By Acadia Otlowski
When I began writing this album review a week ago, I was set to write a bad review. That was after the first listen. Then I listened to the album a second time. Then a third.
Save Rock and Roll took a few listens to stick. The new sound that the band now has took some adjusting to. But numerous listens later, while the album still doesn’t quite save rock and roll, it does a fair job contributing to it.
“The Phoenix” could not have been a better introduction for the album. It lures in the hordes of old fans, hoping for a shred of the band they once knew. This song sounds like old Fall Out Boy, just kicked up a notch. The song is face paced, with Patrick Stump’s vocals carrying the songs with its familiar strength. The song eases fans into the new sound of Fall Out Boy with a little something familiar.
“My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em’ Up)” is the anthem of the new album, basically disclaiming the dirty history of rock and roll music and its current associations with pop music. When it first came out, I had high hopes for the rest of the album, ditching the songs featuring pop artists. But it seems that Fall Out Boy falls into the very thing that they sought to avoid later in the album.
“Just One Yesterday” seems to be the most generic song on the album. The song does not grab my attention, the lyrics are not even interesting. There is a female vocal part, but it does nothing to make the song more engaging.
As soon as “Miss Missing You” begins, I am reminded of Cobra Starship, another band signed to the “Fueled by Ramen” record label. It appears that some of the same people may have had a hand in both bands albums. This is another generic and uninteresting song for me, though I would not describe it as bad.
“Death Valley” opens with Stump’s voice on full display, backed with a light guitar strum. The song then moves into something that feels like it should play on the radio. It sounds like something that one would dance to. I’m sure it will translate well into concert, as most of the songs on this album do.
Why any band would start off a song with “It’s Courtney, bitch” is beyond me. Especially Fall Out Boy. The song that starts this way: “Rat a Tat.” It’s not bad, but the intro is so off putting that I found the song hard to take. The speaker at the beginning is Courtney Love, and while I personally do not like her, her voice certainly adds a certain rhythmic quality that I have come to accept. But regardless of this, this song is not bad and certainly stands out.
The title of this album is overly ambitious. Unfortunately, Save Rock and Roll does not quite live up to its title. It does however, make it clear that despite the long four year hiatus, Fall Out Boy is coming back and will be coming back strong. The band has been touring across the U.S. since its announcement that it has returned and will continue touring throughout the year.
