Fall Out Boy – Beat It

Fall Out Boy covering Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ is without doubt going to be some peoples idea of hell caught on record; I quite like Fall Out Boy however and when this track first emerged was really quite looking forward to giving it a listen. The track features John Mayer, a man that prior to listening to this record I had no previous knowledge of and given his ghastly guitar solo on this track I have no intention whatsoever of seeking out any further material of his either. Fall Out Boy’s ‘Beat It’ is somewhat of a disappointment I feel, it sticks to the original script of the track fairly religiously without ever really offering anything new to the sound. There are of course added guitar element here, other than this there’s just nothing to set it apart from the original though. Truth be told I’d much rather listen to the original than this, the cover is by no means a bad one but it’s certainly not as strong as the original Michael Jackson version of the track.

At times here Patrick Stump’s vocals go hideously out of tune, I’ve seen the man perform live and even then his voice was up to more than this. The vocal sound created here does on occasion sound a little strained, in the main the performance is quite a powerful one and the track is full of energy but there are certainly elements of the sound that let the overall quality of the cover track down a little here. John Mayer should be culled for crimes against guitar after his solo here, Patrick Stump needs to hang his head in shame for his occasional tuneless nature, other than this though the track is really quite a good one. I probably make the cover sound worse than it really is here; it’s not a bad track, not as strong as it potentially could have been but still not a massively disappointing effort. I love Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’, any artist covering the track faces a terrifically tough task but this was most definitely a valiant effort on behalf of Fall Out Boy.

Label: Mercury
Release Date: 25th March 2008

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Fall Out Boy – Infinity On High

Fall Out Boy are an American Pop Punk band hailing from the suburbs of Chicago. Consisting of four members, the band have been going since 2002 and have in this time released three albums and an eight track mini-album. Currently residing on Island Records, their home since 2003 – ‘Infinity On High’ is the bands third album and saw a commercial release back in the February of 2007. Featuring fourteen tracks (15 including the UK Bonus Track), ‘Infinity On High’ is arguably Fall Out Boy’s finest album to date.

I have always had somewhat of a soft spot for Pop Punk, and as such the music of Fall Out Boy is perfect for my liking. It is fantastically fun pop music which is excellent to dance to, and with the exception of a few – the tracks on display on this album are meticulously well created and crafted. Opening with ‘Thriller’, the album instantly grabs you and garners your full undivided attention. A perfect opening anthem, ‘Thriller’ features a spoken intro and outro by the American rapper Jay-Z. In addition to this, the track was produced by Jay-Z and Babyface also; two of the finest faces of Hip-Hop and R&B accordingly. Although this is by no means the strongest track on the album, it is still a decent opening and when listening to the album for the first time it leaves you hotly anticipating what the band will have in store for you as the listening experience continues.

From ‘Thriller’, the band progress into the track ‘The Take Over, The Breaks Over’ which was chosen as the third single to be released from the album. With track number two the band continue to impress, and ‘The Take Over, The Breaks Over’ is without a doubt a fine track with a chorus of epic excellence. At this early stage in the album the best is yet to come however, and the first real moment of glory comes in next track ‘This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race’, the album’s lead single. When I first heard this track before the album was released, I wondered how any other track on the album could possibly compete – it’s perhaps one of my favourite Fall Out Boy tracks of all time and will no doubt put a smile on the face of anyone who has ever before enjoyed a song of theirs in the past. ‘This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race’ has everything that you could possibly ask for in a Fall Out Boy track – it’s fast, it’s fun, and best of all it’s fantastically catchy with a chorus which is bigger and better than you will ever have heard the band before. At a mere three tracks into a fifteen track album, you begin to feel that the band have perhaps peaked to soon, and therefore from here on in it could all be a downhill trek. Fortunately this is not to be, and as the album carries on the band continue to flourish.

For me, it is ‘Thnks Fr Th Mmrs’ which provides the album with its crowning glory. At the album’s centre point, ‘Thnks Fr Th Mmrs’ is probably one of my favourite tracks of all time, let alone my favourite by Fall Out Boy. There is just something about this one which captured my imagination right from the very first time I listened to it. Over the months, this has become my most played track by far and yet still I fail to tire of it and instead my love for the track continues to grow. Produced by Babyface the track is at no point tiresome, and despite the squeaky clean production possesses an unexplainable rawness about it. The guitars are excellent, the vocal harmonies verge upon perfection, and the drumbeats are colossally crushing. To summarise; ‘Thnks Fr Th Mmrs’ is without a shadow of a doubt a track which I would recommend to everybody out there.

When I think of the ‘Infinity On High’ album, one of the first tracks which will spring to mind every time is ‘Hum Hallelujah’. This is a track of which the lyrical content is reportedly about Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz attempted suicide whilst listening to Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’. The track samples the aforementioned Leonard Cohen track in it’s four minute duration, and is a beautifully written piece of music which provides for a soothingly satisfying listening experience. It is unlike anything Fall Out Boy have ever attempted before and I commend the band for their efforts here as in my opinion they have pulled it off with a high degree of style and flair. It is always nice to see when bands attempt something a little bit different, and when they manage to pull it off as has been done here then the result is always a joy to behold.

Whilst ‘Hum Hallelujah’ is a prime example of Fall Out Boy trying out new things and pulling it off; trying things out can ultimately backfire which was the case with ‘Golden’. I have never been able to listen to this album track without feeling completely empty inside, free of the pleasure I usually enjoy when I listen to the music of Fall Out Boy. The track is a slow and unenjoyable effort in which the band meander their way through two and a half minutes of a poorly put together filler track. I literally have nothing positive to say about this track and feel that it need not have been included on the album as my belief is that this track detracts from the overall exceptional quality of the album.

A common theme amongst recording artists in recent years has been to include a ‘Bonus Track’ or two when releasing an album. A few years ago it was not uncommon that a band would release their album one month only to follow it up a couple of months later with a ‘Special Edition’ release which would generally include a couple of bonus tracks much to the frustration of those that bought the album on the day of release. Thankfully, bonus tracks tend to be included at launch now and this album was no different including that of ‘G.I.N.a.S.F.S’, which for all those interested is a synonym for ‘Gay is Not a Synonym for Shitty’. Whilst bonus tracks can at times come across as somewhat of an afterthought of which you’d perhaps rather have done without; ‘G.I.N.a.S.F.S’ certainly doesn’t come in to this category and is in fact a track just as good as many of the other album tracks present. It is a fun track which opens with a strong guitar riff, possesses a lethal chorus, and will have you singing along in no time. It is oddly perhaps another favourite of mine from the album and could I believe be released commercially as a successful single.

With all tracks other than one on the album having impressed me to varying degrees, I would have to say that all in all the ‘Infinity On High’ album from Fall Out Boy is an overwhelming success. There are a high number of stand out tracks here present, and they certainly provide in my opinion for Fall Out Boy’s finest album to date. Fall Out Boy’s ‘Infinity On High’ has been one of my favourite albums of 2007, and I for one can not wait for the band to haul themselves back in to the recording studio to provide us with album number four. If the band can improve upon what they have come up with here then I will be shocked as ‘Infinity On High’ truly is an amazing album which I feel I will certainly be continuing to play for some years to come. It is hard to listen to the music of Fall Out Boy without allowing for a smile to seep across your face, and whilst there will undoubtedly be those out there that will not find this album enjoyable – I myself found Fall Out Boy’s latest album offering extremely impressive and highly enjoyable.

Label: Island Records
Release Date: 5th February 2007

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Fall Out Boy – The Take Over, The Breaks Over

The third single to be taken from their ‘Infinity On High’ album, and yet it could still easily be the first; ‘The Take Over, The Breaks Over’ is an extremely fresh, exciting and energetic track that will have you singing along in no time. Fall Out Boy have been a favourite of mine for some years now, and never fail to impress with their slick Pop Punk anthems. The band have already had two top ten successes with their previous two releases from this album, and this one looks set to become their third. There’s a reason why their latest album is platinum selling, and that’s because Fall Out Boy are a band with the most tremendous of pop sensibilities, catchiest choruses, and finest guitar hooks. With every release the band seem to be growing in confidence and fully deserve their current status as ‘America’s Hottest Band’ as determined by Rolling Stone magazine. Make sure you check this one out if you haven’t done so already as it truly is a great track, as is the case with most of their ‘Infinity On High’ album in fact.

Label: Mercury
Release Date: 2nd July 2007

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Fall Out Boy – This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race

Having released a great album at the beginning of 2005 in the form of ‘From Under The Cork Tree’, Fall Out Boy are back once again with their brand new album ‘Infinity On High’ and the first single to be released from this album; ‘This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race’. I have to admit that when I first heard this single I wasn’t too sure about it as it seemed more Backstreet Boys than typical Fall Out Boy to me, however the more I’ve listened to it – the more I’ve come to realise that this is the Fall Out Boy that I have come to know and love and is in fact probably the band at their finest. Patrick Stump’s vocal harmonies have never sounded so great, and Pete Wentz backing vocals are strong also (although not so great live I might hasten to add). Although for me this single was not instant – it really has been a grower, and in fact over the last few weeks I have not been able to stop listening to it.

Just as with their singles of two years ago, you will find yourself singing along uncontrollably to this one almost instantaneously. Fall Out Boy have a fine knack for penning some of the catchiest Pop Punk tracks going and ‘This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race’ proves not to be an exception to this rule, standing proud as another fine pop punk anthem to have been written by this great Chicago four piece.

Label: Mercury
Release Date: 29th January 2007

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Fall Out Boy – A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More “Touch Me”

It seems the band are running out of steam a bit, with this new single only entering the UK single charts at number 38 – the record label will not be happy. In all honesty this is not a bad single, it just doesn’t really have the drive that previous singles ‘Sugar We’re Goin’ Down’, and ‘Dance, Dance’ had. It is not as powerful as these tracks, and coupled with this the video I feel is not as good as the previous two were. These two factors will have led to it’s low chart entry, and the record label exclusives will be kicking themselves about the single that they have chosen to release which I feel is a bad decision on behalf of the label as there are far better tracks that they could have chosen to release.

On the live stage this track belts out of the sound system and is a powerful track, however I do not feel that this is reproduced on record, and while not a bad track – it is not Fall Out Boy at their finest and is not a fair representation of their fine talent to pen a fantastic pop song. Fall Out Boy have some great songs to their name, however this is not one of them and although it is not unpleasant to listen to, it has no real lasting impact, and is definitely not one of the album tracks that you will find stuck in your head for weeks.

Released: 19th June 2006
Label: B-Unique

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Fall Out Boy – Dance, Dance

Hailed by some as Pop Punk saviours, and others as another whining Emo band – love them or hate them, there is no denying that Fall Out Boy are forever growing in popularity, and with a UK top 10 single already under their belts are sure to do it again with ‘Dance, Dance.’ Fall Out Boy are currently America’s finest export and are soon again to be gracing these shores as they tour the UK with The Academy Is… in late May, finishing up at the Wolverhampton Civic on the 30th.

‘Dance, Dance’ is an energetic slab of Pop Punk gold with an infectious backbeat, booming bass lines and awesome vocal styling. The ‘From Under The Cork Tree’ has been on rotation in my player for nearly a year now, and ‘Dance, Dance’ is probably my favourite track on the album. I was pleased when the band decided to chose this as the second single to be taken from the album as I really think that this track is one of the bands finest moments. If you’re a Pop Punk fan then I suggest that you go out and buy this single whether it be download, CD, or even limited edition vinyl as I promise you this; you will not be disappointed.

Label: Mercury
Release date: 17th April 2006

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Fall Out Boy – Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down

This year Fall Out Boy released the gold selling album ‘From Under The Cork Tree’ and seem to be going from strength to strength, widening their fan base by the day with their awesome Pop Punk/Emo crossover music. This single should take the UK by storm on release and will no doubt do extremely well – it is a magnificent song and is definitely something that a UK audience will enjoy.

Fall Out Boy, with ‘Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down’ combine Pop Punks powerful guitar hooks with Emo’s heartfelt melodies and in doing so have created an anthemic song which will no doubt become a classic. This song really is the epitome of Pop Punk, Emo crossover, and with it Fall Out Boy truly are verging on perfection. Rolling Stone magazine naked them in their “10 Artists to Watch” list and I think that they’ve really got a good point there – you better watch out for Fall Out Boy because sooner or later this band are really going to explode.

Label: Mercury
Release Date: September 5th 2005

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Fall Out Boy – From Under The Cork Tree

Fall Out Boy’s last full length release was ‘Take This To Your Grave,’ and although a lot of people liked this album – I was definitely not one to be considered a fan. This album sees the band develop and mature into something far greater than they were back then, and in developing and maturing their sound, Fall Out Boy have produced a truly incredible album. The other day I reviewed a 5 track sampler of the album, in which I said that if that was anything to judge by then their album was to be truly something special. It really is something special and I am glad to have gotten hold of a copy before its release this coming Monday.

There are 13 tracks on display on this new album and not a single one of them disappoints. I had a feeling that the label may have put all the good material on the sampler and then the album was going to have 5 good tracks, with a load of average ones. This is definitely not the case and in ‘From Under The Cork Tree’ the band have produced a truly fine album worthy of being in anyone’s CD collection. Seriously, whatever type of music you’re predominantly into – I swear that you will find enjoyment in this Fall Out Boy album, it really it a fine piece of work.

My favourites on this CD are probably ‘Dance, Dance,’ ‘7 Minutes In heaven,’ ‘Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner,’ and the almighty ‘Get Busy Living Or Get Busy Dying.’ These are all great tracks and show off perfectly the fine skills that Fall Out Boy have to offer. There is never a dull moment on this album, but I just feel that these 4 tracks in particular really do convey the fun and enthusiasm that Fall Out Boy ooze seemingly with ease. The tracks have awesome vocals with great lyrics, strong guitar riffs, quality bass lines, and some superb drum work. Fall Out Boy, on this album have written some of the catchiest songs that I have ever heard in my life and I for one love it.

If you are into your Pop Punk or your Post-Hardcore, and haven’t yet checked this band out (god forbid) then make sure you check these guys out as they fuse the two perfectly and in doing so have created a truly immense album. I can see Fall Out Boy being around for some time to come yet with their fun, upbeat and frantic Pop Punk anthems.

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Fall Out Boy – From Under The Cork Tree (Sampler)

I wasn’t expecting much from this CD to be honest, after their last album ‘Take This To Your Grave’ failed to push all the right buttons for me. I thought the last album was way too predictable, with every song suffering from sound alike syndrome, however from what I can make of the 5 tracks that I have here (this is an album sampler) the new album really will be something special.

Stand out tracks here are definitely the amazing ‘Dance, Dance,’ and the superb ‘Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying,’ however having said this there is never a dull moment on this CD. The band definitely seems to have seen the error of their ways and in doing so have come back with a blinding effort. On this CD, Fall Out Boy seem to effortlessly blend Post Hardcore with Pop Punk and come out trumps every time. There is never a dull moment here, with every track as catchy and memorable as the last. I never would have expected this from this band, but they definitely seem to have done it and produced a blinder of a CD. The tracks here are intelligently written with great musicianship, and lyrics that you’ll be singing for months, maybe even years to come. Every track has a killer chorus that will have you hooked right till the last second, when the song will disappoint you by coming to an end.

I really hope the band can sell a lot of copies of this album as they are far greater than most of the bands out there doing the whole Post Hardcore/Pop Punk thing. Fall Out Boy really are in a league of their own with their original and catchy Punk anthems. The new material will surely go down a treat with the fans of the Warped Tour – it really is incredibly catchy and accessible. The first single to be released from this album will be ‘Sugar, We’re Goin Down’ so make sure you go out and buy it when it emerges – it is a cracking little number. Hopefully Fall Out Boy will be heading over to these shores before long.

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Fall To Fiction – Wings Lay Shattered

Fall To Fiction are a Emo/Post Hardcore band from around Kent and Sussex, and can often be seen frequenting the Tunbridge Wells Forum and other such local venues. They are still a young band, and are probably one of the most talented bands around this area at the moment. The band says that they combine a mixture of post hardcore ear piercing screams, with emotional breaks, and add to that a sprinkling of pop punk. I’d probably agree with that – the only problem with this is that by saying this of them you will probably get the wrong idea and that may mean some of you will automatically decide not to listen to them. I really don’t like a lot of Emo/Post Hardcore – the vast majority of it sounds the same and there are a lot of bands out there trying to ride on the success of others by producing generic, sound alike tripe. It really doesn’t work like that – you have far more chance of getting noticed if you’re doing it a bit different thus making your performance that extra bit special. Fall To Fiction do that, and as a result in ‘Wings Lay Shattered’ they have produced a fine CD made up of five cracking songs.

The CD opens off with a cracking track in ‘Ruby Red’ and really sets the pace for the rest of the EP. In this track the band show off some fine vocals with strong melody, cracking guitar riffs, some truly inspirational bass lines, and some superb drum beats. They carry this through and show signs of excellence on each and every single one of the tracks on display on this EP. I particularly like from this EP the fourth track ‘Simple minds, Simple hearts.’ It has a really strong intro and maintains great momentum and power throughout the song making way for a very interesting and exciting listen. The vocals on this track sound amazing with the guitars seemingly done to perfection, and drums proving the ultimate backbeat for a truly classic tune. I really love this track – it just sounds so silky smooth with the band having an aura of true finesse about them.

Fall To Fiction really are coming on in leaps and bounds and if this EP is anything to go by then before long this band should be huge. They really do have a great talent for penning a fine tune and each and every one of them is obviously an extremely talented musician with a very bright future ahead of them. Not only is the bands music great, but lyrically they are also amazing and really show signs of great maturity in their song writing for their age. I strongly urge you to check this band out live if you get an opportunity as I can pretty much guarantee that you’d have a great time and they wouldn’t disappoint.

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