In
recent years, Fall Out Boy has been known to meddle with other genres. Their
2007 release, Infinity on High, saw a spoken word introduction by none other
than Jay-Z, and their lead single “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” was
remixed by Kanye West. It’s definitely safe to say the band is open to new
genres, and when you have a vocal range like Patrick Stump’s, it seems only
natural to venture into genres like Pop, R&B and Soul.
With
their fifth studio album, Folie å Deux, the group set out to master their
pop-rock prowess, as evident in the leading track, “Disloyal Order of Water
Buffaloes,” which features one of the huge sing along choruses you’ve grown to
expect from the Chicago quartet. The track goes right into the band’s first
single, “I Don’t Care,” a catchy, but generally uninteresting song whose guitar
line teeters around Gloria Jones’ 1964 song “T###########.”
Folie
å Deux
is much like its predecessors in the sense that it has a lot of filler. Songs
like “She’s My Winona,” “Headfirst
Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet,” and even the Pharrell Williams produced
“w.a.m.s.” seem to impede the albums playability, falling flat in all senses.
It seems like they still can’t get the ballad right, evident on their latest
tune, “What a Catch, Donnie.” The group even enlisted the help of the legendary
Elvis Costello, who along with Travis McCoy and many others couldn’t save this
song.
Despite
its missteps, Folie å Deux definitely has its share of hits. “The (Shipped)
Gold Standard” is easily one of the best songs on the album, with verses that
play like R&B-tinged Pop. Another highlight is “Tiffany Blews,” which sees
guest vocals by (you guessed it) Lil Wayne, who lends his auto-tuned madness to
Fall Out Boy. The bands biggest asset is vocalist Patrick Stump. With his
YouTube covers of Ne-Yo’s “So Sick,” and more recently Kanye West’s “Love
Lockdown,” it’s hard to deny his knack for other genres.
Fall
Out Boy isn’t the band that needs new fans. Due to extensive touring and five
studio albums, their place in the mainstream and their dedicated fan base have
already been established. Stylistically, Folie å Deux contains elements from
all of their past albums, and continues to push the envelope of Pop-Rock.
Chances are if you’ve ever liked a Fall Out Boy song, there is something for
you on this album.
