Fall Out Boy: "Infinity on High"

For Fall Out Boy fans, the initial inspection of “Infinity on High” — the group’s fifth studio album and first since their 2005 multi-platinum breakthrough “From Under the Cork Tree” — will likely produce a huge sigh of relief. Rest easy, Wentzites. The group has not grown beards. They make no public response to the war in Iraq. Their increased production budget did not beget a strings section.

In other words, they haven’t gone off and gotten all damn serious on us. Bassist Pete Wentz is still writing songs about girls, and singer Patrick Stump is still composing and delivering those confessional offerings with all the passion of a crushed teenage boy alone at home on the 14th of February.

This is, of course, a good thing. We Americans have a soft spot for such simplicity in our pop music. There’s nothing wrong with songs about Saturday night. And while Wentz’s public image and the group’s considerable popularity amongst the teen set make FOB a polarizing entity, it should be noted that they may be smarter than they’re given credit for. “Infinity on High” is the sound of a band seizing their moment in the cultural spotlight and running towards it, not away. And while there might not be anything as instantly gratifying as “Dance Dance” or “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down,” there is certainly enough over the 14 tracks and 48 minutes to warrant repeat listens.

Take the first single from “Infinity,” “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arm Race,” a pounding three-and-a-half minute romp that starts out like an old-school R&B jam before thrusting into a chorus that’ll deposit itself in your head. Throw in a Justin Timberlake-inspired call and answer break before the final chorus, and you have yourself a well-earned hit single.

FOB are clearly disciples of the Primitive Radio Gods school of unwieldy song titles, culminating in the album’s highpoint, “I’m Like a Lawyer with the Way I’m Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You).” Unfortunate moniker aside, “Lawyer” hits on all cylinders with a bouncy verse segueing into a catchy-as-hell chorus. Other album highlights include the high energy “Thanks For The Memories,” charging “The Carpel Tunnel of Love,” and hand-clap sing-along “Don’t You Know Who I Think I Am?”

A superfluous drop-in by label mate Jay-Z (“Thriller”), obligatory yawn-inducing ballad (“Golden”), and some softness on the back end keeps “Infinity” earth bound, but by then the album has already proved its worth. This is pop music for the 21st century listener—clean, catchy, and infinitely accessible. And while it can be speculated on whether FOB’s hordes of “TRL” devotees will follow them as they evolve, it’s impossible to deny that they admirably represent their place in time.

Dan Hanzus is a freelance writer based in New York City. He can be reached at dhanzus@gmail.com.