Fall Out Boy are masters of the catchy pop-punk chorus. They have such an ability to crank out hit chorus after hit chorus that it is a given, so the success of each song largely depends on how they fill in the time between choruses...
Unfortunately, these time-fillers are often forgettable or disjointed. For example, Saturday and A Little Less Sixteen Candles stumble awkwardly from their verses into the chorus. Alpha Dog is a rare case of having a great energy to the verses, but the composition is messy and lyrics are very cheesy. For me, Dance Dance manages to overcome the handicap of disjointed composition, thanks to the wall-to-wall singalong energy and a wonderfully bonkers pre-chorus (ala Chop Suey).
Grand Theft Autumn is actually the exception that proves the "Fall Out Boy chorus" rule, since this chorus is well below their usual standard. Strangely, the verses are actually quite good, but my reaction to the song is quite lukewarm (perhaps indicating how much pop-punk songs rely on having a catchy chorus?).
Recording quality for the most part is nicely crunchy yet also enveloping. However, in a few songs, the chorus seems squashed down, diminishing its place as the highlight of the song.
I Don't Care uses a heavy groove (similar to recent Muse) to mix things up, and it works very nicely. And the pre-chorus of From Now On We Are Enemies is wonderfully operatic, which gives the song great momentum heading into the (brilliant, of course) chorus.
The other injection of variety comes from the slower rock-ballads, such as The Take Over The Break Over, I'm Like A Lawyer and American's Sweethearts. I think these songs sound very similar to Maroon 5, which is not how things are meant to be for a punk-rock band!
Now on to my two favourite Fall Out Boy songs: Thanks for the Memories and This Ain't A Scene It's An Arms Race (TAASIAAR). Somehow, the lyrics of Thanks For The Memories don't appeal to me at all, yet there is no denying that the chorus is a stand-out highlight, even amongst the high standard of this album. TAASIAAR shows that a glam-disco beat can be a brilliant addition to a punk rock song, much life The Offspring's You're Gonna Go Far Kid. It brings a nice variety, yet also maintaining the intensity between choruses. I also really dig TAASIAAR's lyrics- I have no idea what they mean, but whatever their assertion is, it sure is delivered with great passion! It's all wrapped together in a song that's perfect for bouncing and singing along to.
Finally, Beat It is a great cover, which might seem a simple task given the excellent original, but often the opposite is true. Anyway, the band have done a great job with this snappy and grunty interpretation.
I Don't Care uses a heavy groove (similar to recent Muse) to mix things up, and it works very nicely. And the pre-chorus of From Now On We Are Enemies is wonderfully operatic, which gives the song great momentum heading into the (brilliant, of course) chorus.
The other injection of variety comes from the slower rock-ballads, such as The Take Over The Break Over, I'm Like A Lawyer and American's Sweethearts. I think these songs sound very similar to Maroon 5, which is not how things are meant to be for a punk-rock band!
Now on to my two favourite Fall Out Boy songs: Thanks for the Memories and This Ain't A Scene It's An Arms Race (TAASIAAR). Somehow, the lyrics of Thanks For The Memories don't appeal to me at all, yet there is no denying that the chorus is a stand-out highlight, even amongst the high standard of this album. TAASIAAR shows that a glam-disco beat can be a brilliant addition to a punk rock song, much life The Offspring's You're Gonna Go Far Kid. It brings a nice variety, yet also maintaining the intensity between choruses. I also really dig TAASIAAR's lyrics- I have no idea what they mean, but whatever their assertion is, it sure is delivered with great passion! It's all wrapped together in a song that's perfect for bouncing and singing along to.
Finally, Beat It is a great cover, which might seem a simple task given the excellent original, but often the opposite is true. Anyway, the band have done a great job with this snappy and grunty interpretation.
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