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I really love this album cover. Tyographically perfect.
Fall Out Boy is a guilty pleasure. While their albums have gone from care-free punk (Take This To Your Grave), to pop-chart ditties (From Under the Cork Tree), and most recently, to groovy rock (Infinity On High), they have always maintained a consistent formula- excellent vocals from Patrick Stump, insanely catchy choruses and guitar riffs, and clever lyrics.
On Folie A Deux, FOB tries to keep the same formula, but strangely, it just doesn’t work as well. The hooks aren’t hooky. The catchy choruses aren’t too catchy. The clever lyrics aren’t that clever. Folie A Deux does have its strong, classic FOB moments, but too much of the album falls into repetitiveness.
The album starts off promisingly enough, with Stump crooning over organs, building to power chords straight out of “Baba O’Reilly” on the epic “Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes.” With its defining lyric, “Nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy,” and its massive feel, “Disloyal Order” is an album highlight reminiscent of Infinity’s “Thriller.”
But after the song ends, the album slips into silliness. Actually, before the song finishes: the shout-along of “Detox- just to retox!” sounds childish for a band trying to mature. That trend continues with Folie’s first single, “I Don’t Care.” The chant-along of “I Don’t Care” doesn’t sound cool, but juvenile. The song has a fun, electro-rock beat, but it grows into an unmemorable chorus that will please the mainstream radio crowd, but will disappoint fans looking for something different.
This is the case with most of the album. “I know you’ve heard this all before,” sings Stump on “America’s Suitehearts,” and unfortunately, I feel like I have. “The same old song,” Stump croons on “The (Shipped) Gold Standard,” and I feel like it is. These tracks may be pleasing to the ears, but that doesn’t mean they are good. On past albums, songs like these had choruses you could remember after one listen, and want to sing along with on the next. On Folie, the choruses are not as catchy, and there’s barely a desire to sing along. Unless of course, you are a tween girl.
But as I said, there are extreme highlights. “What A Catch, Donnie,” with vocal contributions from Brendan Urie, Elvis Costello, and Travis McCoy has a bombastic and (finally) memorable hook. At the end, when the guest stars begin to chant some older Fall Out Boy hits, you get the feel that FOB was actually having some fun with this one. And they’re at their best when they are having fun.
This is extremely evident on “20 Dollar Nose Bleed.” When the tune’s steady piano beat kicked in, it’s extremely refreshing. I always felt that FOB had the potential to make great piano power-pop like The Hush Sound. And with “Nose Bleed” they prove that they can- the excellent duet between Stump and Panic’s own Brendan Urie doesn’t hurt either.
“She’s My Winona” is another highlight, and a return to old-school Fall Out Boy style. Insanely catchy “oh-ohs” are littered throughout the song.
“Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet” is one more track that works- Stump plays around with his vocals, reaching way down out of his typical range to match the song’s dark chords. The song switches gears very well- going from a Maroon Five groove, to a piano ballad, to a typical Fall Out Boy chorus.
But let’s not praise Folie A Deux too much. “Tiffany Blews” has a great first 14 seconds, but the song as a whole misses the mark. The unnecessary Lil’ Wayne cameo (no joke) doesn’t add anything. “27″ tries to sound different, but even a few F-bombs from Stump can’t hide the unmistakable FOB formula.
Tracks that could be great, like “( Coffee’s For Closers)”, overstay their welcome (the song did not need to be six minutes). And album closer “West Coast Smokers,” with its poorly thrown in screeching from Pete Wentz (have I really gone a full Fall Out Boy review without mentioning Pete Wentz? Nice!) also falls flat.
Fall Out Boy is a very good band, Patrick Stump is an excellent frontman, and Folie A Deux has some great moments. But the bad easily cancels out the good, making for a very mediocre album. As I said earlier, the band has always been a guilty pleasure. The problem with Folie A Deux is that half of the songs just aren’t that pleasurable. Download the five-six songs in which FOB shows off their true potential and let’s hope that their next album will be a little more consistent.
Recommended Tracks:
20 Dollar Nose Bleed
Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes
Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet
Tags: Fall Out Boy, fueled by ramen, Panic! at the Disco, Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz
“Headfirst Slide Into Coopestown On A Bad Bet” is my favorite off their new one at the moment. i love it.
aww damn man. the new album is a pleasant surprise after the previous. many good songs.
Bought Folie a Deux last night. The (Shipped) Gold Standard is definitely my pick for the best.
Oh and (Coffee’s For Closers)
Good review, thank god you guys didn’t give FOB anything higher than a 6 or a 7!
“the band has always been a guilty pleasure. The problem with Folie A Deux is that half of the songs just aren’t that pleasurable. ”
100% agree with you there. Though I’d still give Folie a Deux more than 5.5 is definitely a grower — you should have listened to it a few times before rating it.
haha i disagree with billy. i listened to it 5 times, and each time i hated it more. and i’ve loved fall out boy since their demos. luckily they’re a big enough name that they’ll get a chance to come back from this, and hopefully it’ll work.
This album was/is/will-forever-be HORRRIBLE. and I have loved everything FOB has ever made post(&including)-Take This To Your Grave .
I listened to it a few times and just like Randi, it kept annoying me. The songs that grew on me were songs like “She’s My Winona,” which I originally grouped with “America’s Suitehearts” and “The (Shipped) Gold Standard” in my review as too much of the same, but I came around to it. Same with “Disloyal Order,” which grew from a decent song in my eyes to a great one.
And I agree with you Billy that it’s decent- 5.5 isn’t a bad rating. I enjoyed it, but it’s nowhere near some of the other stuff we put on this site and give bulbs away for.
I love the fact that PMA uses bulbs! It’s defining, I think. Maybe one day artists will be fighting for “PMA Bulbs” more than “Pitchfork Decimals”.
I can’t get over how awful this album is. I think 5.5 is a little too generous. 20 dollar nosebleed is the only good thing on there
I only paid like a buck for this on the Zune store (because it was drm free), and I’d say it’s obviously worth that price. I think I’d just buy the few songs I like from it otherwise. <3 Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet.
I Listened To The Whole Album Yesterday {Whilst Shoveling Snow} But What I Should Do Is Shovel It Off My Ipod SMH Only Headslide Which Has Been Out Forever Thankfully It Was Free So….
Gotta agree with you, PMA. This was definitely a FOB album, but I felt chronically unimpressed. The songs are catchy the first few times around, but not ones that I want to go back and listen to over and over. Maybe it will grow on me? If it doesn’t, I want FOB to take a year off and chill out, reflect, and get inspired, instead of rushing to sate the masses with another clone album.
I have no doubt that they will do that. Pete might be too busy to write, you know… with a new baby and having anal sex with Ashlee and all..
And Patrick may want to produce a hip hop record… just kidding. Sorta.
I got a bit of FOB nostalgic the other day and mashed Thnks Fr Th Mmrs + Girls Aloud’s ‘No Good Advice’ …
Thnks Fr the Good Advice.
You might enjoy it?
Over at my blog: http://GHBdj.blogspot.com
:]
Can’t say i agree with your review at all. The fact that you compared FOB to Maroon 5 proves that you clearly don’t understand the music Patrick and his friends produce. Your review was simply poor. This could possibly be the best FOB album to date (they were nominated for a grammy before…). The lyrics were beyond your comprehension and transcend your description of “catchy” lyrics.
you fail
Well, erikm, at least some people agree with me:
Entertainment Weekly on Infinity on High- “it turns out these pasty emo boys are a pretty great blue-eyed soul band. Infinity ain’t exactly Thriller — but Maroon 5 better watch their backs.”
And from the site, justafan.tandrew.com-”The (Shipped) Gold Standard- This could be a Maroon 5 song.”
Just defending myself buddy, maybe you’ll like my next review better.
I am sorry to be so harsh…
But what a load of shit!
What is with these reviews, huh?
Folie a Deux is the best and most original FOB album and every track is unique. And catchy! How can you say the choruses are not catchy?
Amazing album.
Bad review.
I actually cannot understand why people don’t like this album.
lol they rather , Radiohead….
Maroon 5, is way different…
to me music is about taste and if fall out boy is (not saying that u said that) so bad they would be out of business and dont say that is because of his media whore behaviour….
Damn, (coffee’s for closers) is THE catchiest song on the album,
i can’t stop singing “We will never believe again” when it comes up, plus the ending is epic.
Sheesus, how catchy do you want it?
Truth is, Folie A Deux is Fall Out Boy’s catchiest album. Yes, the songs all seem quite similar, yet it doesn’t become dull. Because yes, they’ve become a Pop Rock band, and do you know how they gained the label Pop? Pop is catchy, fancy that.
“The (Shipped) Gold Standard” is so not Maroon 5.
The choruses aren’t as catchy, unless you’re a ‘tween girl’? Oh, aren’t you wrong.
Not only do you copy the same formula as every other Fall Out Boy review; saying Fall Out Boy is just an emo band, supported by teen girls, then you are just plain delusional.
Writing that they are like Maroon 5, then supporting it with other reviews from a magazine such as ‘Entertainment Weekly’?
Hey, I know I won’t like your next review.