Let’s be honest: No one can name any of the Eagle’s songs that were released after their hiatus. The same goes for Kiss, Stevie Wonder, The Who, Alice In Chains and (especially) Guns N’ Roses. Even Weezer came back from their break with the life and soul sucked out of their music. With few exceptions, bands returning from hiatus tend to release albums that try to stick with what they know best and make inferior photocopies of previous work. That is precisely what Fall Out Boy has done with their latest album, “Save Rock and Roll.”
Though in the past Fall Out Boy has had a tendency to defy the formulaic sound of other alternative rock bands, some tracks like “Alone Together,” “Miss Missing You” and ironically, “Save Rock and Roll” are lyrically cliche and overproduced, overusing electronic synth melodies to the point that they resemble some of Maroon 5’s throwaway tracks. “Miss Missing You” specifically has lyrics so eye-rollingly generic that only a middle school girl would find them insightful: “Baby you were my picket fence/ I miss missing you, now and then.”
Somewhat encouraging is that Fall Out Boy can still do what they have always done best: write some wild, catchy songs. “The Phoenix” and “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)” (the album’s two hits) are exciting, rebellious and could be first-rate fist pumpers at concerts. However, there is no real depth past this, and apart from providing teens with cookie-cutter angsty music, there isn’t any real meaning or purpose.
In the only real departure from their previous work, “Save Rock and Roll” features a diverse range of other artists. No need to get anyone’s hopes up though; they don’t add anything substantial to the music. Even Big Sean contributes little to the already bland and repetitive “The Mighty Fall.” Courtney Love’s delivery could be called the best, adding a layer of driving intensity to the lyrics of “Rat a Tat.” Unfortunately, her “best” lasts for literally ten seconds. For an album titled “Save Rock and Roll,” one would expect more than a few mildly enjoyable hits with a lot of boring filler. (4/10)
