I've been reading a lot of reviews of Fall Out Boy's latest album, Save Rock and Roll, and I have to say that I disagree with a lot of them. My humble opinion is that the popular music reviews, such as Billboard, Entertainment, etc., are swayed by a personal writer's prejudice that FOB is "too punk" or "too alternative" to work well in the popular scene. Meanwhile, the punk blogs writers have the opposite prejudice that FOB has SOLD OUT! They think FOB used to be so punk and so much heavier, and these critics demand to know what happened!
First of all, these men have never been that punk or that heavy. They have always lived on the pop side of punk, even from their first albums, their barely-produced, not-even-on-Spotify beginning albums. And here's the thing--maybe their album doesn't fit in any specific category, or maybe no one wants to accept them into their folds--but this album is good. It's great, even. FOB topped the charts with Save Rock and Roll, and rightfully so.
I would like to claim that I only listened to FOB in high school and that I'm totally cooler than that now and so over it. But the truth is, I saw them at Riot Fest last weekend and it was awesome. Songs like "Saturday" and "Grand Theft Autumn" took me back, and songs like "Alone Together" and "The Phoenix" brought me into the future.
The bottom line is that Save Rock and Roll is super listenable. Sure, those who are *only* in to hardcore or punk music probably won't like it...or will claim to not like it. But me, I'm not music prejudice, and I'll listen to any artist in any genre, as long as I'm impressed by the music. Few artists could write an entire album this catchy...few artists could write even one song as catchy as the ones on that album. I just need everyone to stop thinking for a minute about what FOB is or what category they fall into, and simply enjoy the poppy but not-too-poppy sounds coming through your speakers. Patrick Stump's voice has only gotten better, and while the lyrics have gotten more sugary, I don't think anyone will regret giving this album a chance.
So get out there, get on Spotify, and queue up Save Rock and Roll. IF you can do so with an open mind and no prejudices about what you think Fall Out Boy should or should not be, I'm confident that it will be quite the enjoyable experience. And if you don't like it, at the very least, you will have some mid-road songs to play at parties that will satisfy the whole crowd.
I'll say it: damn, I'm glad that Fall Out Boy is back. Talent is talent, regardless of the genre. Thanks guys.
