The Future Fall Out Boy
A band's fans are, to a certain extent, self-selecting. The
more extreme the emotions are presented or the more specific the genre, the
less likely it is that an act will expand its audience beyond those already
inclined to liking it. For example, it's hard to imagine a contented
40-year-old all of a sudden becoming a metalhead. Likewise, I don't think a ton
of chipper folks in their late-20s are arriving late to the emo party. This is
why Fall Out Boy intrigue me.
Though they'd probably bristle at the emo tag these days, the Chicago quartet started out in 2001 as one of the legion of bands marrying embattled adolescent emotions to pop-punk hooks. It was, and still is, a primary color sound--big riffs, cartoonishly anguished vocals, shout-a-long choruses. And no one made that sound better than Fall Out Boy. An early single like "Sugar, We're Going Down," off their 2005 major-label debut, From Under The Cork Tree, is a marvel of energetic songwriting.
They're getting better too. Folie A Deux, out Tuesday, is the band's most musically mature effort yet. Check out the soulful and, (yes) subtle ballad, "What A Catch, Donnie." The track features a cameo from Elvis Costello--you couldn't ask for better proof of good taste. Now, even people prone to eye rolling at lyricist-bassist Pete Wentz's pun-heavy lyrics and press-friendly image (Hi, Ashlee!) can take refuge in the music.
But would those people bother? Pop punk and emo have such clearly defined connotations--white, middle class, suburban, teenage--that the chances of the genres developing new, older fans are slim. I've always found Fall Out Boy enjoyable enough, but I certainly don't go out of my way to share my opinion. Emo and eyeliner are just far too uncool for that. That's why Fall Out Boy may be stuck in a fan-base rut.
Not every band has to deal with this particular problem. The Killers for example, can't be so easily identified with a particular genre. Same goes for Coldplay. Those two acts are unencumbered by the extra-musical baggage bogging down Fall Out Boy. Liking either of them doesn't reveal quite so much about who the listener might be.
So what do Fall Out Boy do now? I suspect that in other contexts the band's fans--or at least those lucky enough to have left adolescence behind--are asking themselves similar questions. That's what happens when you grow up.
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I love them!! Now I like FOB but sometimes their stuff sucks. But some songs are pretty good!I like a lot of bands and FOB is in my top 10 or 20 but there are better bands in the world. And i TOTALLY am glad that we don't just have bands like the Jonas Brothers and Miley Ciris or what ever but I seriously don't like them! Acualy I HATE them!!!!! But I do like FOB,Coldplay, and other bands that are sooooooooooo much better. I wouldn't be so hard on FOB they work really hard and have acually made something out of themselves.........well sort-of.