Fall Out Boy - American Beauty/American Psycho (Album Review)
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Written by Huw Baines
‘American Beauty/American Psycho’, Fall Out Boy’s sixth album, is further proof of their ability to adapt to their surroundings. The scrappy pop-punk band of their debut met one of the sticky ends Pete Wentz so often alludes to a while ago, only to be replaced by a multifaceted, arena-bothering, chart-ready beast. That these underdogs look so happy at the top of the food chain is no little surprise.
But, if your relationship with the band has become increasingly distant since ‘Infinity On High’ cemented their place in the big leagues, then you will find precisely nothing here to remedy that situation. ‘American Beauty/American Psycho’ is latter day Fall Out Boy dialled up to 11. It’s overwrought, unashamedly slick and has the gloss of modern pop in its crosshairs, much as ‘Save Rock and Roll’ did.
As its singles - the title track and Centuries - have suggested, subtlety is not a pressing concern. The 11 songs here are maximised for big sound systems and immediate gratification, which unfortunately means that a lot of neat ideas are battered into submission by the wall-of-sound production.
Jet Pack Blues and Novocaine are poster boys for that abandonment of nuance, with their twinkling bridges followed by ‘massive’ choruses that lack the intelligence, both musical and emotional, of what came immediately before them.
There’s a sneaky Danzig reference tucked into Favorite Record, but the back-to-basics approach of the ‘Pax Am Days’ EP has, somewhat predictably, not trickled down into this set. That collection proved that Fall Out Boy have a truly recognisable identity whatever the packaging - see the opening of Hot To The Touch, Cold On The Inside - and, even given its inconsistencies, it remains a more appealing proposition than its more-bang-for-your-buck follow up.
‘American Beauty/American Psycho’ has its moments - the aforementioned Favorite Record, the furiously enjoyable Immortals - but, without wishing to sound pipe and slippers about it, it’s often a bit much.
Fall Out Boy Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows
Sat October 03 2015 - LEEDS first direct Arena
Sun October 04 2015 - ABERDEEN AECC GE Oil & Gas Arena
Tue October 06 2015 - BIRMINGHAM Barclaycard Arena
Wed October 07 2015 - CARDIFF Motorpoint Arena
Fri October 09 2015 - MANCHESTER Arena
Sat October 10 2015 - BOURNEMOUTH BIC
Sun October 11 2015 - LONDON SSE Arena Wembley
Mon October 12 2015 - LONDON SSE Arena Wembley
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