Fall Out Boy — Infinity On High
I wish I owned Fall Out Boy’s Folie à Deux, but instead I own Infinity On High, an album which I find pretty bad now.
Following the monumental success of their previous record, Fall Out Boy re-entered the studio in the summer of 2006. While on tour the band had written and arranged most of the album, however internal label issues caused the recording to extend longer than desired, it wrapped in October. The album’s title comes from a letter written by Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh. In the letter, the artist opined his new mental health following treatment, but worried about being manic and running ragged with such renewed vigor. This quote summed up the band’s experience of going full speed ahead following their success. With extensive touring and writing, Wentz and co. are worried they may have nothing left to give soon. The album debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard charts and has since gone platinum in the US.
Opening with Jay-Z introducing the band, “Thriller” shirks off all subterfuge and outlines the band’s journey over the past two years with a sincere bluntness. This song shows promise and had me excited for the rest of the album on this re-listen… this optimism would not last. One song about new found fame is fine, and even great to start off your follow up album, putting a second song about the same exact thing second is not advisable. “The Take Over, The Breaks Over” is guilty of this sin, but is at least a little catchy. “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” is clever in concept but has become stale over time, this track was however the album’s most successful single from this album. I have but one thing to say about the Side A closer “I’m Like A Lawyer With The Way I’m Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You):” Bad. Moving on, “Hum Hallelujah” is upbeat and poppy, however, having the bridge be a half hearted Leonard Cohen cover is never a good look. “Golden” is emo-slop, a piano driven song drawing biblical comparisons between Wentz and his haters… yikes. The highlight of Side B is “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs.” My friends and I tried to get this song as our high school graduation song, we lost to a Carrie Underwood song (ugh). The song was the second most successful single from the album released as its 3rd single. The Side B closer contains one of the most frustrating lines of all time “I’m just a painter / And I’m drawing a blank.” Why not say artist… I know painters can often sketch out their ideas before applying paint, but they don’t draw… it shouldn’t frustrate me this much but it does. The Side C standout is “The Carpal Tunnel of Love.” Clever title aside, this track feels like the best encapsulation of where the band was in their career. Their larger sonic footprint matches well with the often poetic and emo ruminations on the struggles of being creative minded. Side C ends with “Fame < Infamy,” again wearing the album’s themes on their proverbial sleeves. Wentz writes what he knows, sex and now fame, but the song is a more polished result than earlier on the album. “You’re Crashing, But You’re No Wave” drives the album towards its conclusion with an uncharacteristically cosmopolitan approach. Wentz details the case of Fred Hampton Jr., the son of a murdered Black Panther leader, who was convicted for arson during the 1992 LA riots. This song is refreshing as hell on an album marred down by narcissism and petty problems. The album ends with “I’ve Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None On My Fingers.” The band again shows they know how to end an album, this grandiose outro incorporates piano, horns, taped segments and more to achieve a “wall of sound” feel.
My vinyl continues with “G.I.N.A.S.F.S.” and “It’s Hard to Say ”I Do”, When I Don’t.” both great songs in their own rights and could have replaced some of the duds on the album. Also, Wentz was based in the mid aughts for “G.I.N.A.S.F.S.” (Gay is not a synonym for shitty.)
Must Listen To: The Carpal Tunnel of Love
If you can forgive some “of the time” scream-o from Wentz this song contains all the hallmarks of a great Fall Out Boy song. If you want something which is NOT like Fall Out Boy, I’d suggest “You’re Crashing, But You’re No Wave.”
