Describing a band as “selling out” is an overly used expression and it has become more applicable to groups over the years thanks to the accessibility of auto-tune. “Selling out” simply translates to a band adding the “wrong” creativity to its repertoire in order to persist within the fleeting world of the music industry. For the most part, every outfit seeks to transform its sound from one album to the next, but those that do it unnaturally tend to welcome a flood of criticism. So, to those listeners about to slam Fall Out Boy for “selling out” since their “Take This To Your Grave” days, I am prepared to defend the iconic group till the end (all puns intended).
Releasing their new album on April 16th, Fall Out Boy has had a collection of hits that began with the 2003 release of their debut album, “Take This To Your Grave”. Since then the quartet, which consists of Patrick Stump (vocalist/guitarist), Pete Wentz (bassist), Joe Trohman (guitarist) and Andy Hurley (drummer), have dominated pop rock of the 21st Century with chart topping albums, which include “From Under The Cork Tree”, “Infinity On High” and “Folie à Deux”.
Taking an indefinite hiatus in 2009, Fall Out Boy invested in side projects, one of which involved Stump releasing his solo album, “Soul Punk”, in 2011. Two genres that should never be mixed, “Soul Punk” was extremely disappointing and only left me itching for Fall Out Boy to make new music just to un-remember Stump singing, “This city is my city. And I love it.” The brainwash was a success with the help of their upcoming album, “Save Rock And Roll”.
Kicking off with the anthem opener, “The Phoenix”, Fall Out Boy set the tone of the album, which implodes with aggressive vocals and heavy guitar riffs. With one single following the next, “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)” is boldly situated second on the track listing. The side-by-side placement works because both tunes are undeniably catchy and highlight Stump’s rapid pace vocals, but also can individually survive with variation in melody.
As “Save Rock And Roll” takes hold, three descriptions are emphatically conveyed from one track to another. Fall Out Boy’s album is a radio success, a lyrical goldmine and a “collaborative” force to be reckoned with. “Just One Yesterday”, “Miss Missing You” and “Alone Together” are pop rock tracks that put All Time Low’s careless verse arrangements to shame. Can Fall Out Boy’s songs be corny at times? Yes. Redundant? Yes, but with every cliché phrase comes a thought-provoking verse, which makes all the cheesiness worth it.
A plentiful selection of collaborations rounds out the comeback ferocity of “Save Rock And Roll”. To be frank, I approached each guest vocalist tune very gingerly. With the intensity of Stump’s vocals and Fall Out Boy’s dexterous instrumental sounds, I thought these “add ons” would be unnecessary. While not deemed as any of favorites off of the album, “The Mighty Fall” with Big Sean, “Better Than This (Rat A Tat)” feat. Courtney Love and “Save Rock And Roll” with Elton John, bring genre diversity to the album, but also showcase Fall Out Boy’s ability to not let these artists transform a song too far from the outfit’s signature sound. The quartet never loses vocal, lyrical or instrumental control on any of these tracks.
Did Fall Out Boy “sell out” with “Save Rock And Roll”? No. The group sprinkled the “right” elements of the contemporary style of the 21st Century on the album and still managed to keep their Fall Out Boy core intact. If progressing your sound from one album to the next is “copping out” then it is time to get used to hearing projects from outfits like Nickelback over and over again.
