Sunday, December 21, 2008

Fall Out Boy pleases with "double madness" in 5th release


By Sarah Rutz
photo by Amy Willard
Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy performs at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC.

After delaying the release due to Election Day conflicts, Folie A Deux, Fall Out Boy’s highly anticipated fifth studio album, has left little to be desired from fans who have been there from the beginning, and those who maybe have just started listening to the Illinois quartet. Even for people who haven’t had the opportunity to go out and purchase the CD yet, chances are they’ve already heard the catchy single, “I Don’t Care,” a high energy anthem with lyrics to match, which gives a little taste of what else Folie has to offer to listeners.

The entire disc demonstrates Fall Out Boy’s dedication to their music and need to develop each CD as individual and maybe even better than the one before it. In this case, Folie a Deux supercedes 2007’s Infinity On High, showing how the band has matured musically in just a little over a year, and as a band in general. Produced by Neal Avron and Pharrell Williams, the thirteen track effort is a little different from what most people would probably expect from Fall Out Boy, but still distinctly carries their name and a somewhat signature sound that the band has managed to create over the years.

The opening track, “Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes,” echoes the achievements made by 2007’s Infinity with a mix of organ, powerful guitar, and of course, Patrick Stump’s distinctive vocals as well as gang vocals in the background shouting a catchy mantra of “detox just to retox.” As an introduction into Fall Out Boy’s latest conquest on the music world, the premiere track blends both their old sound with something new and unexpected from the band— almost an infusion of all of their previous albums, creating something both new and exciting. Following the first track come other strong sounds, including the danceable "Ameica’s Suitehearts” and “The (Shipped) Gold Standard,” with creatively strong lyrics and distinct messages.  

Several tracks on Folie A Deux are backed by an all-star cast: Fall Out Boy brought in acts like labelmates William Beckett (The Academy Is…), Brendon Urie (Panic at the Disco), Gabe Saporta (Cobra Starship) and Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes), and also Lil Wayne and Elvis Costello to assist with songs like “What a Catch, Donnie” and “Tiffany Blews,” giving the CD even more vigor and power than it already had. If that’s not enough, there are several remixes out there of both hit tracks “I Don’t Care” and “America’s Suitehearts,” and the latter is soon to be followed up by a music video featuring Hey Monday’s Cassadee Pope.  

Fall Out Boy has certainly put all of their effort into this album and everything that went along with it--from relentless promotion and letting listeners stream the album via MySpace, to the Citizens For Our Betterment phenomenon that went along with all the album’s hype. And all of the buzz surrounding this release is completely worth it—Fall Out Boy’s Folie A Deux is one that is worth picking up, listening to, and is a great addition to any pop/punk music collection.

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