Musical Introduction To Fall Out Boy
I'm prefacing this post with some thoughts I've had about this band, as well as others.
I am sick of the bullshit people pull when it comes to Fall Out Boy, or My Chemical Romance, or even Avril Lavigne. This thing where people refuse to listen to an artist or band based on the reputation it has developed, or the fans they have, or it's cool leve. How real music fans don't listen to certain bands that are shitty, or sell-outs, or whatever. How so many people hide what music they're listening to. How in half the interviews out there, bands are asked what their "guilty pleasure music" is. I think that's all fucking bullshit. If we could just ignore reputations and fans and all that for two seconds, and just listen to the music as its own entity, the music world would be a better place.
At first, I resisted listening to FOB, because they have such a teenie/tween following, and I've heard so many bad things about their music. There was this sense that liking them meant losing music cred, or something. And then I started actually listening to some of it. And goodness gracious, it's good music. Granted, not everyone things so. But people's opinions vary, and not everyone likes every band. The thing is, apart from reputation and whether you like the music and all of that, these are talented musicians. The lyrics are often interesting, their style is varied, Patrick Stump has a fucking amazing voice, and they have a real feel for song structure. And fuck if I'm going to ignore all of that because of anything external.
I've learned that I'm a very cynical person, and that fans bother me. Regardless of the band/movie/whatever, I get very irritable in the face of avid fans. I recognize that I am a major fan of many things pop culture, and that maybe it's hypocritical. And it's not all fans. But the fans who are a little insane - I have a hard time letting it go without getting embarrassed for them or annoyed by them. It's the reason I don't go to concerts as much as I could, among other things. And I think that feeling has kept me from listening to a fair amount of good music, absolutely including Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance. I'm getting better at separating music and scene, and finding some fabulous stuff in the process.
Right now, I am up to my ears in My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is…, and Panic! At The Disco. If liking these bands is stripping me of music cred, then fuck it, strip me bare.
That said, I'm posting music from those bands, because that's what I do. I post music I like on my LJ so as to share it with all of you. I posted some MCR a while back, and now I'm doing a big Fall Out Boy post. This is a bigger post than the MCR one, because I think more of you are into the slightly poprock sound of FOB than the harder sound of MCR. I may be wrong, but that's my impression. Either way, as per the title, consider this my Musical Introduction To Fall Out Boy post.
I'll start from the beginning. A couple songs from their first album, Take This To Your Grave. (I should probably add that, while I definitely do like these songs, I'd probably be pretty alright breezing past this whole album if my thorough nature didn't demand that I include it.)
Homesick at Space Camp
The title along makes it worth it. Some people thing that FOB's titling is kitchy and ridiculous, but I like the more interesting titles. The chorus of this song reminds me a lot of New Found Glory, actually, and makes it clear that it wasn't until their second album that they really refined their sound and came into their own as a band. Regardless, it's a fun, catchy song.
The Pros and Cons of Breathing
One of the places on the first album where Patrick plays with his voice some, to great effect.
And now three from From Under The Cork Tree, the album they really struck big with.
Dance, Dance
It's the song that pushed them into fame, and for good reason. It's catchy as fuck, and hovers on the edgier, rockier side of pop.
Sophomore Slump or Comeback Of The Year
One of my favorite FOB songs. A fine example of Pete Wentz's lyrical style, with lines like "'Cause I swear I'd burn the city down to show you the lights" and "we've traveled like gypsies, only with worse luck and far less gold."
7 Minutes In Heaven (Atavan Halen)
Inspired by Pete's suicide attempt, but minus the whiny bullshit that a lot of people expect. The song is energized and upbeat, but there's clearly some reason and emotion behind the lyrics. Also, this song has a lot of the musical styles that I connect with them.
And then we come to Infinity on High. I could very easily rec every song on this album. Of their three albums, I think it's the strongest, and the most varied and interesting. You can hear how much they've grown as musicians. But I'll just put up four songs of the fourteen songs.
Golden
At first I wasn't a fan of this song, because it's their one real Slow Song. It's essentially just piano and vocals, with some background stuff. Then I listened to it a couple more times, and listened to the harmonies in the chorus, and by god I was sold. I'm a sucker for good, interesting harmonies, and this song takes the cake. Honestly, it hits the 2 minute mark and I die.
The Carpal Tunnel of Love
One of the darker songs on the album, at least in the beginning, with a really strong guitar line from the get go. It lightens up in tone when it reaches the chorus, but the guitar and drums stay strong. And this is one of their very very few songs that has screaming in the recorded version. Only a little though, don't be scared off by that. Pete had to get his scream on at at least one point, I think. Also, remember how I said I was a fan of the titles?
Fame < Infamy
The chorus of this song has this one bit, "the kid was alright but it went to his head" that just hits me hard, in the best way possible. Harmonies again, though not in the way that "Golden" has harmonies. With this song, it's strong all around, but it's the little moments that make it one of my favorites.
You're Crashing, But You're No Wave
Story song. With a Butch Walker guest appearance. And a whole choir of background vocalists. The verses are so smooth and composed, and then the pre-choruses burst out, and then they find their stride in the true chorus. The verses are my favorite. I think I could listen to Patrick's voice forever. This is definitely one of my favorites off the album.
Miscellaneous.
G.I.N.A.S.F.S.
Supposedly stands for Gay Is Not A Synonym For Shitty. Bonus song on some versions of Infinity On High. What I love about this song is the rushed vocals in the verses, when he's pushing about a million words into them. That and the title, naturally.
Roxanne
A really rockin cover.
Beat It / Carpal Tunnel of Love
From the VMAs this year. A more hard rock version of the song, along with a live version of "Carpal Tunnel of Love". Quality stuff. Patrick shows off his range. You can watch a video of the performance here.
Fall Out Boy and Rihanna - Shut Up and Drive
Rihanna performed, with Fall Out Boy backing her. Or Fall Out Boy covered her song and she did the main vocals. You pick. Either way, I'm a little in love with it. This song is catchy as fuck, and I like this version (live rock) better than the album version (electrorock). Of course, I also like hearing Patrick singing backing vocals, so make of that what you will. From the VMAs this year. You can watch the performance here if you're interested.
What's This
Remember when they rereleased The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Danny Elfman had some bands cover some of the songs? Well, Fall Out Boy was one of those bands. It's pretty awesome.
I am sick of the bullshit people pull when it comes to Fall Out Boy, or My Chemical Romance, or even Avril Lavigne. This thing where people refuse to listen to an artist or band based on the reputation it has developed, or the fans they have, or it's cool leve. How real music fans don't listen to certain bands that are shitty, or sell-outs, or whatever. How so many people hide what music they're listening to. How in half the interviews out there, bands are asked what their "guilty pleasure music" is. I think that's all fucking bullshit. If we could just ignore reputations and fans and all that for two seconds, and just listen to the music as its own entity, the music world would be a better place.
At first, I resisted listening to FOB, because they have such a teenie/tween following, and I've heard so many bad things about their music. There was this sense that liking them meant losing music cred, or something. And then I started actually listening to some of it. And goodness gracious, it's good music. Granted, not everyone things so. But people's opinions vary, and not everyone likes every band. The thing is, apart from reputation and whether you like the music and all of that, these are talented musicians. The lyrics are often interesting, their style is varied, Patrick Stump has a fucking amazing voice, and they have a real feel for song structure. And fuck if I'm going to ignore all of that because of anything external.
I've learned that I'm a very cynical person, and that fans bother me. Regardless of the band/movie/whatever, I get very irritable in the face of avid fans. I recognize that I am a major fan of many things pop culture, and that maybe it's hypocritical. And it's not all fans. But the fans who are a little insane - I have a hard time letting it go without getting embarrassed for them or annoyed by them. It's the reason I don't go to concerts as much as I could, among other things. And I think that feeling has kept me from listening to a fair amount of good music, absolutely including Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance. I'm getting better at separating music and scene, and finding some fabulous stuff in the process.
Right now, I am up to my ears in My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is…, and Panic! At The Disco. If liking these bands is stripping me of music cred, then fuck it, strip me bare.
That said, I'm posting music from those bands, because that's what I do. I post music I like on my LJ so as to share it with all of you. I posted some MCR a while back, and now I'm doing a big Fall Out Boy post. This is a bigger post than the MCR one, because I think more of you are into the slightly poprock sound of FOB than the harder sound of MCR. I may be wrong, but that's my impression. Either way, as per the title, consider this my Musical Introduction To Fall Out Boy post.
I'll start from the beginning. A couple songs from their first album, Take This To Your Grave. (I should probably add that, while I definitely do like these songs, I'd probably be pretty alright breezing past this whole album if my thorough nature didn't demand that I include it.)
Homesick at Space Camp
The title along makes it worth it. Some people thing that FOB's titling is kitchy and ridiculous, but I like the more interesting titles. The chorus of this song reminds me a lot of New Found Glory, actually, and makes it clear that it wasn't until their second album that they really refined their sound and came into their own as a band. Regardless, it's a fun, catchy song.
The Pros and Cons of Breathing
One of the places on the first album where Patrick plays with his voice some, to great effect.
And now three from From Under The Cork Tree, the album they really struck big with.
Dance, Dance
It's the song that pushed them into fame, and for good reason. It's catchy as fuck, and hovers on the edgier, rockier side of pop.
Sophomore Slump or Comeback Of The Year
One of my favorite FOB songs. A fine example of Pete Wentz's lyrical style, with lines like "'Cause I swear I'd burn the city down to show you the lights" and "we've traveled like gypsies, only with worse luck and far less gold."
7 Minutes In Heaven (Atavan Halen)
Inspired by Pete's suicide attempt, but minus the whiny bullshit that a lot of people expect. The song is energized and upbeat, but there's clearly some reason and emotion behind the lyrics. Also, this song has a lot of the musical styles that I connect with them.
And then we come to Infinity on High. I could very easily rec every song on this album. Of their three albums, I think it's the strongest, and the most varied and interesting. You can hear how much they've grown as musicians. But I'll just put up four songs of the fourteen songs.
Golden
At first I wasn't a fan of this song, because it's their one real Slow Song. It's essentially just piano and vocals, with some background stuff. Then I listened to it a couple more times, and listened to the harmonies in the chorus, and by god I was sold. I'm a sucker for good, interesting harmonies, and this song takes the cake. Honestly, it hits the 2 minute mark and I die.
The Carpal Tunnel of Love
One of the darker songs on the album, at least in the beginning, with a really strong guitar line from the get go. It lightens up in tone when it reaches the chorus, but the guitar and drums stay strong. And this is one of their very very few songs that has screaming in the recorded version. Only a little though, don't be scared off by that. Pete had to get his scream on at at least one point, I think. Also, remember how I said I was a fan of the titles?
Fame < Infamy
The chorus of this song has this one bit, "the kid was alright but it went to his head" that just hits me hard, in the best way possible. Harmonies again, though not in the way that "Golden" has harmonies. With this song, it's strong all around, but it's the little moments that make it one of my favorites.
You're Crashing, But You're No Wave
Story song. With a Butch Walker guest appearance. And a whole choir of background vocalists. The verses are so smooth and composed, and then the pre-choruses burst out, and then they find their stride in the true chorus. The verses are my favorite. I think I could listen to Patrick's voice forever. This is definitely one of my favorites off the album.
Miscellaneous.
G.I.N.A.S.F.S.
Supposedly stands for Gay Is Not A Synonym For Shitty. Bonus song on some versions of Infinity On High. What I love about this song is the rushed vocals in the verses, when he's pushing about a million words into them. That and the title, naturally.
Roxanne
A really rockin cover.
Beat It / Carpal Tunnel of Love
From the VMAs this year. A more hard rock version of the song, along with a live version of "Carpal Tunnel of Love". Quality stuff. Patrick shows off his range. You can watch a video of the performance here.
Fall Out Boy and Rihanna - Shut Up and Drive
Rihanna performed, with Fall Out Boy backing her. Or Fall Out Boy covered her song and she did the main vocals. You pick. Either way, I'm a little in love with it. This song is catchy as fuck, and I like this version (live rock) better than the album version (electrorock). Of course, I also like hearing Patrick singing backing vocals, so make of that what you will. From the VMAs this year. You can watch the performance here if you're interested.
What's This
Remember when they rereleased The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Danny Elfman had some bands cover some of the songs? Well, Fall Out Boy was one of those bands. It's pretty awesome.