By Jamil Oakford/editor-in-chief
After the two-year wait between its last critically acclaimed album Save Rock and Roll, Fall Out Boy has graced the music scene with another fast and heavy album, American Beauty/American Psycho.
This album doesn’t just act as a statement of adaptation for the group, but it throws back to some of the sound that made it popular, unlike Save Rock And Roll.
The album starts off with its title track: a fast, high-hat frenzied tune. This sets the expectations high for a fast-paced, slightly rambunctious sound throughout the album. There’s something a little “hardcore house party” about it, but maybe that can’t be helped when Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx helps write a song.
“Centuries” was the first single to come off the album. It had the same loud and bass-heavy nature that led to “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light ‘Em Up)” success. It’s a great workout song with lyrics about being remembered across centuries.
The most memorable song on the album might be “Irresistible.” The song kicks off with loud, bawdy brass with Pete Wentz’s signature loaded lines of lyrics. It seems overproduced on the first listen, but it’s almost impossible not to sing along to all the “oh’s” lining the chorus.
This album as a whole is good. It lacks some variety that could easily be heard in previous albums like From Under the Cork Tree and Take This to Your Grave. With all the cool drum and voice effects, most of their songs lack specific identities. This makes it hard to distinguish one song from another.
But with that being said, there’s still a distinctive Fall Out Boy sound buried beneath all the loud electronic drum beats. And maybe that’s really an amazing thing on its own.
If buying a whole album doesn’t sound cost-effective, there are some notable tracks that will fail to be a waste of money on iTunes or Amazon.
“Novocaine,” “Twin Skeleton’s (Hotel in NYC)” and “Immortals,” which was featured on the Big Hero 6 soundtrack and trailer, are all great tracks that can stand on their own.
