Spring Break
CD Review: Fall Out Boy
"Infinity On High"
Issue date: 3/23/07 Section: The Edge
- Page 1 of 1
Chicagoland native Fall Out Boy has released the follow-up to its 2005 market-saturating, double platinum "From Under the Cork Tree." The new album "Infinity on High," which hit the streets on Feb. 6 and sold 270,000 copies during its first week, is a giant step up from "Cork Tree" but still has some annoying songs.
Aside from those tracks that are skipped every listen, "Infinity on High" actually has really catchy songs that get stuck in the hardest of rockers' head.
"This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," the first single of the record, is the epitome of the ever-important song hook. Listeners can't avoid tapping their toes, and fans will just go nuts.
From there "Thnks fr th mmrs" goes above and beyond as the singularly most catchy song on the entire disc; I was singing the song before I realized what was going on, which would explain the reason for the it being the band's next single to hit the airwaves.
Excluding the memorable riffs and rhymes, "Infinity on High" is an improvement upon "Cork Tree" due to the band's extra effort with the instrumentation on the album. Not only did the members develop upon their pop-punk formula, but the band delves into the likes of soul with the obnoxiously titled "I'm Like a Lawyer With the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me + You)." The appropriately titled "Hum Hallelujah" goes gospel, "The (After) Life of the Party" has the reminiscent sounds of the '80s and "I've Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers" sounds larger-than-life with its "Rocky"-esque theme.
Why the songs have such ridiculous titles is up for anyone who cares to figure it out. It's a CD, not a novel.
The head of all these musical ventures is the band's lead singer, Patrick Stump, who also stepped up his vocal range for the album. The track "Don't You Know Who I Think I Am" showcases his seemingly newfound ability as he steps up and down the vocal scale with great ease.
The problem with the album is that it is a Fall Out Boy record and bassist/lyricist/drama queen Pete Wentz is in the band. The band is its own worst enemy because of that whole emo scene fad which everybody hates. If you ask any self-respecting music fan if they like Fall Out Boy, that person would laugh in your face then turn around, listen to the new CD (on headphones) and sing all the words. It's almost as if the band is the new Creed. People like the music but will never admit it.
- Dave Hodge
edge editor
Aside from those tracks that are skipped every listen, "Infinity on High" actually has really catchy songs that get stuck in the hardest of rockers' head.
"This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," the first single of the record, is the epitome of the ever-important song hook. Listeners can't avoid tapping their toes, and fans will just go nuts.
From there "Thnks fr th mmrs" goes above and beyond as the singularly most catchy song on the entire disc; I was singing the song before I realized what was going on, which would explain the reason for the it being the band's next single to hit the airwaves.
Excluding the memorable riffs and rhymes, "Infinity on High" is an improvement upon "Cork Tree" due to the band's extra effort with the instrumentation on the album. Not only did the members develop upon their pop-punk formula, but the band delves into the likes of soul with the obnoxiously titled "I'm Like a Lawyer With the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me + You)." The appropriately titled "Hum Hallelujah" goes gospel, "The (After) Life of the Party" has the reminiscent sounds of the '80s and "I've Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers" sounds larger-than-life with its "Rocky"-esque theme.
Why the songs have such ridiculous titles is up for anyone who cares to figure it out. It's a CD, not a novel.
The head of all these musical ventures is the band's lead singer, Patrick Stump, who also stepped up his vocal range for the album. The track "Don't You Know Who I Think I Am" showcases his seemingly newfound ability as he steps up and down the vocal scale with great ease.
The problem with the album is that it is a Fall Out Boy record and bassist/lyricist/drama queen Pete Wentz is in the band. The band is its own worst enemy because of that whole emo scene fad which everybody hates. If you ask any self-respecting music fan if they like Fall Out Boy, that person would laugh in your face then turn around, listen to the new CD (on headphones) and sing all the words. It's almost as if the band is the new Creed. People like the music but will never admit it.
- Dave Hodge
edge editor
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