Fall Out Boy
Save Rock and Roll
Island Records
Producer: Butch Walker
Released: 15th April 2013 (UK), 16th April 2013 (USA)
After disappearing for four years to have a rest from each other and work on other projects (including other bands, solo albums and novels) Fall Out Boy return with their 5th studio album.
Clearly they were having a laugh when they named the new album ‘Save Rock and Roll’; which is fine because they were also clearly having fun when they made this album. The time apart has been good for them; they have made an album which clearly sits in the tradition they established with their other albums – catchy pop punk with electronic influences. Very obvious pop and electronica influences in this case; it has a tendency to drown out the guitars and drums. But this fusion of genres works for them. It suits their lyrical and vocal style.
The lyrics are occasionally corny – see ‘Just One Yesterday’ for a fine example. I’m not too sure about some of the collaborations – I can’t like ‘Rat a Tat’ no matter how much I try, sorry. My favourite songs are ‘The Phoenix’, ‘ My songs know what you did in the dark (Light ’em up), ‘Young Volcanoes’ and ‘Save Rock and Roll’. None of the songs are quite up to the standards they set with ‘This ain’t a scene, it’s an arms race’ and ‘Tnks fr th mmrs’, although the title track gets close. I can definitely see it being popular live; the line ‘No, No, we won’t go, we don’t know how to quit oh, oh’ could really get a crowd going.
They aren’t going to save rock and roll, but they might improve pop music a bit (besides, it doesn’t need saving, being very much alive and well) but this album is a catchy addition to the pop punk canon. It’s good to see them back.
And that’s my review,
Rose
Everything Is Better With Dragons 