(album/ SORE POINT RECORDS)
First there were the bands Boy Hits Car and Boy Sets Fire, and now � boy, oh boy � we have this awesome Chicago quartet in Fall Out Boy.
In the greatest pop-punk-rock spirit, every last one of these 12 tracks is an irresistibly uptempo anthem right from the album opener in �Tell That Mick�� (�Stop burning bridges and drive off them.�)
As if their clear talent for songwriting wasn�t awe-inspiring enough, some of their song titles are equally as impressive and highly original�tracks such as �Sending Postcards From A Planecrash,� �Chicago Is So Two Years Ago� and �Reinventing The Wheel To Run Myself Over.� These guys are modest geniuses, I tell you.
Fronted by vocalist Pat Strump, his musically proficient right hand men hear Pete Wentz on bass, Andy Hurley on drums and ace guitarist Joe Trohman doing what he does best. C�mon, keep up � as Trohman clearly lives for playing his guitar, with his quality riffs rattling off with unrestrained glee�
�Dead On Arrival� acknowledges pop-punk founding fathers Greenday�s classic sound, and there is little denying that Fall Out Boy sound like bands such as the all-conquering Bowling For Soup and Less Than Jake (although there is no brass-based Ska involved whatsoever). What you are guaranteed is a snatch of tunes more melodic than melody itself, their restless energy seemingly getting faster!-and faster!-and faster with every tune, �Homesick At Space-camp� just one of the racy and rockiest highlights.
With over 40,000 copies of this album sold in the US, which isn�t to be scoffed at, �Take This To Your Grave� has been mixed and produced by Sean O�Keefe.
Unlike the shocking brevity of Dead Letter Dept.�s blunt pop-punk music, Fall Out Boy�s music is the best this genre of music gets. Trust me, and nab a copy of this for yourself. Or 2, and take both to your grave� just don�t forget your Walkman and a suitable supply of Duracell batteries.
(Steve Rudd)
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 8TH
www.falloutboy.com