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Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High.

Yes, the album leaked two weeks ago, but today is the day it hits stores and takes the world by storm. Here's my extended thoughts on the album.

There was a discussion on absolutepunk awhile back where people pretty much unanimously agreed that Bleed American was the catchiest album ever. Well, Infinity On High is definitely giving Jimmy Eat World a run for their money.

Kicking off with an intro from Jay-Z as promised, “Thriller” then proceeds into a metal breakdown that’s pretty fucking sweet, but also easily the hardest music on the record. The rest of the songs are pop creations, and we dive straight into the hooks with "The Take Over, The Break's Over," sure to be another crowd-pleaser in the FOB catalog.

"This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" is actually a little out of place compared to the rest of the tracks - it's by far the funkiest and most danceable.

I do feel like "I'm Like A Lawyer...," "Golden," and "The (After) Life Of The Party" are the weakest tracks, and might have been better off as b-sides. I do have to give them credit for trying something radically different with "Golden" though. Fall Out Boy has never written a piano ballad before, and while this one falls a little short of being effective, it's a good effort.

"Hum Hallelujah" makes great use of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" in a choral arrangement; one of the highlights of the album.

"Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" sounds almost like it could have come from a '90s era boy-band CD, but that's exactly what makes it so much fun, kind of like the album as a whole.

The most interesting track is "You're Crashing, But You're No Wave." It combines My Chemical Romance style instruments with Panic! At The Disco style lyrics and displays a storytelling side of Fall Out Boy that is not usually seen with Wentz's normal disjointed stream-of-consciousness lyrics. It's a huge step up for Fall Out Boy, and I'd love to see them take that kind of song further.

Patrick Stump’s vocals are the best they’ve ever been. That kid can do ridiculous things with his voice. He’s got a bit of a different tone than he did on From Under The Cork Tree, and while sometimes it’s hard to tell whether that’s a result of vocal lessons or post production, I like it.

As for Pete Wentz’s lyrics, he clearly writes his best when he’s bitter about something, and he’s had nothing to be truly bitter about this past year. Basically, the lyrics are pretty straightforward and rather uncreative in my opinion, but the melodies that Stump has put them to almost make up for it. At the same time, it all feels a little tongue-in-cheek to me. Also, there aren’t nearly as many heavy-handed sexual innuendos as there were on Cork Tree, and that is a good thing.

The way I see it, Take This To Your Grave is the kind of album you listen to while speeding down the highway. From Under The Cork Tree is the kind of album you listen to while lying in a hammock. And Infinity On High is the kind of album you listen to while dancing around in your underwear. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Standout Tracks: Hum Hallelujah, Thnks Fr Th Mmrs, You're Crashing But You're No Wave