Fall Out Boy Infinity on High ITUNES MYSPACE Back in 2001, when Fall Out Boy bassist, lyricist, and de facto leader Pete Wentz started playing with a bunch of kids from the suburbs of Chicago, he had no intention of taking over the world. At the time, he probably would’ve settled for a side stage at Warped Tour. Or a van without transmission problems. Like the thousands of other fledgling punk acts who get together each year out of sheer boredom, Wentz’s band seemed destined for the small time: Maybe they’d limp through a U. S. tour, put out a poorly recorded EP, and
then split up when adulthood finally came calling.
Yet Fall Out Boy have sold 2.5 million copies of their rollicking second album, 2005’s From Under the Cork Tree, a commercial coup that has spurred a whole slew of side projects for Wentz, including his own record label (Decaydance), clothing line (Clandestine Industries), and social-networking website. In the past six years he has undeniably adopted the mind-set of someone who absolutely wants to take over the world, setting off countless message-board debates in the process. And, as one listen to this ambitious third disc will attest, his wild-eyed determination has rubbed off on his bandmates.
Recorded in part with R&B hitmaker Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Infinity on High reveals a group that has grown
so confident with success that the members are willing to give in to their every musical whim. It’s the first Fall Out Boy record in which singer Patrick Stump fully utilizes his vocal range, and on the funky first single, “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race,” he wails like a shirtless soul singer. The band’s brawny
emo riffs and sugary hooks are still evident on songs like “Hum Hallelujah,” but Wentz and Co. have beefed up their sound considerably, employing horns, strings, a choir, and, on the blistering opener, “Thriller,” a boastful intro from Def Jam prez Jay-Z.
A great deal has been made of Hova’s very public support of this band during the past two years, and his startling presence at the onset of Infinity feels rather prophetic: After all, Beyoncé’s man has always carried himself as an artist who could step to any challenge and, these days, Fall Out Boy have begun to develop a similar swagger. Years ago, this band surely would have balked at the idea of writing an overwrought piano ballad like “Golden” or such a soaring prom-night epic as “I’m Like a Lawyer With the Way I’m Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You).” Now they don’t even flinch. It’s that attitude that makes this bravely self-indulgent album so easy to rally behind. Who knows if the four guys will actually conquer the pop universe with these songs, but it’ll certainly be fun to watch them try.
ILLUSTRA TION B Y KOREN SHADMI
STAR RA TINGS CLASSIC EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR
References:
Archives