Released in 2013, Save Rock and Roll is the 5th studio album from rock band Fallout Boy. Known for being a quartertone of the 2000’s emo/rock scene along with other bands like My Chemical Romance and Paramore. With Save Rock and Roll it feels like a transition for Fallout Boy as they move more towards pop rock over what they had started off with. For a transition however, the band for the most part pulls it off in style and what we have here is a competent although at times underwhelming album.
The opening track ‘The Phoenix’ Starts off with a burst of tense violins take control of the song. The song itself acts like a declaration of war on whatever opposing force the band is taking on, sounding confident that they already have this won. Follow that up with ‘My Songs know what you did in the dark’ Which is another catchy rock tune, with an infectious chorus that you can’t help but get yourself into.
However, it’s here where you notice a trend that the album starts to sound a bit samey. ‘Alone Together’ is a solid track but for my money blends in way too much with the previous two, but things do start to pick up with the track ‘miss missing you’ singing about the nostalgia this man had for a previous of love his that’s no longer there all over a pretty poppy synth. However, the album dips hard, with the song Death Valley. Lil Wayne and Fallout Boy is just not a good mix, coming as a forced collaboration for two genres of music that simply can’t just be spliced together.
The album did come to surprise me however with ‘Young Volcanoes’ which is the folk inspired track, like something you’d hear around a campfire. It’s not my personal favourite on the album but the change of sound is refreshing and something the album needed more of.
The closing of the album is solid ‘Rat a tat tat’ Is full of energy and doesn’t let up, feeling like a proper climax to this war that had happened at the start of the album. The title track ‘Save Rock and Roll’ is easily my favourite song to come off this. It’s grand in scope, the lyrics are a bit on the cheesy side I’ll admit but the feature from Elton John is very welcoming in an uplifting finish to the album.
‘Save Rock and Roll’ doesn’t always hit the mark. While the overall album sounds good and the production is top notch, songs start to sound a bit samey after awhile and the dreadful Lil Wayne feature bring this album a bit down for me. Fallout Boy still has a ways to go before they can properly transition to the style of pop rock music.
Save Rock and Roll is available on CD, Vinyl and for streaming on Spotify and Apple music.
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