There's something about American pop-punksters Fall Out Boy that everyone wants a piece of. From Kanye West and Lil Wayne, to Debbie Harry and Elvis Costello, the quartet have racked up an impressive calibre of collaborator - but up until now, the reason for their demand has proved baffling. Here was a band almost better known for their bassist's gossip-worthy personal life than their music, a band who were gods to teenagers with a penchant for razor-sharp fringes and checkered clobber. Their fifth studio album is set to change that, however: Folie à Deux sees a new, worldly-wise Fall Out Boy, who now care more about actual songcraft than stuffing their songs full of petulant angst and OTT guitar riffs.
Diverse guest performers aside, there's a lot on this album to entice skeptics. The quartet have chiefly toned down the cheesy punk bluster that informed their previous records, in favour of multi-way harmonies and tight, stop-start arrangements. Longtime fans needn't be alarmed, though - there's still plenty of epic, emo-tinged anthems to keep the old guard happy - but the slick, Strict Machine-style beat of I Don't Care, the mix of jerky pop and loose jangle on She's My Winona, and the punchy energy of (Coffee's for Closers) dispense a satisfactory measure of diversity.
Of course, there are a couple of tracks that flop more than pop: What A Catch, Donnie's bizarre, Billy Joel-esque piano ballad is nausea-inducing, and their cover of Michael Jackson's Beat It seems somehow misplaced. All in all, however, Fall Out Boy have broken through that chrysalis of grandstanding despondency to make an accomplished, surprisingly likeable album. Heck, lead singer Patrick Stump admits as much when he squalls "You can only blame your problems on the world for so long / Before it all becomes the same old song." An admonishment to fans stuck in the repetitive cycle of self-congratulatory angst, or a bold statement of intent for Fall Out Boy's future? Either way, it's reassuring that they've finally realised it.
