Save Rock and Roll, Fall Out Boy
Album: Save Rock and Roll
Artist: Fall Out Boy
Release Date: April 16, 2013
Released By: Island Records
Featured Artists: Foxes, Big Sean, Courtney Love, and Elton John
In 2001, two friends, and previous bandmates decided that they wanted to create a band inspired by the very people that got them into music. Basing their band off of such bands as Green Day and The Smiths, Pete Wentz and Joe Trohman decided that they were going to make something their way. After finding vocalist Patrick Stump and drummer Andrew Hurley they were set. All that they needed was a name. After playing two shoes they finally got one. Fall Out Boy. Fast-forward twelve years. 2013. They're on album number 5, Save Rock and Roll, which is going to be released April 16th in the US, by Island Records.
This album is comprised of eleven tracks, ending up with a grand total of just over forty minutes. It has guest artists from Courtney Love and Elton John to Foxes and Big Sean. Oddly enough, previously, Fall Out Boy had been on a four year hiatus, claiming that they needed time to plug back into the music, so they kept Save Rock and Roll under wraps until this past February. Since then they've put Save Rock and Roll at an awesome pre-order price of $7.99 and posted all of the tracks on youtube for your listening pleasure...because lets face it, those 30 second previews in iTunes sort of bites.
The first track off the album is the bands album is the second single, The Phoenix. If this song isn't enough to wake you up and hit you in the face, I don't know what is. Being miles away from their last album, this song is a very punchy rock anthem. Stump's voice is scratchy and rough, adding to the anthem feel, but also adding an element that brings the music to a new level. It lets you know that this album is the beginning of something new. They are back.
The punchy, war-like anthems don't stop with The Phoenix. It carries right over to the second track, My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up). Though it is a bit slower than the Phoenix, you aren't thinking any less of it. If anything, it's prepping you for everything else to come. It is not my favorite, most likely due to how much it's been overplayed on the radio, but at least I can say that I know the lyrics by heart.
Alone Together, the third track might be my favorite track off the album, just by the way it begins. It starts off with Stump and the instruments add in, until they have an explosion of instruments when Stump encourages you to say yeah. It keeps it's anthem feel but also has something I missed from Fall Out Boy that helped me fall in love with their music when I was younger. The passion is back. It combines classic FOB through lyrics, but a newer sound that lets me know they're growing up, and progressing. Since I'm doing the same exact thing, I'm completely cool with it.
In the fourth track they've decided to bring up the tempo once more. Where Did The Party Go does enough to make you not only want to dance but sing along to it. I did when I listened to it. It definitely had less of an anthem feel and more of a dance edge. The track reminded me of something Fall Out Boy would do if they collaborated with Maroon 5.
I wasn't a fan of the fifth track, Just One Yesterday, for a few reasons. When it starts off, Stump's voice is too low and the effect that makes him sound like he's on the radio just doesn't mix well with the pitch of his voice. It also went from something that started to pick up in tempo to this track which brings back the sounds from Folie A Deux that I really didn't like. It tries too hard, adding too much soul where the album does not need it. An album should not start off as a war-winning anthem with hard punches, then end up in a dark, somber pre-war anthem. It's unfortunate that Foxes was also involved in this track, because the two voices just do not sound right together, especially since Stump does have a lot of soul in that song. It sounds like she's trying to a ghostly shadow of his voice, but something just went wrong.
For some reason, The Mighty Fall, the sixth track didn't tickle my fancy either. It was a definite improvement from the previous track, but it just fell pretty close to flat for me. The saving grace for this track, was the chorus, and oddly enough, the featured artist. Kudos to Big Sean on this song. He was the star of the track. Period. I only wish that he'd done more for the song.
Track seven, Miss Missing You, has some decent synth to start it off, going back to the exact point of where track four ended. This track sounds like they could have taken some notes from Maroon 5 as well. Miss Missing You is the perfect blend of old and new Fall Out Boy. The progression is evident and definitely worth a four year wait.
The eighth track, Death Valley, has a faster tempo, and brings you back up to the war-like anthem style of the album at it's beginning. It is an amazing track, and completely awesome for me until that miniature break down that lasted for all of five seconds where you thought it was going to be like every other song now-a-days and try to have some sort of a dub-step breakdown. Best prank ever though, and biggest relief in the world when it didn't. Just another reason to love Fall Out Boy I suppose.
For some reason, Young Volcanoes, the ninth track fits perfectly into the album. Do not ask me how, because I've spent many minutes debating this answer, but I can't quite come up with a definite solution. It could be because the tempo is kept up, and it still has a war-like anthem feel to it, but the light-hearted playfulness is something that throws me off the answer, and I'm completely okay with it. If I had to pick a second favorite track off this album, Young Volcanoes is it. This song will easily last me into the summer days when I've got to run errands or head to work.
The tenth track just made me face-palm. Why does every chick think it's awesome to do their intro by saying "It's (Insert name), NUT." I find it completely annoying. Ignoring that, I like the up-beat style, even if I dislike the way they bring the title into the song. Okay, screw trying to be nice. This song really shouldn't even be on the album. How are they screwing up every featured artist track? The one with Foxes didn't fit, Big Sean was the star of his, and this one...FOR THE LOVE OF COURTNEY...WHY? Her voice only fits with the song because a large portion of it is a train wreck. If I had to pick one song to absolutely vanish from anything I wouldn't choose that really terrible song by Paris Hilton...I'd choose this one. The only thing that made me listen to this whole song through was the fact that I really hoped it was a bad joke, Courtney Love stopped singing, and they stopped trying to say Rat-A-Tat three times fast...here's to high hopes they didn't screw up Elton John's featured track.
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. Yes. YES. This track is gold. It's a slower song, yes, but it has just as much punching power as all of the other amazing tracks on this album. By the time Sir Elton John comes in, he brings it up 100 notches. The soul in each of these mens voices blends perfectly, making me pray that for the next album Fall Out Boy creates, they bring Elton John back. If anyone that manages Fall Out Boy ever reads this, this counts as a plea, John and Stump's voices meld perfectly, for a soulful song that can make you weep in the best of ways. Anytime I need a pick-me up, I'd play this track, Save Rock and Roll. And with this track alone, I'd be willing to say Fall Out Boy did just as such.
Sure, Fall Out Boy showed you what can save rock and roll, but this album also had quite a few examples of how to kill it as well. 8 tracks were amazing, with one track giving more to the featured artist who had less than a minute to do so, while two just fell worse than flat. I wish I could give this album a 10 out of 10 for tracks nine and eleven, but what happened on tracks five and ten could have just as much killed rock and roll, for as much effort nine and eleven had put in to save it.
I still love Fall Out Boy and always will. This album, overall, was pretty great, and I can not wait to see what else they do once they are done with this tour.
Yes, you heard right, Fall Out Boy is touring right now, but good luck getting tickets.
The members are also on Twitter, the band is on Facebook, and it's not too late to pre-order Save Rock and Roll on iTunes.
Track Listing
1. The Phoenix
2. My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)
3. Alone Together
4. Where Did The Party Go
5. Just One Yesterday (Featuring Foxes)
6. The Mighty Fall (Big Sean)
7. Miss Missing You
8. Death Valley
9. Young Volcanoes
10. Rat-A-Tat (Featuring Courtney Love)
11. Save Rock and Roll (Featuring Sir Elton John)
Overall Rating
9/10
Fall Out Boy on Facebook
Pete Wentz on Twitter
Joe Trohman on Twitter
Andy Hurley on Twitter
Patrick Stump on Twitter
You can also order the album Save Rock and Roll on iTunes for $7.99
or
Just wait for it to come out world-wide by April 16th.
Enjoy
