Fall Out Boy

On their major label debut, Fall Out Boy deliver a heaviness that speaks to the members' background in hardcore, but the melodies come straight from the songbook of the alienated, love-struck teenager. Add in some anthemic choruses and incredibly long song titles, and you've got an intriguing, explosive record.

Fall Out Boy's second album, From Under the Cork Tree, is a peculiar mix of in-jokes ("Our
Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued") and romantic
dramas that post-adolescents are unlikely to care about. But thanks to a lot of taut grooves
and dense hooks, these Chicago kids' near-emo is always kind of charming. The opening
cut follows a joke about wrist-slitting with a lively group chorus, and the well-w... More >

Stuck between pretentious young purists who believe catchy love songs betray their hardcore heritage and eager younger fans who believe catchy love songs fulfill their teenthrob destiny, these Warped Tour cover boys aren't terrible, but are they ever ordinary. Only their record company would claim that emotional vocals, dramatic dynamics, poppy-punky tempos, and not actually all that catchy tunes add up to "their own sound." They have some talent, they're cute, and they work hard. Thus they get to pretend that "Douse yourself in cheap perfume it's/So fitting of the way you are" is a lyric for the ages, a/k/a next week. (Grade - C+)