Fall Out Boy

Take This To Your Grave (Fueled By Ramen)
by Lauren Bussard

I’m pretty sure that somewhere on the ancient pop-punk scrolls it’s written that not more than two members of the group are allowed to wear black Chucks at one time. But I’ll forgive Fall Out Boy for this fashion faux-paux (because they look adorable anyway) and focus on how great their first full-length album, Take This to Your Grave, really is. Aside from the strong, melodious vocals of lead singer Patrick Strump (aided occasionally by someone randomly screaming in the background, but whatever) I really fell for Fall Out Boy (ha ha, oh what a clever pun) because they have a devilish/Alkaline Trio-esque/I-love-you-so-intensely-that-I-must-kill-you (and myself… violently) side to their lyrics that many fashionable pop-punkers stay away from. You know, instead of PG-rated lines like, “I skipped class to watch the girls play soccer/Is my picture still hanging in your locker?” Fall Out Boy delivers slightly edgier stuff like, “And if I could move/I’m sure it would only be to crawl/Back to you/I must have dragged my guts a block.” Ahh, so good. Because (we all know) self-hate is the best kind.
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