Ecstatic Ephemera: (I've Found) The Cure to Growing Older
Ecstatic Ephemera: (I've Found) The Cure to Growing Older
And mid-2000s era Fall Out Boy makes me feel half-grown.
Okay, ignore that intentionally misleading title. I was just trying on that trope of annoying and unnecessary parentheses usage. (As it turns out, it still fits.) And as my increasingly grey hair will attest, I have, in fact, not found the cure to growing older. However, what I have found is the impulse to return to old Fall Out Boy. Or, perhaps more specifically, an era of Fall Out Boy.
This was a time when Patrick’s sideburns were angular and his fun little hats were fun and not so little. Where Pete was firmly in dick pic good behaviour jail and Joe was spin, spin, spinning his heart out on stage and screen. Oh, and Andy? He was chill. He’s always been chill. He was probably listening to Earth Crisis or something.
Anyway, this list is full of deep cuts and old favourites from the band’s earliest (and best) records. It makes me feel like a young adult all over again. And yes, I know nostalgia is seductive and dangerous in large (over)doses. (See? Look how easy that is?) But I couldn’t help myself. These songs make me smile. Enjoy!
“Heartbreak Feels So Good”
For their latest single, the Chicago pop-punkers appear to be marrying their mid-2000s Neal Avron-produced material (i.e. the stuff that turned them into a radio smash, household name) and their more recent foray into stadium pop-rock of the Maroon 5 variety. (There are also some Go-Pro-inspired, blink-182-isms going on in the track’s video below.)
As you may expect, I’m a big fan of the former and very much ambivalent/borderline opposed to the latter. Will this sound win out and dominate the sonic range of their forthcoming eighth studio album, So Much (for) Stardust (2023)? We’ll have to wait and see.
“The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes”
“America’s Suitehearts”
I remember being fairly lukewarm on 2008’s Folie à Deux when it came out. I can’t say exactly what my grips with the record were—I might land on some sequencing issues and a few weird thematic choices, but that would be pure pedantry—I only know that I listened to the entire record maybe twice through before abandoning the thing altogether.
With the beauty of hindsight, I can now confidently say that twenty-year old me was an idiot (an earth-shattering revelation, I’m sure). This album, which Wikipedia informs me the band considered to be “their most collaborative” at the time, has some absolute knockout tracks, including the likes of “She’s My Winona” and melodramtic opener “Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes.”
“Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends”
“I’m Like A Lawyer With The Way I’m Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You)”
The one thing I love about this era of Fall Out Boy is their sheer conviction the group displayed when it came to ‘hit the big time’ risk-taking. I’ll never forget listening to Infinity on High (2007) for the first time and hearing Island/Def Jam head honcho Jay-Z swagger in to throw down bars on “Thriller” (“Welcome, it’s here!” … “Young! “FOB!”) before the band launch into a chunky breakdown. The most glorious of pop-punk power moves. A Day To Remember eat your heart out.
Produced by Babyface, “I’m Like a Lawyer…” finds the quartet rocking out to a bonafide ballad, complete with tear-jerker chorus, delightful harmonies, and playful guitar licks. It’s sweet, eanrest, and features some of Wentz’s best wordplay.
*BONUS: Gym Class Heroes — “Cupid’s Chokehold / Breakfast in America” feat. Patrick Stump*
“I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me”
No real need for words here. From Under the Cork Tree (2005) is a genre classic and absolutely stacked with heaters from front to back. Side note: my wife has been rewatching One Tree Hill recently, which famously had a string of recurring FOB & Pete Wentz cameos, and it’s turned up some teen drama gold…
“She’s My Winona”
“Grenade Jumper”
“‘Their first album is definitely the best album’ is something I often hear people utter with reference to Fall Out Boy. And considering how rock solid Take This To Your Grave actually is, it’s a more than fair call. But it’s also wrong for two important reasons: 1) if we’re being nit-picky bastards, Fall Out Boy’s first album is actually the often maligned, rough-around-the-edges mini-LP release, Fall Out Boy’s Evening Out with Your Girlfriend; and 2) the follow-up, From Under The Cork Tree is the far superior album, purely in terms of musicianship, songwriting, lyrics, thematic tone—the whole shebang! What Take This To Your Grave really has going for it is youthful exuberance and a hefty dose of nostalgia.
It’s a bonafide pop-punk classic, and it was also the scene’s first taste of the now iconic, complete Fall Out Boy lineup: Patrick Stump’s soulful croon, Andy Hurley’s tight percussive backbone, Joe Trohman’s melodic guitar flourishes; and bassist Pete Wentz’s withering, devilishly self-deprecating lyricism. It’s an unbeatable combination and one that ultimately propelled the band forward to superstardom. But never forget that it all started here, with dead-set bangers like ‘Dead on Arrival,’ ‘Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy,’ ‘Homesick at Space Camp,’ ‘Saturday,’ and, of course, ‘Grenade Jumper.’” (Killyourstereo)
“Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?”
“Love From The Other Side”
“Well, 2023’s worst-kept secret is finally out. Legacy pop-punkers Fall Out Boy are back with the lead single from their upcoming eighth studio album, So Much (For) Stardust, out March 24th. It’s a catchy little ditty that harkens back to the urgency of their 2000s-era material (thankfully eliding the Maroon 5-isms of their radio-friendly 2010s output), with a return to producer Neal Avron (From Under The Cork Tree, Infinity On High and Folie à Deux). Frontman Patrick Stump recently told NME that their new album ‘[isn’t] a throwback record’ and that their new single has ‘[a] very mature bitterness to it.’” (Weekly Roundup)
“Beat It” (Michael Jackson cover)
If you haven’t already, make sure to check out The Pitch of Discontent podcast! We’ve had many great guest episodes so far this month, alongside recorded versions of my regular Weekly Roundups. Listen below:
You can also find these tracks and more on the TPD // (I’ve Found) The Cure to Growing Older playlist.