Review Summary: This is solid pop-punk-- and very solid, at that.
I find it hard to pick favorites-- although it's definitely among the four pre-hiatus records-- in terms of Fall Out Boy's discography. However, Take This to Your Grave has grown to be very high up on my list.
TTTYG is Fall Out Boy's least eclectic effort, and in terms of the four original 2000s records, it may not be as ambitious. This does nothing to retract from the fact that it creates one hell of a standard; this is pure pop-punk (with a little emo blended in, alright) at some of its finest. Every track holds up in some way or another, and we get a spectacular serving of enjoyment throughout. Even with the contained chaos of Grand Theft Autumn (Where Is Your Boy Tonight) and Calm Before the Storm creating a lighthearted atmosphere, there are moments of considerable emotion depth, too. Saturday is a quintessential take on coming of age and the instability of trying to figure out what you're going to make of your life, for instance; and the closing track may poke nihilistic fun, but its melodic mastery makes it perhaps the best on the album in some ways, heavy and effective.
This record is often overlooked; while it's true that in some respects their following work, From Under The Cork Tree, took a bit more of a masterful hand at what this album reached for, Grave deserves heavy credit for the influence it had on the pop punk genre and the power and freshness it keeps throughout. It may not be perfect, but it's one of the best debut records to come out of the scene, and it managed to do more than just put Fall Out Boy on the map-- it's left a legacy, and for those that find special appreciation for it, it never gets old.
