The Argument for Fall Out Boy

Today, I will attempt to give credit where I believe it is due. It's fairly easy to dislike Fall Out Boy. From the guyliner-wearing, trouser-snake-schlepping, post-nosejob-Ashlee-Simson-dating Pete Wentz, to the mob of much maligned Hot Topic acolytes following their every move, to the hoard of Fueled By Ramen copycats, to their relatively sudden and pervasive popularity. But over the last few weeks, I found myself reading this pleasant little interview with FOB's lead singer Patrick Stump (any interview by the Onion's AV Club is worth perusing) and I started thinking about my own conclusions about the band.

It never made sense that Patrick wasn't the "frontman", though it occurs to me that it may not have been their choice at all, sometimes fans just choose that kind of thing non-verbally. But I think if he had been annointed frontman instead of the aforementioned Wentz, we might be seeing them in a whole new light. Pete has become what any indie purist hates, or maybe any sane fan in general. Product whore, international playboy, unabashed douchebag. The way Patrick tells it, I get an entirely unexpected view of how he sees the band. It's disarmingly self-deprecating, to the point where I'm asking myself what I would do if I were playing the music I loved and someone important heard it and put it on the radio and the rest became history. And then people hated me for it. Or because my frontman/bassist/clothing designer is a tool.

All this pop drama does is drown out some really good music that ends up being easy to hate because it gets played so damn much. Patrick Stump has one of the best voices on the radio today; it's absolutely huge and diverse and does all the things you would ever want a voice to do. They worked their way onto a major label, they write all their own music (a lot more than can be said about many other major label radio acts), and after a huge breakout album in From Under the Cork Tree were under immense pressure to follow-up...and they did. With a better album. With some really great songs. So here's the credit. Fall Out Boy, you're in my blog. Even you, Pete. Even you.

"We're this little pop-punk accident that was really just four guys trying to delay going to college a little longer." -Patrick Stump

Listen:
The Take Over, The Break's Over
[from Infinity On High|buy]