Breathing new life into an otherwise stale genre is a difficult task to undertake, but on Fall Out Boy's first proper full length, Take This to Your Grave, they have done just that. For the past few years, pop-punk, while constantly growing in popularity, has been steadily declining in numbers of bands willing to think and play outside the seemingly limited path that genre champions like Blink 182, New Found Glory, Jawbreaker, and Lifetime amongst others have forged. Fall Out Boy is one of those bands willing to set themselves apart from their contemporaries.
Take This to Your Grave is an exercise in creative growth. Upon their beginning, they were just another band in the pack of Saves the Day and New Found Glory clones, but with this record they have come into their own sound both lyrically and musically. A constant presence of hardcore urgency permeates throughout the record with frequent group back up vocals and Andy Hurley's technical drumming. This same energy is seen in their live show, which in addition to the distribution of this record is the main factor responsible for the bands rapidly growing popularity. Influences of past bands are obvious in songs like "Saturday" and "The Pro's and Con's of Breathing" where bassist Pete Wentz's (the former vocalist of Chicago hardcore band Arma Angelus) unrelenting growl adds a spark of anger and frustration to match vocalist Patrick Stumph's heartfelt croon. The lyrics are bleak and often self-defeating, but they are not all without a glimmer of hope. On "Sending Postcards from a Plane Crash" Stumph pleads, "my insides are copper, I'd kill to make them gold." They are songs of growing up and moving on. They are of relationships and friendships gone sour. These are topics everyone can relate to and they are written in a straightforward way, but still have the poetic touch Fall out Boy are quickly becoming known for.
In the twelve songs spanning close to 40 minutes, there is not a dud in the bunch. Each one flows seamlessly into the next, but they all still sound fresh and vibrant, unlike so many records. Although, this record isn't going to save music, it is certainly a breath of fresh air in a world of Simple Plan's and Good Charlotte's. Whether you are a fan of this style of music or are just looking for something new to add to your CD collection, this record will pleasantly surprise even the toughest of critics.
