Fall Out Boy - MANIA (Jan 19, 2018) Album • Page 10

Like Thrice?

 

Nah, what I mean by that is that by drawing influences primarily from what's currently dominating the airwaves already (EDM and hip-hop), that Fall Out Boy's musical "evolution" smacks more loudly of a popularity grab than anything remotely artistic or true to their nature.

Obviously Fall Out Boy is not going to start making jazz music, but they switched up their style so much from where they started that it would be cool (and a lot more interesting) to see them draw influences from something that isn't already popular.

FOB is a band that's big enough to create influence. Bring something interesting to the mainstream, don't piggyback off of what others have already made big.

 

I get what you're saying, but I don't really agree. That influence has always been there, especially with Patrick, and nothing really strikes me as inauthentic or just a cash grab about any of their music. It's not like anything they've done has been a dramatic shift, they've been gradually evolving themselves toward this sound for over a decade.

I guess my thought is just that bands should make what they want to make and what makes them happy. If I like it – and I love Y&M, think Champion is OK – then cool; but if not, I'm not going to begrudge them making whatever they've decided to make.

 

Yeah, you're not wrong either, and FOB just hasn't been a big enough part of my life for me to care hugely one way or the other. It was interesting reading an old issue of Alt Press and seeing that "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark" was a song they wrote back in From Under the Cork Tree days, so maybe this is what they always wanted to sound like, but something about the over-production and waiting for the beat to drop leaves me pining for their older writing. Alas.

I can say the same thing about a few of my old favorite bands - Incubus, Coldplay and Coheed among them - that something about their gradually increased popularity makes them OK with writing and playing beneath their abilities. Doesn't make the band wrong for writing and playing that way, but I think its a fan's right to feel it all the same.

 

you baiting me?

 

I liked Y + M way way more, but I don't think Champions is a bad song. It's just such an overdone lyrical theme at this point (not overdone by FOB, overdone by everyone). But I mean I can try to deny it but by the end of summer I'm going to be singing along at the top of my lungs so I'm in.

 

"I didn't mean to . . ."

 

I like young and menace I don't like Champion

 

Champion sounds focus-grouped to death and tailored for that ESPN commercial. Such a lifeless track.

 

The volume seems low on both the new tracks to me. I have to turn them both up and I'm not sure why.

 

Yeah, the beginning of Y & M forces me to turn up the volume every time.

 

Definitely noticed it on the first verse of y&m

 

Not into these new tracks, but I'm not writing the album off yet

I want to like Young and Menace but I just can't, it's too obnoxious. I do like the verses though

 

Listened to Young and Menance for the first time since it came out, it did indeed grow on me like I thought it might. Still prefer the verses but I definitely appreciate the whole song for doing different things.

Champion is decent, like others have said it's pretty safe but enjoyable.

 

i'm pretty sure my dad's favorite album is AB/AP

 

Am I your dad!?!?!?

J/K, not my favorite album, but I do love it.

 

these songs (at least young and a menace) actually have dynamic range, surprisingly. the vast majority of modern music, especially in the pop sphere, hits the ceiling within the first few seconds of the track. these songs, again surprisingly, actually don't hit the ceiling until they're supposed to (typically the big hooks). they're resisting the loudness wars, which is good, but since everyone's been conditioned since the mid to late 90's to accept absurd mastering compression in pretty much every contemporary genre across the board the songs sound low in volume comparatively. but the paradox of compression is that the more compressed tracks end up sounding thin when level matched with tracks that keep some of the dynamics. props to fall out boy for going against the grain on this. avenged sevenfold did the same with their new album last year (too bad the album sucks but its not terribly mastered). i'll take having to adjust my volume over songs that have the life squeezed out of them.


you'll notice the waveform isn't just a brick like most pop music today. you can tell where the track really hits just by looking at the waveform.

 

Huh and maybe my too : D

 

this is rich considering how many people on here seem to sweepingly make generalized statements about EDM in and of itself (thinking of this convo being had multiple times in the general chat thread), but then defend it when it's influencing alt/rock artists hehe. just had to point it out lol

i like both of the songs ok enough. i didn't like ab/ap apart from 3 songs. i think i will probably like mania more than ab/ap.

buuuut. i still love folie a deux more than anything haha

 

New album isn't finished yet somehow

 

Love it! I mean it's still 2 months to the announced release date, there's plenty of time.

Kanye didn't finish his last album until AFTER it was released.

 

I really hope this doesn't sound even more rushed than AB/AP did

 

Weirdest rollout