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Rating:
As promised to my splendid girlfriend, here I am trying to review the latest effort by Fall Out Boy. And who might they be, you might be wondering? A more than legitimate question that I asked myself when I heard them mentioned in the TV show "One Tree Hill." Well, they are an emo punk-pop band born from the suburbs of Chicago and authors of a major debut (and what a major, considering it's Island) as the next big-thing with their "From Under The Cork Tree" of 2005. Initially met with some skepticism by yours truly, a lover of the Clash and the 90s Californian new punk, they managed to make me change my mind rather quickly.
The quartet, classic in its setup of lead guitar-rhythm guitar-bass-drums, musically closely resembles Bad Religion and Offspring (fortunately they are much more similar to the former...) and consists of Patrick Stump on vocals and guitar (a tuned voice, but perhaps a bit too self-satisfied), Peter Wentz (lyricist, model for Rolling Stone and actor) on bass, Joe Trohman on lead Gibson, and Andrew Hurley on drums. This last member is perhaps the most interesting of the entire lineup, as he is very skilled in rhythm changes and has such power as to make Dave Lombardo of Slayer envious. The lineup, not exactly orthodox by punk standards, has cost the group significant hostility in underground circles that have often considered them, not always unjustly, as tattooed Backstreet Boys...
But this album, you might ask, what’s it like? Here’s my answer. Mixing Sum 41, Bad Religion, and Green Day, "our guys" seek to carve out a space for themselves quite easily by offering songs sung (sorry for the repetition) with Billie Joe Armstrong's accent and tone, explosively fast bass lines similar to those proposed in "Mr. Lavigne's" group's songs (eh! eh!) and technically impeccable guitars, especially in string recalls and crossings, although the suspicion of overdubbing looms ominous and unsettling (could this be why they haven’t released a proper live album yet?). The tracks are all characterized by the cliché of a slow intro, subdued voice, pulsating bass entry, and a mega wave of watts and power with galloping drums and guitar. The first three songs deserve a mention: "Thriller" (great entry of drums and bass and a chorus that gets stuck in your head, with a spoken intro by Jay-Z), "The Take Over, The Breaks Over" (a great funky rhythm à la Flea&Frusciante), and the hit single "This Ain't a Scene, It's An Arms Race" (slow start, title repeated like a mantra, and then a dizzying descent on Trohman's seven strings). The other eleven tracks are classic pop-punk with the exception of the gospel incursion in "Hum Hallelujah", but all are worthy of attention even from snobs like us nostalgic for punk 1977.
All in all, it’s not an album that will change anyone's life, but it will certainly please everyone to launch into a wild moshpit following the strong melodies and precise and fresh rhythms of the American band. The only downside, besides the age-old repetitiveness of this testosterone-laden genre, is the overly long titles that don’t lend themselves to being remembered, so here’s an appeal to Mr. Wentz: in your opinion, why do Pearl Jam, Clash, and Green Day rely on titles of no more than five words? Think about it... in the meantime, we'll listen to this nice album.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Thriller (03:29)
Yeah, what you critics said would never happen
We dedicate this album to anybody people said couldn't make it
To the fans that held us down 'till everybody came around
Welcome, it's here
--------------------------------------------------------------
That summer we took threes across the board
But by fall we were a cover story
Now in stores
Make us poster boys in your scene
But we are not making an acceptance speech
I have found the safest place to keep all of our mistakes
Every dot-com's refreshing for a journal update
So long live the car-crash hearts
Cry on the couch all the poets come to life
Fix me in 45
So long live the car-crash hearts
Cry on the couch all the poets come to life
Fix me in 45
I can take your problems away
With a nod and a wave of my hand
'Cause that's just the kind of boy that I am
The only thing I haven't done yet is die
And it¡s me and my plus one in the afterlife
Crowds are won and lost and won again
But our hearts beat for the diehards
So long live the car-crash hearts
Cry on the couch all the poets come to life
Fix me in 45
So long live the car-crash hearts
Cry on the couch all the poets come to life
Fix me in 45
Long live the car-crash hearts
Long live the car-crash hearts
(Long live the car-crash hearts)
Long live the car-crash hearts
Long live the car-crash hearts
Long live the car-crash hearts
Cry on the couch all the poets come to life
Fix me in 45
--------------------------------------------
Young! F-O-B Let's go.
03 This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race (03:32)
I am an arms dealer
Fitting you with weapons in the form of words
And I don't really care which side wins
As long as the room keeps singing
That's just the business I'm in
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
I'm not a shoulder to cry on but I digress
I'm a leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate, oh so intricate
I'm a leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate, oh so intricate
I wrote the gospel on giving up
(You look pretty sinking)
But the real bombshells have already sunk
(Prima donnas of the gutter)
At night we're painting your trash gold while you sleep
Crashing not like hips or cars
No, more like p-p-p-parties
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
Bandwagon's full, please, catch another
I'm a leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate, oh so intricate
I'm a leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate, oh so intricate
All the boys who the dance floor didn't love
And all the girls who's lips couldn't move fast enough
Sing until your lungs give out
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
(Now you)
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
(Wear out the groove)
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
(Sing out loud)
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
(Oh, oh)
This ain't a scene, it's a god damn arms race
I'm a leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate, oh so intricate
I'm a leading man
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate, oh so intricate.
05 Hum Hallelujah (03:50)
It's all a game of this or that, now verses then
They're better off against worse for wear
And you're someone who knows someone
Who knows someone I once knew
And I just want to be a part of this
The road outside my house is paved with good intentions
Hired a construction crew 'cuz it's hell on the engine
And you are the dreamer, and we are the dream
I could write it better than you ever felt it
So hum hallelujah, just off the key of reason
I thought I loved you, and it's just how you looked in the light
A teenage vow in a parking lot, 'till tonight do us part
I sing the blues and you swallow them too
My words are my faith, to hell with our good name
Remix up your guts, your insides x-rayed
And one day we'll get nostalgic for disaster
We're a bull, your ears are just a china shop
I love you in the same way, there's chapel in a hospital
One foot in your bedroom, and one foot out the door
Sometimes we take chances, sometimes we take pills
I could write it better than you ever felt it
So hum hallelujah, just off the key of reason
I thought I loved you, and it's just how you looked in the light
A teenage vow in a parking lot, 'till tonight do us part
I sing the blues and you swallow them too
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelu
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelu
(Hum hallelujah, hum hallelujah)
A teenage vow in a parking lot, 'till tonight do us part
I sing the blues and swallow them too
So hum hallelujah, just off the key of reason
I thought I loved you, and it's just how you looked in the light
A teenage vow in a parking lot, 'till tonight do us part
A teenage vow in a parking lot, 'till tonight do us part
A teenage vow in a parking lot, 'till tonight do us part
I sing the blues and you swallow them too.
06 Golden (02:32)
How cruel is the golden rule?
When the lives we lived are only golden-plated
And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me
Though I carried karats for everyone to see
And I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies
And all the lovers with no time for me
And all of the mothers raise their babies
To stay away from me
Tongues on the sockets of electric dreams
Where the sewage of youth drown the spark of my teens
And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me (Too heavy for me)
Though I carried karats for everyone to see
(Everyone to see)
And I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies
And all the lovers with no time for me
And all of the mothers raise their babies
To stay away from me
And pray they don't grow up to be.
07 Thnks fr th Mmrs (03:23)
I'm gonna make you bend and break
(It sent you to me without wings)
Say a prayer, but let the good times roll
In case God doesn't show
(Let the good times roll, let the good times roll)
And I want these words to make things right
But it's the wrongs that make the words come to life
"Who does he think he is?"
If that's the worst you've got better put your fingers back to the keys
One night and one more time
Thanks for the memories
Even though they weren't so great
He tastes like you only sweeter
One night yeah, and one more time
Thanks for the memories
Thanks for the memories
See he tastes like you only sweeter
I'm looking forward to the future
But my eyesight is going bad
And this crystal ball
It's always cloudy except for, except for
When you look into the past, look into the past
One night stand
One night stand
One night and one more time
Thanks for the memories
Even though they weren't so great
He tastes like you only sweeter
One night yeah, and one more time
Thanks for the memories
Thanks for the memories
See he tastes like you only sweeter
They say I only think in the form of
Crunching numbers in hotel rooms
Collecting page six lovers
Get me out of my mind
Get you out of those clothes
I'm a liner away from
Getting you into the mood
One night and one more time
Thanks for the memories
Even though they weren't so great
He tastes like you only sweeter
One night yeah, and one more time
Thanks for the memories
Thanks for the memories
See he tastes like you only sweeter
One night and one more time
(One more night, one more time)
Thanks for the memories
Even though they weren't so great
He tastes like you only sweeter
One night yeah, and one more time
(One more night, one more time)
Thanks for the memories
Thanks for the memories
See he tastes like you only sweeter.
11 Bang the Doldrums (03:31)
I wrote a goodbye note
In lipstick on your arm
When you passed out
I couldn't bring myself to call
Except to call it quits
Best friends
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
And not the other way around
Racing through the city
Windows down
In the back of
Yellow-checkered cars
You're wrong
Are we all wrong?
You're wrong
Are we all wrong?
This city says wt up ya'll?
Come hell or high water
When I'm feeling hot and wet
I can't commit to a thing
Be it heart or hospital
Best friends
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
And not the other way around
Racing through the city
Windows down
Yellow-checkered cars
You're wrong
Are we all wrong?
You're wrong
Are we all wrong?
The tombstones were waiting
They were half-engraved
They knew it was over
Just didn't know the date
And I cast a spell over the west
To make you think of me
The same way I think of you
This is a love song
In my own way
Happily ever after
Below the waist
Best friends
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
Racing through the city
Windows down
In the back of
Yellow checkered cars
You're wrong
Are we all wrong?
You're wrong
Are we all wrong?
Best friends
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers
And not the other way around
Ex-friends till the end
Better off as lovers.
12 Fame < Infamy (03:06)
I'm a preacher sweating in the pews
For the salvation I'm bringing you
I'm a salesman, I'm selling you hooks and plans
And myself for making demands
When I'm home alone I just dance by myself
And you pull my head so close, volume goes with the truth
Signing off, ''I'm alright in bed but I'm better with a pen''
The kid was alright but it went to his head
I am God's gift but why would he bless me with
Such wit without a conscience equipped?
I'm addicted to the way I feel when I think of you, whoa
''There's too much green to feel blue''
When I'm home alone I just can't stop myself
And you pull my head so close, volume goes with the truth
Signing off, ''I'm alright in bed but I'm better with a pen''
The Kid was alright but it went to his head
When I'm home alone I just can't stop myself
And you pull my head so close, volume goes with the truth
Signing off, ''I'm alright in bed but I'm better with a pen''
I'm alright in bed but I'm better with a pen
I'm alright in bed but I'm better with a pen
The kid was alright but it went to his head.
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By Divodark
If you’re looking for something original or heavy, don’t look for it in this band with such a 'damned' name.
The album’s title is taken from a letter written by Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo describing his recovered health and renewed creative vigor.
