Fall Out Boy: Ranking Every Album From Worst To Best
Which is their number one with a bullet?
Critics and haters of Fall Out Boy can say what they want about the band's ventures into more pop-oriented territory, but the one thing you can never criticize them for is being stuck in their old habits. Stagnation isn't a word in Fall Out Boy's vocabulary, and their evolution from pop-punk darlings to arena-filling rock stars proves that.
The most amazing part about Fall Out Boy's career trajectory is how smooth and obvious it looks in hindsight. Because even while certain genre loyalists questioned each move away from "the scene" that birthed them - moving to a major label, collaborating with Jay-Z, experimenting with funk and '80s-inspired arena rock, and diving headlong into pop music - it all feels like such a natural progression now.
And it doesn't hurt that they've always retained their tongue-in-cheek phrasings and knack for crafting lethal singles.
Patrick Stump has repeatedly mentioned his disdain for trying to meet other people's expectations and follow trends, and it's clear the rest of the band feels the same way, even if they don't always agree on which direction to steer the ship.
Some people will always prefer the more underground, Warped Tour playing version of Fall Out Boy, but the die-hard fans can sit back and appreciate their transformation into one of the most exciting mainstream bands of the new millennium.
8. Make America Psycho Again
It takes a lot to make a truly "bad" Fall Out Boy record, but the band nearly proved themselves capable of doing just that with this remix album. Though the simple fact that they narrowly avoided adding a real stinker to their discography further proves that Fall Out Boy are damn near bulletproof at this point.
It's not that the idea of a pop/rap crossover is a terrible one, it's just that this particular collection of remixes feels too lightweight and hamstrung by a lack of direction. Unlike say, the Linkin Park/Jay-Z Collision Course EP - which has a consistent theme and a solid through-line - Make America Psycho Again sounds like it's constantly chasing a thread that it never quite grasps onto.
More than a few tracks are made worse by slowed-down, sludgy production, zapping the original songs of their crispness and spunk. The Uzi remix of 'Novocaine', in particular, took a rave-ready song and brought down the tempo until its pulse was too faint to feel. 'Uma Thurman' also gets its main riff squished into oblivion - and let's face it, The Munsters homage is what makes that original song - resulting in a pretty plain dance track.
The CD is far from beyond redemption. Perhaps the most amazing feat this album pulled off is proving how Fall Out Boy's songs can really take a punch. It's no coincidence that even while the majority of these remixes are a marked deterioration from the originals, they're still pretty solid overall. That's the hallmark of quality songwriting.
Album Standout: 'Immortals (Remix)' feat. Black Thought