CD Review: Fall Out Boy

Artist: Fall Out Boy
Album: Infinity on High
Release Date: February 2007
Age Range: 10 - 18
Genre: Rock/Pop/Emo
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Comments: This is a band I've heard about in the news especially with singer/lyricist Pete Wentz having a baby with another pop singer, Ashlee Simpson in the last year. When I took this album out from the library, I thought that I might be familiar with one or two tracks. Track seven is called 'Thnks fr th Mmrs', and I've definitely heard it on the radio. As a whole the album is very much a pop album, though with less emphasis on electronic beats or digital manipulation than a lot of pop music seems to be these days. The four members of the band have a fairly unremarkable rock/pop sound, with occasional interesting lyrics that make me wonder if teenagers understand the references. One example is track 14, called 'I've Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers.' The first line of the song is, "You're a canary, I'm a coal mine", and I wonder if today's teenagers will follow this reference. Track eight is called, 'Don't you know who I think I am?' and has possibly the creepiest line I picked out: "We only want to sing you to sleep". The way this line is sung is not creepy, however, but kind of sweet, so the delivery is good. The CD ends with a computerized voice saying "Now press repeat", which I thought was a fun touch.

Listened: 10 January