Fall Out Boy - Folie A Deux
Rating
RIYL
Angels & AirwavesPanic! at the Disco
Paramore
We the Kings
Release Date
12/16/2008
Label
IslandTracklist
1. Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes2. I Don't Care
3. She's My Winona
4. America's Suitehearts
5. Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet
6. The (Shipped) Gold Standard
7. (Coffee's For Closers)
8. What A Catch, Donnie
9. 27
10. Tiffany Blews
11. w.a.m.s.
12. 20 Dollar Nose Bleed
13. West Coast Smoker
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How one describes Fall Out Boy’s path from inception to the release of their fifth studio album really depends on your feelings towards them. Either they have matured, both mentally and musically, moving scrappy hardcore laced pop-punk to arena-sized polished power-pop gems. Or they became a bunch of douchebags. Or they always were a bunch of douchebags - you know how the cynics are with exaggeration.
Whichever camp’s flag you fly, one thing is for certain; Fall Out Boy are an altogether different band. Another certainty is Folie A Deux is easily their most complex and hard to pin down work to date. There are songs that seem to be forgotten remnants of Infinity on High sessions gone awry with little changed in amongst some of the band’s best work. The opening track “Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes” is a firm example of the latter, a magnificent song brimming with everything that always made the band great, yet brought into the here and now. Patrick Stump’s vocals are crisp and sounding better than ever, Pete Wentz’s honed skills with a pen shine (“perfect boys, with their perfect lives / nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy”) and Andy Hurley and Joe Trohman connect the dots with swagger and aplomb, as always. Yet, sadly, the high established within the opening minutes of Folie A Deux leads into a somewhat tumultuous experience across its thirteen tracks.
The idea of duality offered by the album’s title is a prevalent one in many respects. As mentioned above, there are many brilliant moments, yet a few too many stumbles than one would like. But it runs deeper that simply that; Pete’s lyrics have always been a cornerstone of the band, and, quite simply, Wentz comes up short more often than not on Folie A Deux. His foray into outright political commentary (“...the same war his dad rehearsed / Comes back with flags on coffins and says / We won, oh we won") prompts the adage that you should certainly stick with what you know. And when he does, Wentz must still be heralded - like him or loathe him - for being the best lyricist this generation of bands have produced.
There is very little left of Fall Out Boy’s long heritage, but to listen to Folie A Deux, or simply view them as a band with their past influencing your thoughts is wholly detrimental, and it is only when the listener comes to terms with the band's evolution that the album begins to make sense. Whilst the band might have become superstars off the back off relatively simple, formulaic pop songs like “Sugar We’re Goin’ Down” or “Dance, Dance”, the style they debuted with Infinity On High, and have striven to perfect with Folie A Deux, is so utterly far removed from this. A listen to the intro to “(Coffee’s for Closers)”, with its sweeping strings, swirling guitars and demanding drums, or “What A Catch, Donnie” in its entirety, and praise must be given for the band's ability to craft truly stirring, evocative songs. The latter especially, featuring cameos from most of the Decaydance Records roster, contributing snippets of Fall Out Boy’s most memorable songs to date, whilst it sounds worryingly like an epitaph to the band’s career, is a hugely poignant song and head and shoulders above the band's peers’ best efforts.
Which makes the album’s singles, and their sound-a-likes, all the more disappointing. Whilst “I Don’t Care” and “America’s Suitehearts” are good for what they are, they are much too simple and safe when held up against the album's true high points, and you are left wishing the band would take more risks in the mainstream and display their true colours, for fiscal betterment or worsening.
Folie A Deux is not Fall Out Boy’s best album. However, when not held against the band's past releases, and not viewed in the context of “they’ll never top Take This To Your Grave”, Folie A Deux is a great release from a band who do not get enough credit for how unique their sound really is in today’s mainstream.
--Alex Davies
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Minneapolis, MN
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Recommending: The Weakerthans (live), Fun, Neon Trees
West Haven, CT
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Manchester, England
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West Haven, CT
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ARIZONA
according to the PA staff on the Tonight Show, they've always been douchebags. especially Pete Wentz
Manchester, England
pete and patrick are among the nicest people i have ever met in my years interviewing bands. completely genuine, lovely, approachable people.
As usual with this band there are a couple of songs that are ok and the rest is just forgettable, this album though is slightly "better" than the last one but there's nothing here that has remaining power.
some bands have bad attitude when it comes to dealing with big networks.
West Haven, CT
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
Manchester, England
2006 called, it wants it's retorts back.
West Haven, CT
You tell 2006 I'm too busy not caring to give it back any of my wasted life.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
New Jersey
Yeah I didn't get this one. If FOB puts out another album I'll listen to it, but past that I'm back to thinking they're nothing more than a misspelled Simpsons reference.
when i see it in your eyes
i just want to go blind
New York
Just out of curiosity, what was the reference?
Cold Showers for Stereology
http://coldshowersforstereology.blogspot.com/
San Luis Obispo, CA
i think Fallout is one word.
Ask me anything http://formspring.me/aarontroy
Citadel Artist Management
Decoymusic.com (CEO/Editor)
Blue Reef Design Studios (Web Design)