Talk about an anticipated release – Fallout Boy are arguably the biggest band on the ‘underground’ right now and after inking a deal with Island, their elevation to major league status is in the bag. Put simply, even if this album was a complete dud, FOB would still sell hundreds of thousands and be lauded as the band to fill Blink 182‘s shoes as mainstream pop-punk darlings. It’s a good job then that ‘From Under The Cork Tree’ is a good album. I’ve read a lot of reviews about how this record is disappointing, and sure, it’s not as good as their last album, but it is a massive grower and I think a lot of people may have cast their thoughts too soon. There are a couple of dodgy numbers here, but overall this is an album which will win over a stack of new fans and keep the thousands of loyal ones fairly happy.
‘From Under The Cork Tree’ features a number of trademark Fallout Boy songs – witty, clever and melodic, with a high-energy attitude and plenty of bouncy hooks and vocal melodies. It’s a formula which served them very well on ‘Take This To Your Grave’, and for the opening five songs on this new album, you could be forgiven for thinking the band have merely kept up this style. ‘Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn’t Get Sued’ is a fantastic start, but scratch the surface and it’s a clever lyrical tale of the band poking fun at themselves and perhaps their new found status of being in the public eye. Ditto the high-tempo of ‘Of All The Gin Joints In All The World’ and the possible future single ‘Dance, Dance’, arguably the pick of the bunch.
‘Sugar, We’re Going Down’ is a huge grower – I’ll admit I wasn’t sold the first time I heard it, but like most of this album it does grow immensely over time. And that’s the beauty of Fallout Boy, while you do get an instant hit from their songs, you’re left with a craving for more – and the more you listen the more satisfied with it you become. However, whereas ‘Take This To Your Grave’ was virtually faultless, this new CD does come with a few ropey tracks. ‘I’ve Got A Dark Alley…’ is a lot darker and a fair bit slower, than the other songs, and I’m not wholly convinced the experiment works, while ‘Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of the Year’ hasn’t quite grown on me fully just yet, although I’m sure it will.
‘7 Minutes In Heaven’ is a beauty, however, picking up the tempo again and re-introducing the trademark choruses that Patrick’s vocals can create, while ‘Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends’ is more than just a witty title, again showing main songwriter Pete Wentz is possibly the underrated brains behind the band. For me the band almost save the best for less, with ‘A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More ‘Touch Me” and the fantastic ‘Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying’ really standing out, especially back-to-back.
Expectations amongst fans were high – there is a genuine buzz about Fallout Boy right now and I was a little concerned when I read initial reviews. However, I’m not disappointed by ‘From Under The Cork Tree’ at all. It’s maybe not a massive leap up, but it maintains my opinion that these guys are extremely good at what they do, despite the genre of music being over-saturated and possibly on its last legs. A good push by the record label, and a couple of decent videos, could see this break one million sales, easily. Mainstream success would inevitably lead to a hot pop-punk summer…here’s hoping…
www.falloutboyrock.com
Island
Paul