topher465
01/20/09, 07:32 PM
Fall Out Boy - Folie á Deux
Record Label: Island Records
Release Date: December 16, 2008
Although both have seen considerable success throughout their careers, there are a few things which separate a band like Foo Fighters from a band like Fall Out Boy. Foo Fighters, for instance, consistently release material that is both refreshing and artistically stimulating while maintaining their identity and creating good rock 'n roll music. Fall Out Boy, on the other hand, have shown what seems to be an ailing tendency to “mature,” or, in other words, to experiment, arriving at a mediocre end in the form of Folie a Don’t....err...I mean, Folie á Deux.
“Disloyal Order of the Buffalos” opens melodiously with a soulful Patrick Stump singing with a melancholy ring atop an organ before kicking it in with muscular drums and rhythmic guitar strumming while Stump solidifies a verse in the background. With a model introduction and overall strength, especially with the gang chorus hit of “detox just to retox,” the song is a solid opener, but it's too slow to be a fast song and too fast to be a slow song, causing it to fall into an awkward mid-tempo category without offering enough hooks to be memorable. “I Don’t Care” picks up the energy with huge guitars in an urban atmosphere and a tight-yet-dark chorus hook. This tune plays second fiddle only to “America’s Suitehearts,” which features Freddie-Mercury-esque falsetto backing vocals controlling the groovy verses and massive guitars commanding the chorus. As expected, with both low and high parts being equally effective tools in conveying emotion, Stump steals the show with a vocal range better than nearly every vocalist on the scene. Indeed, “$20 Nosebleed” showcases the bluesy vocal style Stump has adopted, complete with horn arrangements. But Folie á Deux, unfortunately, isn’t defined by the hooks that have catapulted the band to success in the past. Instead, the band follows the utter mediocrity of the countless other acts that have shot for songs that would fit better in a dance club than at a rock concert (“Tiffany Blews,” “W.A.M.S.”).
For those tracks that don’t belong at your local 21 and under dance club, the majority never seem to get going, falling into the trap of simple blandness (“Coffee’s For Closers,” “27”). Tracks like “West Coast Smoker” and “The (Shipped) Gold Standard” offer inklings of the missing energy and pizzaz, but fail in comparison to the material in which the band has released in the past. The record’s token ballad, “What A Catch, Donnie,” boasts a duet with Elvis Costello and features lush instrumentation, advertising the band’s sometimes sarcastic tendencies, but it seems somewhat out of place.
With that said, the comparison game is one which is played by everyone, whether consciously or subconsciously. If this was Fall Out Boy’s debut record, the review would surely be different, slanted in the direction of a band that may show some promise amidst a market full of teenie-boppers. But as the band’s fourth studio album, the signs of Top-40, major label success seem to be shining through the cracks. This is no longer the band of From Under The Cork Tree, possibly one of the best pop-punk records ever made, and this is surely no longer the band of Take This To Your Grave. Instead, this is a band who have mistakenly dabbled in collaboration with artists and genres, producing a record of mediocrity that can be lent to the band’s experimentation. However, not all is lost. Indeed, Folie á Deux showcases exceedingly impressive vocals and melodies from Stump, who with every record, seems to raise the bar for himself. Vocal characteristics aside, Folie á Deux may reel in some new listeners with chart toppers like “I Don’t Care” and “America’s Suitehearts,” triggering memories of “Sugar, We’re Going Down,” but it may leave the rest to de-pledge their allegiance to the Fall Out Boy nation, whispering “Thanks for the memories.”
All-American Rejects; Every Avenue; Fall Out Boy's Infinity On High
www.myspace.com/falloutboy (http://www.myspace.com/falloutboy)
Record Label: Island Records
Release Date: December 16, 2008
Although both have seen considerable success throughout their careers, there are a few things which separate a band like Foo Fighters from a band like Fall Out Boy. Foo Fighters, for instance, consistently release material that is both refreshing and artistically stimulating while maintaining their identity and creating good rock 'n roll music. Fall Out Boy, on the other hand, have shown what seems to be an ailing tendency to “mature,” or, in other words, to experiment, arriving at a mediocre end in the form of Folie a Don’t....err...I mean, Folie á Deux.
“Disloyal Order of the Buffalos” opens melodiously with a soulful Patrick Stump singing with a melancholy ring atop an organ before kicking it in with muscular drums and rhythmic guitar strumming while Stump solidifies a verse in the background. With a model introduction and overall strength, especially with the gang chorus hit of “detox just to retox,” the song is a solid opener, but it's too slow to be a fast song and too fast to be a slow song, causing it to fall into an awkward mid-tempo category without offering enough hooks to be memorable. “I Don’t Care” picks up the energy with huge guitars in an urban atmosphere and a tight-yet-dark chorus hook. This tune plays second fiddle only to “America’s Suitehearts,” which features Freddie-Mercury-esque falsetto backing vocals controlling the groovy verses and massive guitars commanding the chorus. As expected, with both low and high parts being equally effective tools in conveying emotion, Stump steals the show with a vocal range better than nearly every vocalist on the scene. Indeed, “$20 Nosebleed” showcases the bluesy vocal style Stump has adopted, complete with horn arrangements. But Folie á Deux, unfortunately, isn’t defined by the hooks that have catapulted the band to success in the past. Instead, the band follows the utter mediocrity of the countless other acts that have shot for songs that would fit better in a dance club than at a rock concert (“Tiffany Blews,” “W.A.M.S.”).
For those tracks that don’t belong at your local 21 and under dance club, the majority never seem to get going, falling into the trap of simple blandness (“Coffee’s For Closers,” “27”). Tracks like “West Coast Smoker” and “The (Shipped) Gold Standard” offer inklings of the missing energy and pizzaz, but fail in comparison to the material in which the band has released in the past. The record’s token ballad, “What A Catch, Donnie,” boasts a duet with Elvis Costello and features lush instrumentation, advertising the band’s sometimes sarcastic tendencies, but it seems somewhat out of place.
With that said, the comparison game is one which is played by everyone, whether consciously or subconsciously. If this was Fall Out Boy’s debut record, the review would surely be different, slanted in the direction of a band that may show some promise amidst a market full of teenie-boppers. But as the band’s fourth studio album, the signs of Top-40, major label success seem to be shining through the cracks. This is no longer the band of From Under The Cork Tree, possibly one of the best pop-punk records ever made, and this is surely no longer the band of Take This To Your Grave. Instead, this is a band who have mistakenly dabbled in collaboration with artists and genres, producing a record of mediocrity that can be lent to the band’s experimentation. However, not all is lost. Indeed, Folie á Deux showcases exceedingly impressive vocals and melodies from Stump, who with every record, seems to raise the bar for himself. Vocal characteristics aside, Folie á Deux may reel in some new listeners with chart toppers like “I Don’t Care” and “America’s Suitehearts,” triggering memories of “Sugar, We’re Going Down,” but it may leave the rest to de-pledge their allegiance to the Fall Out Boy nation, whispering “Thanks for the memories.”
All-American Rejects; Every Avenue; Fall Out Boy's Infinity On High
www.myspace.com/falloutboy (http://www.myspace.com/falloutboy)