FUCK YEAH POP-PUNK

ALBUM REVIEW: Save Rock And Roll - Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy - Save Rock And Roll
Release Date - April 15th, 2013
Record Label: Island / Decaydance
Reviewer: Michael Crawford

Put on your war paint. After a three and a half year hiatus Fall Out Boy are finally back, and in an epic way. Rumors have long swirled around the ol’ internets of a reunion, but up until a short couple months ago, were all unfounded. The band’s been quick to return to making public appearances and releasing singles, infecting huge music sites and personal blogs alike. Save Rock and Roll isn’t a return to form to their pop punk roots (which will undoubtedly disappoint many), but instead a rejuvenating effort from the sorely missed four-piece. The album is packed with hefty choruses, superb Patrick Stump-sang vocals and a few notable guest singers. Even though it doesn’t fully deliver on the promise the title assures, SRR is a near-perfect equilibrium of quasi-nostalgia and admirable experimentation.

The orchestral start of ‘The Phoenix’ coaxes the listener with a “back-and-bigger-than-ever” sentiment, and opening lyrics: You are a brick tied to me that’s dragging me down, strike a match and I’ll burn you to the ground : hit like…well…a ton of bricks. Stump’s vocals pierce through the dance-y percussion and it’s evident FOB has been waiting for this day just as much as the rest of us. The throwback style-titled ‘My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)’ echo the same sentiments, and the simplicity of its chorus (along with anthemic chanting) has warranted heavy airplay across the country. The first two tracks spring SRR off to a fiery start, but ‘Alone Together’ provides a change of pace. Auto-tune is present (though not distastefully), and it’s here where you see the genre-bending begin to take form. Parts acoustic guitar, dashes of radio hip hop and fistfuls of poppy goodness, they’ve clearly come far since the Take This To Your Grave days. It may throw you for a bit of a loop at first, but is also a possible grower depending on how open of a mind you have coming in.

If Fall Out Boy were an indie/electronic hybrid act, ‘Where Would the Party Go’ would be their defining hit. If you haven’t already accepted their inevitable evolution from a punk band from Chicago, you never will. Much like ‘The Phoenix’ and ‘Light Em Up,’ the third and fourth songs go hand in hand together in terms of style and spirit. Though Stump refuses to hold anything back all record (he’s better than ever), Just One Yesterday exposes his oft-overlooked ability to sing at lower ranges. In typical, cheeky FOB fashion, lines: Anything you say can and will be held against you. So only say my name: prove songwriter/bass player Pete Wentz can still keep us grinning. The Big Sean (and thankfully not 2 Chainz) collaboration, ‘The Mighty Fall,’ can easily be skipped. The rapping portion seems dull and uninspired, and one would think the band would’ve selected a bigger name (Eminem, anyone?) to represent the world of hip hop. The rap/rock dynamic also fails due to too much going on at the same time and falls flat compared to the rest of album.

‘Miss Missing You’ is the best example this album has as far as filler is concerned. Aside from the shrewd: Sometimes[…]the person that you’d take a bullet for is behind the trigger: there isn’t much to distinguish itself from the rest of SRR. Stump’s most voracious and compelling performance on the album, ‘Death Valley,’ is sure to please fans both on CD and during their live set. It’s fast, impossible not to dance to and incredibly fun. A brief and unexpected dubstep breakdown actually benefits the track, and the suggestive lyrics: Let’s put the “D” in dirt now baby: don’t come off as cheesy or forced; but simply Fall Out Boy being themselves. ‘Young Volcanoes’ boasts an imposing chorus backed by handclaps, acoustic guitar and gang vocals. Stump’s galvanizing: When Rome’s in ruins we are the lions, free of the coliseums: set the tone for one of the album’s best numbers.

The final two songs are also home to SRR’s biggest guest spots. On ‘Rat a Tat,’ Courtney Love is allowed enough track time to tirade about, well, something. Thankfully, her out-of-left-field appearance (“It’s Courtney, bitch.” Really?) doesn’t hinder the track’s quality. Still, it’s hard not to sense at least a hint of irony in her selection, with chorus lyrics referring to “Love” as a weapon…Curious. On the final and title track, ‘Save Rock and Roll,’ the band brings everything to a theatrical conclusion. Powerful drums and a dreamy piano set the stage for one of FOB’s finest songs to date, and eventually none other than Sir Elton John himself. The commanding ballad preaches: You are what you love; not who loves you.

And essentially, that’s what could be argued for Save Rock and Roll as an album. As diehard of fans Fall Out Boy has, it’s clear they don’t want to be defined by the tweens of yesteryear. They could’ve easily retraced their steps and given us “what we wanted” after a break from the limelight, but instead decided to up the ante and take more chances. Most likely you will either hate or love SRR, but this isn’t the Fall Out Boy from 2003, 2005 or even 2008. No. This is Fall Out Boy in 2013, and they are (seemingly) here to stay.

“Save Rock and Roll is a personal statement for the band as much as anything else; because at the end of the day rock and roll saved us.” - Pete Wentz

Vocals: A
Lyrics: B
Musicianship: B-

Reviewer Score: B+