Mixed boyish madness

In many ways, Fall Out Boy represents everything wrong with the modern music scene. While deeper, more melodically concise work flies under the radar, attention-craving emo prince Pete Wentz's often choppy, self-indulgent lyrics top the charts and sell out venues across the country.

But damn it, why do their songs have to be so catchy?

When Wentz isn't booking guest spots on Californication and Privileged or spawning the heir to his pop punk throne with wife Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, he pens the lyrics and plays bass for that quartet from the Chicago suburbs that you just can't stop listening to.

That in mind, it's easy to understand why one won't find a more defensive artist than Fall Out Boy. The video for their 2007 single, "The Take Over, The Breaks Over," depicts haters pelting the band with water balloons because they sold out to the Man. And we all know by now how they firmly believe, "This Ain't an [Emo] Scene, It's an Arms Race."

With Fall Out Boy's fifth full-length studio album, Folie á Deux (translation: a madness shared by two), Wentz and his collaborators have strayed even further from their now distant indie rock roots. This time around, the disc's second track and first single, "I Don't Care," is Wentz's self-explanatory f--- you to Fall Out Boy's critics.

"I don't care what you think/ As long as it's about me/ The best of us can find happiness in misery," frontman Patrick Stump sings. The video takes it a step further, with Guns N' Roses alumnus Gilby Clarke scolding to their faces, "What the hell happened to rock and roll? Eyeliner? Energy drinks? And no guitar solos? I've taken shits with bigger rock stars than them."

Clarke's claim is most likely true, though the band still proves its point. Behind the song's message, Stump again works his melodious magic with Wentz's words, infusing the track with the ideal tempo and giving the chorus an irresistibly alluring hook.

"Never the same person when I go to sleep/ As when I wake up," Stump muses about the idea of changing overnight during the album's third track, "She's My Winona." Although those are Wentz's words, it does seem more fitting coming out of Stump's mouth. After all, Wentz may be the face of the band, but Stump is its voice and primary composer. Most importantly, it is his evolution as an artist that seems to be dictating Fall Out Boy's direction.

From the album's opener, "Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes," the album's 1980s influences ring clear while Stump gets the album off to a strong start. After superbly treading through the song's slow, organ-led intro, the guitarist raises the cadence a notch and belts out the lyrics with convincing bravado.

Stump keeps pushing himself to the limit vocally with each new release, and Folie á Deux is no exception. Stump shuns his typically high-pitched chords from time to time, most notably delving into a deeper, Josh Groban-esque tenor in the band's Elvis Costello collaboration, "What a Catch, Donnie."

Stump has also made a habit of adding those quick inflections to his voice at just the right moments, and he does so to great effect in the standout, "America's Suitehearts." However, he occasionally goes outside his range to regrettable results as well, such as his clunky opening verses to the otherwise stellar pace-changing harmony, "Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet."

Since the beginning-to-end consistency of 2003's Take Me to Your Grave, Fall Out Boy's last two albums - From Under the Cork Tree and Infinity on High - have been top-heavy efforts weighed down by a handful of subpar tracks.

This remains an issue with Folie á Deux, as messy, overproduced songs such as "w.a.m.s." and "West Coast Smoker" close the album on a sour note. And appearances by Panic at the Disco's Brendon Urie on "20 Dollar Nose Bleed" and Lil Wayne on "Tiffany Blews" see Fall Out Boy cater the music to their guests' styles far too much.

On the other hand, the combination of striking hits and forgettable fluff does fit with the band's philosophy. As Wentz wrote in "She's My Winona," it's all about "hell or glory/ I don't want anything in between." For now, we're luckily seeing a bit more of the glory side.

tfloyd1@umd.edu

RATING: 3 out of 5 stars