Review

When Fall Out Boy first came into the scene, they were the unheralded “underdogs.” Playing that card worked great at first, but a lot has changed in the last four years; FOB have went from the Chicago underground to monumental superstars. So when Infinity On High begins with Jay-Z saying “we dedicate this album to people who said we couldn’t make it…” you can see where the big paradox begins.

While it’s nice to hear cameos in music from time to time, having Jay-Z in the intro acts more like a self righteous “look what we can do now” statement instead of creative genius. Looking past this small blemish, it’s easy to see why “Thriller” was chosen as the first song on the album. It kicks off into a typical pop-punk fast pace that is most reminiscent of their previous work, making the transition into Infinity On High easy for fans to embrace. Unfortunately the rest of the album takes a few weird twists and turns that might leave long-time Fall Out Boy fans scratching their heads.

“Hum Hallelujah” uses a few nice guitar riffs to lay down the backbone of a solid track; until the last minute when Patrick Stump turns it into a gospel song. The chants of “Hallelujah, Hallelujah” are to eerily similar (if not exactly the same) as the song of the same name many of you might have heard in a church ceremony at one time or another. “I’m Like a Lawyer…” also starts out promising but quickly begins tip-toeing the line of candy pop that could very easily be featured in the next Hilary Duff movie. If you still need one more description of the awkwardness that defines the album, just listen to “The (After) Life of the Party.” The lyrics “we watch you work the room” set to an 80’s chic theme just screams for the song to be in the sequel to “Never Been Kissed.” You go girl!

Luckily there are a few tracks left on the album that will keep die hard Take This To Your Grave fans on board. The best example of this is “The Carpal Tunnel of Love” which is so undeniably Fall Out Boy you’d be hard pressed to not love it. While there still is comedy in Wentz poking fun at himself in “Fame < Infamy” you wonder just how far the exaggerated antics can stretch. Lyrically the album isn’t even close to being on par with the last two efforts; there are clever one-liners throughout, but it seems to lack the story telling and sing-along qualities as before.

Infinity On High is still contagiously addictive with it’s pop hooks that will grow on you the more you hear it. But with that being said, the album is too inconsistent to be swayed off the fence in favor of a perfect rating. It’s great to have radio hits, but nearly every track sounds like Fall Out Boy tried a little to hard to make every song a commercial success.

Review by Jason Schleweis

3 out of 5