4/5
American Beauty/American Psycho
Artist: Fall Out Boy
In 2013, Fall Out Boy surprised everyone by coming back from emo band obscurity and releasing a pop rock album that was actually pretty good. Anyone who thought that might be an anomaly are proven wrong by the release of the band sixth album, which finds the band grasping at greatness like they never have before.
Though they still have not mastered the art of naming songs - “Uma Thurman,” the title track, so on and so forth -, Fall Out Boy does pop-rock crossover better than any other band currently vying for a place on the Top 40. Maroon 5, which has basically become a vehicle for its frontman’s fame, sounded like a rock band for all of one album. This is the kind of quality music Adam and Co. think they are making.
If the arrangements sound a bit over-caffeinated at times, they more than make up for it with Patrick Stump’s signature wail and the band’s all around tunefulness. They have not made melodies this instantly catchy since 2005’s ‘From Under the Cork Tree’, the album that set the band centerstage with hits like “Sugar, We’re Going Down” and “Dance, Dance.” That album is now ten years old and has not exactly aged well in some cases. Free of the emo shackles that pigeonholed them for so long, Fall Out Boy can finally get back to what they do best.
One of the main problems with the Maroon 5 sound is that they sound complacent. Whether it be complacency or arrogance, they have found a sound that makes them money and they are not budging it. The way FOB are still trying to their best to please fans is what makes ‘AB/AP’ so refreshing. The band sounds so hungry for immortality that you can not help but cheer them along. On the lead single “Centuries,” Stump bellows, “you will remember me for centuries.” I’m not sure if they will be remembered for that long, but if the band maintains this forward momentum of late, they are bound for some kind of glory.
American Beauty/American Psycho
Artist: Fall Out Boy
In 2013, Fall Out Boy surprised everyone by coming back from emo band obscurity and releasing a pop rock album that was actually pretty good. Anyone who thought that might be an anomaly are proven wrong by the release of the band sixth album, which finds the band grasping at greatness like they never have before.
Though they still have not mastered the art of naming songs - “Uma Thurman,” the title track, so on and so forth -, Fall Out Boy does pop-rock crossover better than any other band currently vying for a place on the Top 40. Maroon 5, which has basically become a vehicle for its frontman’s fame, sounded like a rock band for all of one album. This is the kind of quality music Adam and Co. think they are making.
If the arrangements sound a bit over-caffeinated at times, they more than make up for it with Patrick Stump’s signature wail and the band’s all around tunefulness. They have not made melodies this instantly catchy since 2005’s ‘From Under the Cork Tree’, the album that set the band centerstage with hits like “Sugar, We’re Going Down” and “Dance, Dance.” That album is now ten years old and has not exactly aged well in some cases. Free of the emo shackles that pigeonholed them for so long, Fall Out Boy can finally get back to what they do best.
One of the main problems with the Maroon 5 sound is that they sound complacent. Whether it be complacency or arrogance, they have found a sound that makes them money and they are not budging it. The way FOB are still trying to their best to please fans is what makes ‘AB/AP’ so refreshing. The band sounds so hungry for immortality that you can not help but cheer them along. On the lead single “Centuries,” Stump bellows, “you will remember me for centuries.” I’m not sure if they will be remembered for that long, but if the band maintains this forward momentum of late, they are bound for some kind of glory.