Fall Out Boy - Save Rock And Roll
...You didn't
So a couple weeks ago, I did a little column on the return of Fall Out Boy. Everyone was excited! Fans have been clamoring for the album since it was announced. The album, weirdly titled Save Rock And Roll, is an album meant to put Fall Out Boy back on the map! So does it do the job? In my opinion...hell no...
Ok, I’ve already accepted I’m going to get hate for this review from the FOB fans, but at least hear me out before you come to me pitchforks and torches a blazing. I can’t take an album that seems like it’s something greater than it really is. Albums that ooze arrogance is one of my biggest pet peeves when listening to an album (hence why you don’t see much mainstream rap reviews on this blog...). Is it a personal criticism, yes it is, but I know it is one I am not the only person on this planet has. FOB for some reason has developed a staggering new found arrogance that the band seems to have that they are one of the best rock and roll bands ever. Newsflash guys...you’re not even close. You are famous and successful yes, but that doesn’t mean you’re the best. Songs like “Young Volcanoes”, and “Rat a Tat” (featuring an appearance by Courtney Love....wow I should have seen that the song was arrogant just from seeing her being on it) just make the band come off as arrogant and douchy. It’s not flattering to listen too. Frankly, it’s just boring since I hear that enough in mainstream music today.
Remember how I said a couple weeks ago in that editorial that I didn’t really relate to FOB anymore because most of their songs were about not getting girls, or love songs? Well besides the new found arrogance, that’s really all you are getting from Save Rock And Roll lyric wise. Most of the songs are about loving girls such as, “Alone Together”, “Just One Yesterday”, and the atrocity to rock that is “The Mighty Fall”! Actually, lets stop and just talk about this song. FOB, you don’t say you are going to “save rock and roll”, and then have one of the worst rappers (Big Sean) in mainstream music come do a guest spot, and make a song that is straight up arrogant, and honestly kind of degrading towards your main fan base. Seriously, get NAS, or Jay-Z, or hell Lupe Fiasco, not a dude who just got famous by saying ASS ASS ASS over and over again!
Now lets move onto the production aspect of Save Rock And Roll. The album is unfortunately produced by Butch Walker. I say unfortunately because I usually love the work he does with pop punk bands! He’s done amazing albums with Bowling For Soup, Lit, and Panic! At The Disco, but I don’t know what happened with him here. I could be wrong by thinking that FOB controlled most of the production and that he was just overseeing the project, but my suspicions might be correct since the only song he helped the band write, “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” is the best one on the album by far. The truth is I could be wrong, but the album just seems like it’s trying too hard to be bombastic using orchestral sounds that are repeated in multiple songs. I get the idea of sounding epic, but don’t repeat your sounds! That just defeats the whole point of using them in the first place!
Ok, I’ll backtrack and give the fans of FOB a little positive because I always do want to be fair. The bands performances are all fine. Stump gives great vocal work as always, and the band do their job in crafting the songs. I’ll even give it to the band that the first two songs (“The Phoenix”, and “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark”) and the last one (“Save Rock And Roll”) are great. Honestly though, that’s as far as I can go with the compliments.
The final verdict: Save Rock And Roll does anything but save rock and roll. The album really just does what every other FOB album has done, except it has an arrogant edge that just made me mad because I hear that enough in other music to find it edgy or interesting. I know people aren’t going to like me for this review, and I know fans won’t give a damn since they already bought the album and love it, but I wanted to be truthful in my opinion. If you want an album that does sound like it’s saving rock and roll, go look up Young Guns, or Twin Atlantic, or anything the Foo Fighters have ever produced. Those bands are saving rock and roll, not Fall Out Boy.
FINAL GRADE: D
CHOICE CUT: “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark”
So a big announcement from me, I will be the brand new co-host of the movie podcast MOVIE SPOILERS! It's a big honor for me and I'm very excited to get to work. You readers can check out the work at both links below!
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