Fall Out Boy is not known for their musical craftsmanship, but instead for their catchy, senseless melodramatic riffs on tainted romance and wrist cutting (just kidding).
Its no secret this poppy emo group mostly appeals to the rebellious spirit of the outraged teen.
It’s also no secret that there are a lot of outraged teens out there (hence the band’s success).
Their new album, which follows the triumphant success that is “From Under the Cork Tree,” is a true sequel of sorts.
Sad to say, though, there is nothing on “Infinity on High” to give any listener the impression that Fall Out Boy is interested in taking their music to the next level or even diverging from their extensively long song title obsession.
Stand-out tracks like “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race,” “I’m Like a Lawyer with the Way I’m Always Trying to Get You Off (Me + You),” “The Carpal Tunnel of Love” and “Hum Hallelujah” give the album some nice flavor.
But there’s only so much to sink your teeth into, especially when you run into train-wrecks like “Bang the Doldrums,” “Fame < Infamy" and "You're Crashing, But You're No Wave." Regardless, "Infinity on High" is destined to be a record-breaking, top-selling machine. If nothing else, when compared to "From Under the Cork Tree," a perfectly mediocre album full of less than a handful of standout tracks worth listening to, "Infinity on High" is a step up. Granted, not a very large one, but at least there's still hope. Danny can be contacted at d.gordon@umiami.edu.