You never forget your first love. Sure, they may leave you heartbroken and picking up the pieces of where to turn to next, but those scars cut deep. Fall Out Boy arrived on the pop-punk scene with their debut LP, called Take This To Your Grave, that featured slick hooks and sing-a-long choruses that made this band destined for superstardom. The band was technically signed to Island Records through a “first-ever incubator type of deal” that gave them money to sign a one-off record deal to put their debut out on Fueled By Ramen to grow a steady following before their major label debut. This seemed to pay off big time for both Fall Out Boy and Island Records, as the band would become one of the hottest acts around by the time From Under The Cork Tree was released. The now-iconic cover photo of the band sitting on a broken futon was actually the second choice from the label, as the initial concept of a live photo was rejected. The lyrical material is largely based around fractured relationships, falling in and out of love, and traveling, while it became a point of contention between bassist Pete Wentz and lead vocalist Patrick Stump. During the recording of the LP, Wentz and Stump argued for days on end about the direction of the lyrics, but they ultimately believe that through this conflict came something beautiful.
Read More “Fall Out Boy – Take This To Your Grave”Review: Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust
There’s something to be said for the ability to come full circle to where it all began. Fall Out Boy have returned with their eighth studio album, So Much (for) Stardust, on the label that started the entire hype train, Fueled By Ramen. From being the band that arguably got their biggest break from a “You Hear It First” MTV vignette that showcased the band’s raucous live shows and built up the anticipation for their Take This To Your Grave album. The rest was history, as the band would reach atmospheric success on their major label debut From Under The Cork Tree, which would go on to sell over two million copies in the U.S. alone. The funny thing about the “reinvention years,” or the post-hiatus albums that came after Folie à Deux, is that this new record is the perfect balance between the two “versions” of Fall Out Boy. It has the charm of the early albums, paired with the studio experimentation of the post-hiatus LPs, all honed into a crisp delivery courtesy of veteran producer Neal Avron. From the homage of getting their “elder-emo status” on the music video for “Love From The Other Side,” to the most recent single being the most logical progression from “This Ain’t A Scene…” to now. So Much (for) Stardust achieves the near-impossible: it satisfies both longtime fans and FOB-newbies into a crowd-pleasing package of songs that tug on the heartstrings of emo kids everywhere.
Read More “Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust”Review: Fall Out Boy – Lake Effect Kid
“I love you, Chicago,” Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy sings on the closing notes of the second track “City in a Garden,” and, in a lot of ways, Lake Effect Kid, is very much a love letter to Chicago and all of the band’s memories surrounding their city. Nostalgia aside, Fall Out Boy have shown that they have not peaked, and the Lake Effect Kid EP showcases some of their best work to date.
Review: Fall Out Boy – Young and Menace
This first impression was originally posted as a live blog for supporters in our forums on April 21st, 2017. First impressions are meant to be quick, fun, initial impressions on an album or release as I listen to it for the first time. It’s a running commentary written while listening to an album — not a review. More like a diary of thoughts. This post has been lightly edited for structure and flow.
I’ve done zero “single song” first listen threads, but if I was going to do one … I feel like Fall Out Boy are the band I should do it for. They’re about as big a band as we have from the music scene and they’ve got a pretty good following here still, so it just makes sense. Gotta give the people what they want!
I watched some basketball, and then got some work finished, so I’ve got a few minutes before I call it a night and go watch some Spider-Man cartoons and have a beer in bed. Not a bad Friday night.
Ok. So, few thoughts:
- I’ve played the song about 6-8 times already, I’m gonna play it a couple right now and write up some thoughts on it. Once the first time through, then pause and write a little, and then some closing thoughts. So it won’t be a super long thread, but it should be fun.
- As always I reserve the right to change my mind later, this isn’t a review, it’s just me kinda talking aloud as I listen to music and think about things and share thoughts and how it sounds.
Review: Fall Out Boy – Save Rock and Roll
I believe that each time we select an album out of the ether and push play, it says something not just to us, but about us. It becomes a reflection of that instant and transcends into both a personal and social entity simultaneously. It is this duality of frozen moments, between headphones and shared experiences, that helps define why we listen. We listen to be touched. We find comfort in intimate moments alone with songs, and we tie memories with the best of friends to the soundtracks of our nights. The songs that have stayed with me the longest are the ones that exist forever between these two realities: the ones that I suffer with and the ones that I share.
Review: Fall Out Boy – Folie à Deux
Hey, did you hear? Fall Out Boy released an album with a funky French album title. What’s up with that? Their third major label release, Folie à Deux, harnesses the band’s darker, more experimental side musically without sacrificing one shred of the sing-along choruses that shot them to stardom. As fans scramble to Google to figure out what the title means, here’s the short version. Did Pete Wentz, Pat Stump, and the gang spend too much time imitating hipsters and thumbing through French dictionaries at Starbucks? Nah. Simply put, folie à deux is a “madness shared by two,” when two people develop the same delusional disorder due to a close relationship with the other. The more you know…
Read More “Fall Out Boy – Folie à Deux”Review: Fall Out Boy – Infinity on High
The only way to open this review is to be honest about my intentions. Everyone knows I’m a fan of this band. My website has followed their career closely over the last few years and I have a personal relationship with some of the band members. It’s not often you hear a reviewer admit their bias, but I am doing just that. I’m a fan of the band, always have been, and probably always will. The reason I’m doing this is because I’ve come to the conclusion that there will be very few reviews (public or personal) on this album that, if the reviewer is honest with themselves, are completely objective. It seems everyone has a preconceived notion on how they feel about this band. The truth is — it’s their third (official) full-length, by this time you know if you like what they do or not. If you’re already a hater: don’t try and fool anyone into thinking you really thought, “you just might like this one” – because you won’t.