// archives

fall out boy

This tag is associated with 7 posts

Stream: Fall Out Boy – “Pax•Am Days”

Fall Out Boy Press
Fall Out Boy are currently streaming their brand new, recently recorded EP (with producer Ryan Adams) titled PAX•AM Days. The EP is eight tracks long, and is heavily influenced by ’80s and ’90s punk/hardcore. It’s set to drop on October 15 on Island Records, along with a double disc reissue of their latest LP, Save Rock and Roll. Check out the stream below!

Stream: Fall Out Boy – “Save Rock and Roll”

SaveRockAndRoll
Fall Out Boy has leaked their extremely anticipated comeback album Save Rock and Roll in its entirety as a set on Soundcloud. The album features a range of guest vocalists, from Courtney Love to Sir Elton John. Laden with synth and upbeat catchy melodies, the album comes across as heavily pop-oriented and radio friendly, a large departure  from the band’s pop-punk roots. However, it feels like a natural progression for the Chicago quartet, who have created overall, a very solid record. Check it out here or below, and let us know what you think in the comments!

Watch: Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em’ Up)”

Fall Out Boy
After a huge amount of speculation and rumors that circulated over the past week, Chicago pop-punk giants Fall Out Boy have finally announced their much anticipated reunion, after a 4 year hiatus. The band has announced their new studio album, Save Rock and Roll, set to be released on the 7th of May later this year. The band has also released the first single off the album, entitled My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em’ Up), accompanied with a music video featuring the rapper 2 Chainz. You can check out the video below, along with the band’s tour dates!

5/14/13 – Milwaukee, WI @ Rave
5/16/13 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
5/17/13 – Columbus, OH @ LC Pavilion
5/21/13 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
5/22/13 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
5/24/13 – Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
5/25/13 – Montreal QC @ Metropolis
5/26/13 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
5/28/13 – Niagara Falls, NY @ Rapids Theatre
5/29/13 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
5/30/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
5/31/13 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
6/01/13 – Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore Charlotte
6/02/13 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
6/04/13 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
6/05/13 – Miami Beach, FL @ Fillmore
6/07/13 – Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
6/08/13 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom
6/09/13 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre
6/11/13 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
6/13/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
6/15/13 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
6/16/13 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
6/18/13 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
6/19/13 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
6/20/13 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
6/22/13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
6/23/13 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
6/25/13 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre
6/26/13 – St Paul, MN @ Myth
6/28/13 – St Louis, MO @ The Pageant
6/29/13 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National
6/30/13 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium

Fall Out Boy has also been confirmed to play the Reading and Leeds Festival in August.

8/23/13 – Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival (Tickets)
8/25/13 – Reading, UK @ Reading Festival

12 Good Looking Album Artworks (Post-2000)

Album artwork made its first appearance in 1938, when Alex Steinweiss introduced artwork over the previously, plainly labeled covers. This “invention” provided every album with its own unique identity and images that fans could associate their music with. When we think of an album, the first thing that often comes to mind is the cover; it’s become a peripheral of music that no album, EP, or single can do without, remaining with us even in the digital format.

The following twelve album artworks are not ranked in any particular order.

Fall Out BoyInfinity On High

The flying sheep and dream-like atmosphere are this cover’s best features. The artwork has depth and gives you plenty to look at, especially the various contrasts that coexist (moon/wall and crow/wall with light and dark values, closet interior/wall with temperature values). The artwork just has a unique dream feel.

Brand NewDeja Entendu

I have no idea why the astronaut is there, but this cover just looks, to put it simply, cool. Contrasting temperatures result in an odd feel that absolutely fits Brand New’s distinct rock sound. This feel is further expressed by the textures of the water and sky.

Death Cab For CutieNarrow Stairs

No stairs here to reflect the album title, but the cover looks fantastic nonetheless. The multi-hued red, green and blue colored strips of paper being layered have great visual texture and the fact that no two strips share the same tone (more or less) gives this cover a lot of interest.

Radiohead – In Rainbows

This pop art styled cover designed by Stanley Donwood, who has done every Radiohead artwork since 1994, looks like something created digitally when in fact it (surprisingly) isn’t. It features a galaxy photograph layered with paint and interesting type that looks simple and fits Radiohead’s style of experimental music. The variety of color also serves to reflect the album title itself.

MGMT – Congratulations

‘Psychedelic’ just about sums up this cover. Odd colors, an i-don’t-know-what’s-going-on scene, and the cartoony style makes the cover seem like it’s something you’d see in a weird dream or trip (drugs are bad for you, kids).

Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3

Clean cover, with something other than the generic rapper’s face or body photograph. From a distance, the red bars have strong dominance and clearly indicate the cover is of the 3rd installation of Jay-Z’s ‘Blueprint’ records. Closer up you notice the objects piled up which adds complexity and depth.

Delphic – Acolyte

The artwork is absolutely amazing. Great photo-manipulation of the band members and the smoke they fade into. It’s something you definitely won’t mind looking at on your ipod.The background may be a tad simple when the complex photomanip is placed on top, but the Delphic typeface works to ease the  combination.

Jimmy Eat World – Chase This Light

Beautiful photograph with vibrant colors, giving insight to what the music itself is like. Nothing really much to say, just a wonderful looking cover.

The Killers – Hot Fuss

Smoooth. A soft blue dominates the cover (plus hints of red), and gives off a fuzzy, mellow feel. The Killers’ logo typeface fits well too, although I’m not sure I can say the same for the buildings lining the bottom…

Kanye West – Graduation

The cartoon style of this artwork by Takashi Murakami is great and the colors are extremely eye-catching. The illustration features West in a teddy-bear form (known as “Dropout Bear”, referencing an earlier record) being shot out of a colorful, vectorized who-knows-what. This is one creative rap album cover that sets it apart from nearly every other.

Passion Pit – Manners

Green paint, white text. What else do you really need?

Pendulum – Immersion

The feel of this cover is great. This artwork by Polish artist Valp is mysterious and just seems to fit the sound of Immersion. The colors are great, using a majority of cool green and blue while adding hints of warmer purple and red to increase interest. There is just so much going on here that some may not notice all the subtle elements of the art from a quick glance or from their music player screens.

XV Releases New Mixtape ‘Zero Heroes’

Kansas-based rapper XV dropped his newest project today, a mixtape titled Zero Heroes. The mixtape features production by Just BlazeJ. Cole, and Seven, as well as guest appearances by Pusha TDonnisFall Out Boy‘s Patrick Stump and Kendrick Lamar. If you’re still not intrigued, let it be known that the Kingdom Hearts theme is sampled on Seven-produced “When We’re Done”. Download the mixtape for free here.

You can check out the tracklist below. The Warner Bros. signee is scheduled to release his label debut, The Kid With The Green Backpack, sometime this year.

Tracklist:
01. Wichita [Prod. By Just Blaze]
02. Heroes Eventually Die (Interlude)
03. When We’re Done [Prod. By Seven]
04. Smallville [Prod. By J. Cole]
05. That’s Just Me [Prod. By Swiff D]
06. Awesome (feat. Pusha T) [Prod. By Seven]
07. Pictures On My Wall [Prod. By Seven]
08. Textbook Stuff (feat. Kendrick Lamar) [Prod. By Seven]
09. All For Me (feat. CyHi Da Prynce, Vado & Erin Christine) [Prod. By Omen & Audio BLK]
10. U.F.C. (feat. Kristina Rose) [Prod. By Seven]
11. Foreign Exchange Student [Prod. By Miami Horror]
12. Swervin’ [Prod. By Seven]
13. Best Days Of Lives (feat. Donnis) [Prod. By The Awesome Sound]
14. Ending Credits (Interlude)
15. The Last Hero (feat. Patrick Stump) [Prod. By Seven]

Patrick Stump Announces Solo EP Release

Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy) will release a new solo EP titled Truant Wave on February 22, 2011.

“Hi guys,

Formal album releases take so much time to prepare, I’d like to announce the release of Truant Wave, a digital EP I’ve put together of songs I felt strongly about but didn’t have place for within the narrative of Soul Punk. Having recorded Soul Punk as the sole performer and writer, creating Truant Wave also presented a welcome opportunity for me to work with some of my gifted friends on my solo material. Anyway, I’m psyched on this EP, hope you like it. See you on the road.

-Patrick”

Tracklisting:

01. Porcelain (feat. Alph-A-Bit)
02. Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)
03. Cute Girls (feat. Om’mas Keith)
04. Love, Selfish Love
05. As Long As I Know I’m Getting Paid
06. Big Hype (feat. D.A. of Chester French and Driis)


Review: The Damned Things – Ironiclast

The Damned Things – Ironiclast

Release Date: December 14, 2010
Label: Mercury Records
Purchase: iTunes | Insound | Amazon

Creating perhaps one of the strangest supergroups this side of Tinted Windows, Keith Buckley of Every Time I Die, Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano of Anthrax, and Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy have joined forces to create The Damned Things. Generating early buzz for their debut, Ironiclast, through their pedigrees and the endlessly entertaining video for first single “We’ve Got A Situation Here” (directed by none other than Dethklok‘s Brendon Small), it appeared that the band was ready to usher in a wave of classic, blues-driven rock. After listening to the album, you’ll know that you want to be swallowed by this wave.

Just as the combination of ETID, Anthrax, and FOB may suggest, great riffs and soaring choruses are the name of the game on Ironiclast, and in these, The Damned Things come through in spades. “Bad Blood” is one such example of this. It starts off with the musical and lyrical dirtiness of Every Time I Die. The pre-chorus, however, serves as a perfect bridge between styles, paving the way for the markedly lighter chorus, castanets in tow, to successfully take control. This integration between the catchy and the heavy is exactly what The Damned Things sought to achieve, and they succeed time and time again.

“Friday Night (Going Down in Flames)” has an immediate momentum that never relents, making it one of the strongest tracks on the album. As radio-friendly as it is, the riff-heavy classic feel is refreshing compared to what pollutes the airwaves today, as is also the case with “We’ve Got A Situation Here.”

Lest listeners tire of this combination, as good as it is, the album changes speeds slightly, starting with “Black Heart,” after which the songs become more distinctly stylized. A more laid-back, swagger-filled song, it emphasizes the blues aspect that the band aimed for, losing none of the quality in doing so. “Little Darling” starts off with a guitar line very reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age, but by time it reaches the chorus, it has somehow changed into a Coheed and Cambria song. The title track, a jab at today’s scene, is heavy as hell, sounding more like straightforward metal.

Even within these styles however, it is still unquestionably The Damned Things running the show. One album in and they have already carved out a distinct sound of their own, one that is consistently strong and rarely falters in execution. It is only when the band strays too far from their light/heavy balance that the quality suffers. One such example of this is “A Great Reckoning.” While it does have fun lyrics and a catchy chorus, the instrumentation leaves much to be desired. The tambourines and acoustic guitars feel completely out of place and bring down a potentially good song.

Opener “Handbook for the Recently Deceased” suffers similarly. While decent enough in its own right, it errs to the FOB side of the spectrum. Like “A Reckoning” it simply lacks the bite and flair so evident throughout the rest of the album. It also highlights a general weakness of the entire album: the lyrics. Although a couple of songs, the personal closer “The Blues Havin’ Blues” in particular, touch on deeper themes, most have generic lyrics about relationships or having a good time. They don’t drag things down too much, given that the album is more about the music and choruses, but better lyrics wouldn’t have hurt.

Overall, Ironiclast is a fun time from start to finish. The Damned Things may sound strange on paper, but they pull off their odd combination better than most anyone would have expected. In spite of a couple of missteps, the band has delivered a strong debut that deserves commercial recognition and a chance to show off more of their tricks and talent in the future.

8.2

Standout Tracks: “Friday Night (Going Down in Flames)”, “Black Heart”, “The Blues Havin’ Blues”