When I was in high school, growing
into my own and immersed in 90’s punk and ska, there was no act I hated more
than Fall Out Boy. Along with my entire group of friends, I found their music to
be kitschy, unintelligible, and far too pervasive. Though my distaste would
lessen as I passed from teens to twenties, my inclination to avoid hearing
their music never disappeared. Yet when I had the opportunity to see them live
earlier this year, I was bamboozled by how much fun I had, and even more so by
how damn good of an act they are. I soon scooped up my girlfriend’s copy of Infinity
on High, and though I wouldn’t call myself FOBsessed, I am undoubtedly now
a fan of this seminal act.
As their third full-length effort, Infinity
on High makes it apparent Fall Out Boy is both a seasoned and driven group.
Drummer Andy Hurley sets up solid, unfaltering grooves across the record,
tailoring each to the song’s vibe and locking with the rolling bass notes of
Pete Wentz. Their sturdy rhythms allow guitarists Patrick Stump and Joe Trohman
to sew their strings together in intricate patterns for “The Carpal Tunnel of Love” and even an interlocking piece in “Bang the Doldrums” that wavers between
major and minor keys. The band brings a heap of energy to the table, so that
even gentler tunes like “Golden” or “I’ve Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers” invite the listener to the dancefloor. Though their roots
lie in pop-punk, Fall Out Boy does far more than thrash at their instruments,
instead imbuing each song with its own unique feel along with the monstrous energy
for which they are known.
The unit of Fall Out Boy has their
sound locked down, but the factor that launches them beyond the noise of the
pop-punk scene has to be Patrick Stump’s dynamic and flawless vocals. He uses
his voice like a weapon, loading each melody with energy and emotion that
sounds as honest as it does awesome. As the band’s primary composer, he guides
each song along with his vocal, letting his voice play with space and power
without overriding the instrumentation. Yet his varied and prestigious
influences, apparently including Michael Jackson and David Bowie,
urge him to mark tunes like “Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?” and “The (After) Life of the Party” with vocal runs controlled and creative, practically channels
the King of Pop through his vocal chords. Patrick Stump breathes heady life
into the songs through his singing, bringing a serious beauty and pop
sensibility that compliments the band’s unwavering energy.
Patrick Stump’s foray away from a
strictly pop-punk sound bleeds into the instrumentation of Infinity on High as well. As Pete puts it, IOH “was always going to be about doing something new, and something different,” and as one listen will show, there is no doubt they
have achieved their goal. Though almost every song maintains some root in FOB’s
classic thrashy-pop sound, the band also experiments with a variety of other
styles and genres; “Thnks fr th Mmrs” features a full classical arrangement,
while “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” toys with a flamenco bridge and a
Motown-esque sensibility. Fall Out Boy even leans back towards their roots in
hardcore for some tunes, employing grinding chugs in “Thriller” and screamed
vocals in “The Carpal Tunnel of Love.”
Every song on Infinity on High
finds a unique sonic area in which to adventure, so much so that Patrick states
that “none of the songs sound like the record, in general,” calling IOH a record that’s “hard to take out of context.” The quartet of musicians in
Fall Out Boy work hard to make each song a wholly novel listening experience,
tapping into new sounds and styles as a challenge for themselves and a treat
for their listeners.
The instrumentation on Infinity on High manages to explore new
tonal terrain while holding on the essence of Fall Out Boy’s sound, and the
lyrics of the record do much the same thing. Primary lyricist Pete Wentz
maintains a tongue-in-cheek voice, twisting worn clichés such as “I take my last chance / to burn a bridge or two” in “I’m Like a Lawyer…” or “Come hell or high water / well I’m feeling hot and wet” in “Bang the Doldrums.”
Wentz is a writer that relies heavily on one-liners and turns of phrase, often
considered weak weapons of writing, but Patrick Stump’s impassioned delivery of
the lyrics gives them the life they need to stick in the heads and hearts of
even the most curmudgeony or pretentious listeners.
Just as the instrumentation strives
for the heights of stardom, so too do the themes of Pete’s lyrics, albeit with
a far different attitude. With Infinity
on High, Pete Wentz focused much of his writing on the band’s newfound fame
and the struggles of being thrust into the spotlight. “Thriller” directly
comments on their trajectory with the lines “Last summer we took threes across the board / But by fall we were a cover story ‘now in stores,’”
while “Fame < Infamy” pokes fun at the narcissistic attitude of celebrity
with the phrase “I am God’s gift.”
Though the theme of struggling with
fame and celebrity may be a foreign concept to Fall Out Boy’s fans, so much so
that Pete has named IOH an “extremely unrelatable record,” the ideas of depression and failure are virtually
universal. “Don’t You Know Who I Think I Am?” presses the idea of imminent
demise with the line “We walk the plank on a sinking ship,” an idea
furthered by “This Ain’t a Scene” with the lyric “I wrote the gospel on giving up.” From his writing, it is obvious that Pete Wentz has struggled hard
with his life as an artist, but his light-hearted language makes light of these
heavy feelings, including multiple references to his suicide attempt in
more than one song. Wentz’ talent for weaving words into fun and relatable
phrases helps communicate the truth of his experience as both a celebrity and a
human being, using language to process and address issues that threaten to
overcome him.
Above the incredible instrumentation
and exuberant vocals, the main tone ringing throughout this record is one of
pure honesty, something that I value in music above all else. As Pete puts it, “Fall Out Boy is an attempt at honesty and authentic perspectives,” and
after incessant listening, I am confident that Infinity on High maintains that standard of truth. It has managed to wade through years
of active dislike and prove to me that Fall Out Boy is an act worthy of its
following and my own appreciation. It has made me a true fan of theirs,
something I would have balked at ten years ago, and I am excited to discover
what gems the rest of their catalog contains.
Tunes to Check Out:
1) Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?
3) This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
