor chord structure. Lyrically, the album is consistent with Wentz’s style, and very well might be (as claimed by Stump) his best work-to-date. A puzzling outro of Patrick Stump singing down South-style blues takes up almost a minute, and could have been left out for the betterment of the album.
A vocal duet with Panic at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie drives the song “20 Dollar Nosebleed” to the horn-heavy chorus. With a well-constructed bridge, this song is good, but forgettable. A pots and pans beat emerges as the chorus falls out, and the listener is subjected to an overly dramatic spoken-word section from lyricist Pete Wentz. I won’t even go into the content of this waste of magnetic tape, but it is just as bad as the transition to “XO” on 2005's From Under the Cork Tree. “West Coast Smoker” closes out Folie à Deux with a surprisingly loud (in the mix) guitar section from Joe Trohman. The song itself is a continuation of the sound Fall Out Boy has achieved with this album: strong verses, with choruses interesting enough to catch the ear, and catchy enough to make them stay.
It’s been said a million times: “No, this isn’t Take This to Your Grave,” and it’s true. That album, as a reference point, is meaningless; some elements of the sound remain, but largely, Fall Out Boy have redefined not only their sound, but the genre that contains it. This is a great album, that will most certainly provide a large portion of the best of their catalogue, but it isn’t anything earth-shattering. Chances are, you know exactly what you’re getting walking into a Fall Out Boy record, so the choice is yours to regard it as the solid collaboration between Wentz and Stump, or another disc that couldn’t top Take This to Your Grave.
The Academy Is...; Panic at the Disco; All Time Low
myspace.com/falloutboy (http://www.myspace.com/falloutboy)
Record Label: Decaydance / Fueled by Ramen / Island
Release Date: December 16, 2008 (USA)
Reviewing your favorite band can be a daunting task. There is an assumed bias to be either blindly favorable to the material, or to be underwhelmed because of the legacy of the artist, or the albums’ hype. I fully understand both of these obstacles coming into this, and will openly admit that; yes, Fall Out Boy is the quintessential band of my youth. Naturally, I was more than excited when word got out about their newest disc Folie à Deux, however with delays and a disappointing promotion scheme, much of the anticipation was lost. The onset of this album would leave almost any fan disappointed for whatever material they released; it simply was too hyped for its own good. Looking past this blunder, though, Folie à Deux contains some of the catchiest material in the bands catalogue.
The introduction organ tones and guitar riff of opener “Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes” ring a foreboding tone that carries throughout the disc. It is glossy, wet, and at times over-produced; but it suits Wentz’s tragic tone well. With catchy, sure-to-be AOL away message chants like “boycott love” and “nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy,” it is clear that Pete Wentz has found a niche in the genre with a very distinctive lyrical style. A quick cut to single, “I Don’t Care,” ups the tempo, and fades into the funky, synth-heavy “She’s My Winona.” The similarities between this album and Infinity On High become clear by this point in the album, luckily most of the similar material is reminiscent of the high marks of their previous work.
At this point, the work begins to drone - but Fall Out Boy respond with “America’s Suitehearts.” Although the corny wordplay might suggest an MTV reality show, the track is one of the most musically-interesting pieces the group has ever recorded. An opening that intertwines an 80’s guitar riff (complete with delay and much distortion) with a My Chemical Romance-esque drum pattern deceives the listener, as the track quickly breaks down to one of the last-known pop songs that doesn’t reek of overproduction. It’s evident that the strong vocals of Patrick Stump are essential to the Fall Out Boy formula, so much so that it’s sometimes hard to distinguish guitar under his powerful voice. The band seem to hit a hot streak halfway through many albums (i.e. "Hum Hallelujah," "The (After) Life of the Party," with “Golden” excluded), and this album is no different. By the time “(Coffee’s for Closers)” (evidently Wentz hasn’t strayed from his parenthetical love) is done, you will almost certainly have a melody or a witty chant stuck in your subconscious for the rest of your natural born life.
Their most orchestral work follows with “What a Catch, Donnie,” which is a surprisingly genuine self-analytical ballad, with a big chorus. Really big. With a full string arrangement and a well-composed piano score, Stump captures the moment with a wide range, and a strong, potent vocal track. After a couple of chorus loops, Elvis Costello joins in, to momentarily shift focus from the distinctive voice. The finale of the song has been the pipe-dream of Fueled By Ramen supporters for some time - a vocal medley of some of the biggest names in the genre: Brendon Urie, Travis McCoy and William Beckett, among others. This song very well might be the most complex, masterful, and pleasing work that the band has ever recorded.
“27” is a cold track, that feels monotonous and drags on with an unnecessary guitar solo. “Tiffany Blews” isn’t much of an improvement, and with a forced, literally undecipherable bridge courtesy of Lil' Wayne, the album reaches a low point. “W.A.M.S” is a jam, though; the best throwback to 80’s pop ever recorded, this song blends a great mix of Michael Jackson-like vocal patterns and synthesizer, with an almost Kanye West sound of low-end-heavy production and minor chord structure. Lyrically, the album is consistent with Wentz’s style, and very well might be (as claimed by Stump) his best work-to-date. A puzzling outro of Patrick Stump singing down South-style blues takes up almost a minute, and could have been left out for the betterment of the album.
A vocal duet with Panic at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie drives the song “20 Dollar Nosebleed” to the horn-heavy chorus. With a well-constructed bridge, this song is good, but forgettable. A pots and pans beat emerges as the chorus falls out, and the listener is subjected to an overly dramatic spoken-word section from lyricist Pete Wentz. I won’t even go into the content of this waste of magnetic tape, but it is just as bad as the transition to “XO” on 2005's From Under the Cork Tree. “West Coast Smoker” closes out Folie à Deux with a surprisingly loud (in the mix) guitar section from Joe Trohman. The song itself is a continuation of the sound Fall Out Boy has achieved with this album: strong verses, with choruses interesting enough to catch the ear, and catchy enough to make them stay.
It’s been said a million times: “No, this isn’t Take This to Your Grave,” and it’s true. That album, as a reference point, is meaningless; some elements of the sound remain, but largely, Fall Out Boy have redefined not only their sound, but the genre that contains it. This is a great album, that will most certainly provide a large portion of the best of their catalogue, but it isn’t anything earth-shattering. Chances are, you know exactly what you’re getting walking into a Fall Out Boy record, so the choice is yours to regard it as the solid collaboration between Wentz and Stump, or another disc that couldn’t top Take This to Your Grave.
The Academy Is...; Panic at the Disco; All Time Low
myspace.com/falloutboy (http://www.myspace.com/falloutboy)