Album Review // Fall Out Boy // So Much (for) Stardust
4/5 stars
For years, Fall Out Boy's discography could be categorized as "pre-hiatus" and "post-hiatus." With So Much (for) Stardust, the band splits the stylistic differences between those two eras, serving up classic emo/pop-punk anthems and polished pop-rock in equal measure. Members Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz may be adamant that So Much (for) Stardust isn't a "throwback" record, but it's hard to ignore just how much these songs will please day-one fans. Take lead single and opening track, "Love From the Other Side;" aside from the return of prominent, distorted guitars and Neal Avron's production, the song sounds almost like a lost cut from their 2007 album Infinity on High. The same could be said for highlight and album centerpiece "I Am My Own Muse," a cartoonishly dark orchestral piece that calls back to emo anthems like "Thnks Fr th Mmrs," "I Write Sins Not Tragedies," and "The Bird and The Worm." But the album also showcases the band's penchant for huge hooks and stunning vocal melodies, evidenced by doo-wop number "So Good Right Now" and the theatrical "Flu Game." Fall Out Boy has grown a lot in the past 22 years, but on So Much (for) Stardust, the band you loved then and the band that worked so hard to get here converge into something brighter than they've ever been before.
