Fall Out Boy
From Under the Cork Tree

Release Date: 2005 | Tracklist

Fall Out Boy might turn off some off people (hehe) because they would have themselves believe that they're just another pop-punk band. That is true, but the fact that more than half of these songs could be incredibly successful singles is something that not many pop-punk bands are able to accomplish. I probably would never have listened to From Under The Cork Tree if my mom hadn't wanted it for Christmas, which I went and bought it for her. After listening to it for a while, I was actually fairly impressed. While Fall Out Boy brings nothing new musically to the table, this album is still very catchy, and you can have a fun time listening to it. Which is evident in the song titles and lyrics. A woman I know in my advanced drama class once described Fall out Boys music as "an orgasm for the ears". Some will think that she's crazy; however, the more I would listen to this, the more I liked it, and appreciated it for its face value.

The opening track Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of this Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued (originally titled My name is David Ruffin and These Are the Temptations) shows the fun nature that is Fall Out Boy. The lyrics "Brothers and sisters put this record down. Take my advice, 'cause we are bad news. We will leave you high, and dry; it's not worth hearing, you'll lose" open up the beginning of the song, which also goes on to make fun of the band being mislabeled as emo. [i]"It's just past 8:00 and I'm feeling young, and restless. The ribbon on my wrist says: "Do not open before Christmas"". The music is a prime example of what to expect of the album; double guitar power chords that lock in tightly with the drums, in which both assist in powering Patricks' singing. If you love either of the singles Sugar, We're Goin Down, or Dance, Dance, then you will more than likely become hooked by the rest of the album upon second listen. Upon first listen to the album, most songs might sound exactly the same to some, causing them to become turned off, and not give it a second chance. If a person does have this feeling upon first listen they should give it a chance to grow on them, this same thing happened to me, and now I believe half of these songs could be successful singles. If you are a bass player, and you appreciate nice grooves, there are a couple, but not too many. The fact that the guitars, and drums show skill is nice, but sadly they don't ever really use that skill to their advantage.

My personal favorites of the album are Of All The Gin Joints In All The World, A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me", and Sophomore Slump, or Comeback of the Year. Each song would be a great pick as singles as they are each incredibly catchy. Of All The Gin Joints In All The World has a nice build up towards the end before repeating the long chorus; sometimes while listening to it the song will feel like a whole chorus. It's a tad short, coming in a t 3:02, but accomplishes what it's meant to do. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me" has a melodic guitar opening that many will want to listen to multiple times before going into a relaxed verse, which soon becomes a wonderful chorus that ends with the guitar part that opened the song. This song is actually even short shorter coming in a t only 2:48, but it is certainly more memorable than many of the other songs on the album. Sophomore Slump, or Comeback of the Year is the anthem of From Under the Cork Tree. Patrick quietly starts the song off talking with some palm-muted guitar behind him. "Are we growing up, or just going down? It's just a matter of time until we're all found out. Take our tears; put em on ice, cause I swear I'd burn this city down to show you the lights." After that the song takes a huge, exciting jump. The guitars, and bass bounce along with Patricks' eloquent singing. Two thirds in the music goes back to palm muted guitar for a bit with Patrick coming in, "The best part of believe is the lie. I hope you sing along, and you steal a line. I need to keep you like this in my mind." Sophomore Slump, or Comeback of the Year is simply the greatest song on the record.

This is an impressive album when it comes to the genre of pop punk. Personally, I like only a handful of bands belonging to the genre, but there are still quite a few that I like. Fall Out Boy is one of them. Singer Patrick Stump is one of the big reasons that the album won't fade out of ones' mind so quickly; for me though, it never gets old. There are even some nice guest spots from the likes of Chad Gilbert (backup vocals on I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me). If you"re someone who has to have technicality in your music, no matter what genre, you will hate this album. If you're someone who is looking for an up-beat, and catchy record to listen to every once in a while, this album will be very attractive to you. However, eventually some songs will start to wear on the listener. The timing of the album is the pitiful standard of most records these days, coming in at forty-three minutes long. This is in fact an excellent record, and after I have listened to this for a while, I am convinced that Fall Out Boy won't be going to go away any time soon.

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3.3 great

Rank: #0 for 2005