Fall Out Boy: Infinity On High

By: Albert Testani

Posted: 2/23/07

Since the release of their sophomore album, From Under the Cork Tree, life has been nothing but recognition and anticipation for Fall Out Boy. Anticipation, of course, for their follow-up album, Infinity on High, released about two weeks ago. Whenever a pop-punk band makes it big in the music world, fans will undoubtedly pick up their new album, and after a few listens and the initial shock wears off, they all have the same response: "It's good, but I like their old stuff better," or: "It's not as good as the first one."

This phenomenon happens frequently with bands that were once underpaid and under-produced while on their small independent record label. The band's album starts to sell, the band gets signed to a major label, they produce an album or two, and then everyone claims they sold out and forgot where they came from. As a result, old fans feel that the music has lost its luster, while new fans simply buy the singles on iTunes.

The question now is whether or not Fall Out Boy has fallen into the same mold as other bands whose fans listen to their albums, but just complain about how they are no longer as good as they used to be. With Infinity on High, one can only have high hopes, for one of the producers on the album was none other than Jay-Z. With a name that big working on your record, your band better produce at least a mediocre album.

The majority of the songs focus more on rhythm-based guitar, rather than emphasizing the lead guitars fills and licks. This shift is best seen on "The Take Over, The Break's Over," as the chorus drones on with a slow tempo and sustained power chords. Some songs return to the old paradigm of Fall Out Boy, where the chorus is incredibly fast, only to be out done by the bridge and complemented by the syncopated verses. The albums single, "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" incorporates all of these aspects but lyrically feels like a poor attempt at an anti-scene anthem. "This Ain't A Scene…" is one of the faster-paced songs and one of the better, but the verse simply fells out of place.

The addition of a big name like Jay-Z and all the attention the press has given them this past year has affected Fall Out Boy's music to some extent. They are no longer the small unknown fun punk band from Chicago. To some extent, this shift is what ruins most bands in this genre. The band focuses too much on recreating their previous albums rather than on progressing and creating more music.

The lyrics of the album reflect this in that they are not as fun as the previous albums. They do still retain the majority or their wit and cleverness, especially in the titles of the songs. The lyrics have shifted to a more serious tone but they keep the same pseudo-sophisticated writing style. Whether or not this change in the song lyrics or means matters is debatable because the listen still cannot understand a word the lead singer is saying. His combination of mumbling, slurring and over all mispronunciation of words is surprisingly fun to listen to and to sing along with, but frustrating nonetheless.

Will there be fans that say the album is nothing more than a big disappointment? Of course, but that is to be expected. There will also be plenty of people saying that the old records were better and that Fall Out Boy has sold out and some that will say this album is great. If you grant the album some time, it will undoubtedly grow on you and you will find yourself replaying certain tracks over and over again.

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