With a career spanning over a decade, it's no surprise that Fall Out Boy have decided to take on a maturer sound over the past couple of years, drifting away slightly from the adolescent pop-punk that broke them into the mainstream, and adding little titbits of urban and electronic inspiration here and there for their latest effort 'American Beauty/American Psycho.' Packed full of references, samples and Patrick Stump's trademark vocals, the band's sixth album might just be their best yet. The amount of production, heavy guitar and anthemic melodies featured across the album can't help but make you imagine hearing them in an arena, and storming up to the top of the charts yet again.
This can come at a price though, as the busy arrangements and slightly more generic tones can be a little overkill at times, especially when listening to the album as a whole, but there's enough variation between styles and tempo to keep you interested and on your toes. Lead track 'American Beauty/American Psycho' is brilliantly bonkers, albeit very shouty, whilst 'Favourite Record' contains elements of electronica, with the use of robotic voices. 'The Kids Aren't Alright' is the closest thing to a ballad on the album, but unfortunately the great verses are hindered by the overproduced chorus, but things are vamped up again for instant classic 'Uma Thurman,' which cleverly samples the theme tune to The 'Munsters'... brilliant.
The overall tone of the album feels very 'Contemporary Mad Scientist', and there are definitely tracks that I'll be singling out and coming back to again and again. One thing that does surprise me though, which is a rarity amongst nearly every other album, is that the end is potentially the strongest section.
First Listen Ratings
Irresistible 7.6/10
American Beauty/American Pyscho 7/10
Centuries 8.9/10
The Kids Aren't Alright 6.4/10
Uma Thurman 7.8/10
Jet Pack Blues 7.3/10
Novocaine 7.7/10
Fourth Of July 7.2/10
Favourite Record 8.3/10
Immortals 8/10
Twin Skeleton's (Hotel In NYC) 8.6/10
Overall: 7.71/10
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