Subduing the Fall Out 4 out of 5 Stars
Minus the kinetic energy of Infinity on High but still driving home the massive hooks they're known for, Fall Out Boy goes for the maturity prize on "Folie A Deux." Given that their pals in Panic At the Disco couldn't survive the change that created Pretty. Odd., it's interesting to note that the maturity seems tentative. There's the glammy lead off single "I Don't Care" and a string laden power ballad, "What a Catch, Donnie," but the sounds you'd expect come through on the harmony laden "America's Sweethearts" and the semi-pretentious song titles.
What's missing is that funky sense of exuberance that marked "Infinity" and From Under the Cork Tree. Just because you can get Elvis Costello to sing a line on one of your better songs and get the Neptunes to produce a track (the otherwise un-memorable "w.a.m.s.") singles more a shark jump than capturing artistic cred. Just ask The Hives, who made the great Black And White Album with Pharrel Williams only to see it vanish like their previous albums did. FoB are big enough to not worry, yet, but the somewhat subdued nature of "Folie A Deux" begins to raise the questions.
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