Perhaps the only good thing to come from the emo scene (with possible exceptions being given to Dashboard Confessional and Saves the Day), Fall Out Boy return with Folie A Deux. With a Grammy nomination and a double-platinum album under their belts, Folie A Deux hits hard right from the first note, signaling the band is eager to get back on top of the food chain.
Let me first say that this album sounds freakin’ huge and it suits the band very, very well. The album opens with the monstrous “Disloyal Order of the Water Buffaloes,” wherein the band declares that “Nobody wants to here you sing about tragedy “and calls for listeners to “Boycott love.” The harmonies are unbelievable on this song making it easily one of the band’s best. “I Don’t Care” swings in next with a hip swagger that would have been totally comfortable in first era New Wave. The funky “America’s Suitehearts” is a highlight as well. While initially I didn’t enjoy it a whole lot, on repeated listens I found that, once absorbed, it revealed quite a lot musically. The more straightforward “Tiffany Blews” is another one of the album’s best moments and likely the most similar to the band’s pre-Island Records work.
What’s so great about this album is that the band sound so comfortable doing whatever the snot they want. The vocals are bluesier than ever and the drums would be well-suited to any mid-paced Metal band. It’s almost as if each member of the band is playing a completely different style of music and tying it all together with over the top harmonies. Love them or hate them, Folie A Deux is a wildly impressive album that makes it hard to deny that Fall Out Boy is one of the best hopes rock and roll has going right now.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
