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ChicagoGigs.com Review

An energetic bunch, Fall Out Boy capitalize on cleverness from their name -- a reference to The Simpsons, of course -- on down. Shooting in the same vein as Alkaline Trio, the Chicago quartet succeeds in creating a solid record of what we would call "emo" these days. Go down the checklist -- is it more a more melodic, slightly more complicated version of basic hardcore punk? Check. Does it have personal, intense lyrics? Check.

That still doesn't say much about Fall Out Boy -- a lot of groups good and bad fit the emo definition these days. With these guys, though, the playing and compositions are top-notch -- each song has a few more chords than three, more than one key signature, a little innovation and a lot of harmonies -- plenty to keep you interested. Drum basher Andy Hurley prevails on Take You to Your Grave's crisp mix, just slick enough that playing it louder adds punch, especially on tracks like "Dead on Arrival." What Fall Out boy traffic in, mostly, are songs about heartbreak, filled with singer Patrick Strump's lyrical attempts at Elvis Costello-level stinging snarkiness.

But the material's less literary, blunt as a bat, full of quips alternately cringe-worthy and hilarious, like on "Tell That Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today:" "Let’s play this game called "when you catch fire"/I wouldn’t piss to put you out." These twelve love/hate songs also remind of Alkaline Trio by virtue of morbidity: "when you wrap your car around a tree/Your makeup looks great next to his teeth." Or, on "Chicago is so Two Years Ago:" "With every breath I wish your body will be broken again."

Apparently Fall Out Boy have had some really bad experiences with some really bad women. Of course, in true emo fashion, on "Grenade Jumper" Strump concedes and admits he hates the proverbial "you" (her again?) as much as he hates himself.

at ChicagoGigs.com



Biography

The four members of Chicago's Fall Out Boy came together in suburban Wilmette around 2000. Vocalist/guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Peter Wentz, drummer Andrew Hurley, and guitarist Joseph Trohman had all been in and out of various units connected to Chicago's underground hardcore scene. Most notably, Hurley drummed for Racetraitor, the furiously political metal-core outfit whose brief output was both a rallying point and sticking point within the hardcore community.

As the quartet used the unbridled intensity of hardcore as a foundation for melody-drenched pop-punk with a heavy debt to the emo scene. They debuted with a self-released demo in 2001, following it up in May 2002 with a split LP on Uprising that also featured Project Rocket. The band returned on the label in January with the mini-LP Fall Out Boy's Evening Out With Your Girl, but by this point a bidding war of sorts was already in full swing. Fall Out Boy eventually signed a deal with Gainesville, FL's Fueled by Ramen, the label co-owned by Less Than Jake drummer Vinnie Balzano, but also received an advance from Island Records to record their proper debut.

The advance came with a right of first refusal for Island on Fall Out Boy's next album, but it also financed the recording of Take This to Your Grave, which occurred at Butch Vig's Smart Studios compound in Madison, WI, with Sean O'Keefe (Lucky Boys Confusion, Motion City Soundtrack) at the helm. Grave appeared in May 2003, and Fall Out Boy garnered positive reviews for its gigs at South by Southwest and numerous tour appearances. The ambitious From Under the Cork Tree followed in spring 2005 and reached the Top Ten of Billboard's album charts. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide




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