Fall Out Boy and the Merits of Bitter Breakups
By: Frances Vanderploeg

Maybe a broken heart isn’t something we all strive for, but in the music business that broken heart can be golden. Anyone who has been there will agree: there’s nothing that will make your blood boil quicker than someone ripping out your heart and blatantly tossing it aside. Thank God for rock music, used as a vessel for releasing that pressure time and time again through songs that overflow with bitterness and aggression and even touch on psychotic at times.
Fall Out Boy, a band on the rise from the Chicago suburbs, is one of the latest groups to toy with this idea. With musical stylings that reflect both their hardcore and punk roots, catchy lyrics that exemplify the poetic rage of bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz, the bold and intense voice of vocalist/guitarist Patrick Stump, and a live show with energy to spare, their offerings have not fallen on deaf ears.

Ask any fan to describe FOB and, among other things, they will no doubt rave about the lyrics. Wentz is that kid in the candy store, seeing everything with an unequaled perceptiveness and placing the standard favorites as well as the overlooked gems in his bag until finally he’s left with nothing more than a beautiful mess. Every detail from books and movies to friends and girlfriends has been picked up and mixed with his sometimes morbid view of life. The beautiful mess that emerges is what has come to be known as the voice of FOB.

Many of FOB’s lyrics seem dark and pessimistic but they’re done in such a way you can’t help but laugh at the cynicism of it all. Wentz claims to be cliché and overdramatic, which may be true, but people love it. The band also includes a healthy dose of reference to favorite movies, songs, and books throughout both their debut Take This to Your Grave and the follow-up My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue. Their newest album will not be an exception.

Currently, the boys are hard at work mixing From Under the Cork Tree, tentatively set to be released in May. The reference may not be obvious at first, but it comes from a book called “The Story of Ferdinand” which many people read as kids. For those who haven’t, it is essentially the story of a bull that, despite his size and potential, decides rather than fighting he’d like to just hang out under a cork tree and sniff the flowers. “We have a reason that we call the record this but I hope people can kind of take that away and apply it to their own lives,” Wentz said. “There is something to be said for [Ferdinand] and it’s just awesome.”

As soon as the album is finished they will be going back on another long tour. Without question, it is FOB live that has impressed the most people. With a stage show like no other, it’s hard to not be drawn to the enthusiasm and confidence they exude or the chaotic nature of each and every show. “We high five each other right before we play,” Wentz said. “Anything else that happens is absolute madness.”

While that enthusiasm and chaos may be the initial attraction, it is the loyalty and love they show their supporters that will convince them to stay. FOB is noted for their overwhelming generosity regarding the fans. Whether it’s hanging out at the merch table after a show or taking care of the girl that broke her arm there, they always do what they can to support those who have supported them thus far. Obviously it’s paying off. In only a few short years, FOB has grown from just another local band to recording with a major label and touring around the world.

“We’ve always been a word-of-mouth band and that’s one of the best ways to be,” Wentz said. “We’re just really quirky, ordinary people. Like, the most ordinary kids you could ever meet in the world who just happen to be in an extraordinary situation.”

While FOB has no intention of alienating their current fans, they strive to grow musically and hopefully earn some new fans in the process. “We want the most people on the planet possible to hear our music,” Wentz said. Expect their new record to be more dynamic, reflecting all sides of the musical spectrum to a greater degree than previous albums while still maintaining the standard FOB mix of relevance, irreverence, and creativity.

Though still relatively unknown, the band has been listed in magazines such as Rolling Stone and AP as “the next big thing,” “the band to watch,” and “the saviors of pop-punk.” They also managed to become the first band on purevolume.com to reach over one million song-plays. All of this has put a lot of pressure on FOB to make an amazing follow-up record.

“We’re writing this record and it’s one of the most important things any of us have done in our lives,” commented Wentz. “All anybody ever says is ‘comeback of the year,’ ‘save it all,’ or ‘sophomore slump’ and that can be a lot. That can definitely take its toll. Being able to step out from underneath that and go write the record that you believe in, to take that chance and gamble on that is hard to do.” However, being self-described “control freaks,” chances are they’ll still emerge with the record they want.

As for the idea of being “saviors,” Wentz was recently quoted as saying the new record was going to be the answer to the formulaic state of music. Looking back, he immediately offers a boy-do-I-feel-dumb laugh and a moment of silence. “I can’t believe some of the stuff I say,” he finally replies. “I feel dumb if I ever said that but I’m a moody person and I tend to run my mouth off without thinking a lot. I don’t want it to sound like ‘here’s the solution, listen to Fall Out Boy.’ [The new record is] just our response. Maybe it‘s not THE answer, but it‘s our answer.”

Fair enough. They seem more worried about just making music and having a good time rather than fitting into some prefabricated ideal of what music should be. Maybe it’s just a front, but the sincerity Wentz radiates makes it easy to believe.

Either way, it’s obvious that a lot can be expected from FOB‘s next album. Those who have never heard of FOB, comprised of Wentz, Stump, Joe Trohman on guitar and Andy Hurley on drums, may be put off at the idea that they’re considered pop-punk. If there is a bad taste in your mouth it’s worth ignoring for just a minute. The lyrics are witty and relevant, the vocals scream with intensity, maturity, and ease, the bass will reverberate through your spine, and the guitar and drums are tighter than a 22-year-old virgin. As noted by a fan in AP magazine, they’re “a pop-punk record for people who hate pop-punk.”

If having your heart stepped on results in a band with the emotional intensity and wit seen in FOB,
maybe a broken heart isn’t such a bad thing after all.