Folie á Deux came in a big box to my door yesterday and I’ve been listening to it non-stop trying to decide what I think. My expectations were low and I had even decided I was dead-set against one of the already-released songs. Whether you’re a long-time fan, a used-to-be fan, or have never been a fan at all, I hope this makes sense to you.
If you’re anything like me, you were crossing your fingers for Fall Out Boy’s new album Folie á Deux to be at least a little bit more Take-This-to-Your-Grave than Infinity on High. Not to degrade Infinity on High, because I think it has it’s own value and has grown on me over the last two years, but I miss the quartet’s pop-punk roots. Well, if pop-punk is what you’re looking for, this is not your album. And we are only shown time and time again that music can only progress, not regress for these guys. It makes perfect sense that the boys have chosen to migrate into new genres and experiment with new sounds. So lets for a minute pretend that we’ve never heard the epic-ness that is Take This To Your Grave and look at the album for what it is on it’s own.
It sounds like dance rock with eighties pop rock and blues influence and dashes of Hot Fuss and Pretty. Odd. Even saying this, I think it’s nearly impossible to genre-ize this album except to say it’s Fall Out Boys invented brand of pop rock. The album opens with Patrick’s smooth vocals with a church-organ-like melody of the synth on “Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes.” They progress into guitar melody and drop the famous echoing bass drum beat and move the song into verse, bridge, and chorus of
“Boycott love. Detox to just to re-tox.
And I promise you anything but
Another shot at life and
Perfect boys with their perfect lies.
No one here wants to hear you sing about tragedy.”
This song reminds me of Infinity On High’s b-side “G.I.N.A.S.F.S.” which may be why it’s my favorite song on the album. It sets the tone for the album as well—big beats, Patrick’s always pitch-perfect sweet vocals, and cold lyrics.
The album moves into the single “I Don’t Care” (which most definitely gets my vote for best music video of 2008). It’s very 80s rock, littered with “oh!”s, a jazzy interlude and electronic harmonic wanderings. “She’s My Winona” has a crisp drum intro and a catchier chorus than the freecreditreport.com commercial jingles. “Amercia’s Sweethearts,” a track previewed on their mixtape released this October, tells the story of young Hollywood. Pete and Ashlee, maybe?
Other standouts include the ballad “What a Catch, Donnie” which closes with Elvis Costello singing part of the melody and a handful of guest artists singing lyrics to Fall Out Boy singles. “Tiffany Blews” and “w.a.m.s.” open like hip hop tracks and continue on as an interesting brand of dance rock. “20 Dollar Nose Bleed” pays homage to big band along with Panic at the Disco with a catchy beat and horns. They end the track with a disturbing monologue from Pete, in the mold of “Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying” of From Under the Cork Tree.
The album closes with “West Coast Smoker” reportedly named after their tour manager in a throw-your-hands-up-and-sing-along rock track with a dance beat, , screaming, and shouts of “Oh hell yes!”
On it’s own, this album brings the energy, the creativity, and the passion that I would expect from anything Fall Out Boy. Always true to their dark and cold lyrics, Folie á Deux is much less self-reflective and self-deprecating than previous Fall Out Boy releases, it seems. From this album, you can expect something dancier and poppier than ever before. Some of you will love it. Some of you will despise it. Some of you have already made up your decision before the record is even released. Here’s the deal: If you’re a fan, you probably still will be. If you’re not, you definitely won’t be swayed to their side. Personally, I’d say it ties for third with Infinity on High in the ranking of the guys’ albums, but then again, somehow each album seems to grow on me. Give it a shot. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Happy holidays to you all and lovely listening.
Steph@A2S
