Battle of the Bands 09.29.09: Fall Out Boy vs The All American Rejects
Posted by Adam Battagello on 09.29.2009
Cue the screaming teenage girls in 5, 4…
Welcome back one and all to the arena of Battle of the Bands. This young writer is fresh of a viewing of the Toby Keith star vehicle ‘Beer For My Horses' which, after I took a cheap shot at last week, I decided to go view at the urging of my readers. All I can say is ‘Beer For My Horses' certainly is…a movie.
Am I richer for the experience??
Before the Blow
One piece of music information that got yours truly a little more than excited this week is the news that, in their first year of eligibility, California rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For a long time these guys have been THE band for me, at least up until I finally saw them live last year, at which point you could see on stage that it appeared the group really wasn't getting along.
Regardless of these issues, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been making exceptional music for a while now and, for anyone who has read lead singer Anthony Kiedis' autobiography, you'll know just how many times this group came within a whisper of imploding. What can you say really; few modern bands out there deserve this more than the Funky Monks.
Here's a little snippet of the magic the group can conjure.
Now onto the face off..
This Week:
Fall Out Boy- What A Catch, Donnie vs. The All American Rejects- I Wanna
I'm willing to concede right here and now that, for anyone reading this week, there is really going to be no middle ground. These sort of modern pop rock groups are the types that people either love, or detest entirely, and I'm willing to accept that. But nevertheless, let us see which one shall be the victor in Battle of the Bands.
In one corner this week we have Fall Out Boy, the group who are, arguably, at the very pinnacle of the pop rock genre in terms of popularity. Millions of albums sold, gold, platinum and double platinum records, these four men have a pedigree that few in their field of music are capable of matching.
Their challengers today have certainly built some success in the powerpop industry themselves. Since forming in 2001 the group have released three albums, two of which have been certified at least platinum status. Their latest record, 2008's ‘When the World Comes Down' included the massive single ‘Gives You Hell' and they look to continue this success with their latest track ‘I Wanna'. But will they overcome the group, who for some time now has essentially been the benchmark for this style of music? Let's find out.
Fall Out Boy- What A Catch, Donnie
One thing I've noticed from a lot of these groups is that, in terms of singles release, they follow a very formulaic pattern. At first you'll get the couple of up tempo, energy filled singles, before eventually reaching a slower or more of a ballad typed single. While I'm aware that this technique is used in a lot of genres, pop music just seems to follow this rule to a tee, without any real deviation. Today's combatant, following on from earlier, more excitable Fall Out Boy singles such as ‘ I Don't Care ‘, fits more respectably into the latter, more emotional column.
With songs like this, someone who isn't personally a fan of this type of music can begin to see why they have developed the audience they now have. It's emotionally charged, and lead singer Patrick Stump sounds more like he's singing from the heart on ‘What A Catch, Donnie' than he ever has before. Add this to the fact that both the song itself and the music video (which, thanks to the wonders of copyright, I wasn't able to post) include cameos from some other notable music acts, and with ‘What A Catch, Donnie', Fall Out Boy have a track sure to appeal to pre-teens and teens alike…
That being said, as I mentioned earlier, the whole thing does feel very formulaic. For all their emotional singing and occasionally insightful lyrics, Fall Out Boy all too often seems like a by the numbers kind of group, and musically, ‘What A Catch Donnie' really doesn't feel as if it's breaking any new ground for the band. But hey, millions of albums sold, I guess if it ain't broke you don't fix it.
Moving On!
The All American Rejects- I Wanna
For a majority of their career, All American Rejects have really flown under my radar. Call me crazy, but having some teenage girl with your song as the theme to her Myspace page along with her obscure high angle pictures that make her ‘arty' aren't exactly a combination of things that just scream ‘BUY ME!' as a music listener.
However, with the release of ‘Gives You Hell' earlier this year, I surprisingly found myself tapping along with this band that I once wanted nothing to do with. Sure, the type of song is clichéd, and has been done countless times before. But it's catchy dammit. Clearly bitter people make me happy.
Let's just say that with the latest single ‘I Wanna', my feelings from ‘Gives You Hell' didn't exactly carry forward. As was a common issue with its competitor today, ‘I Wanna', while undeniably catchy, simply seems like pop produced for the masses, more so than almost any other track released to date by the All American Rejects.
Lead singer Tyson Ritter has the prototypical voice of a front man designed to make young women swoon, and in ‘I Wanna' this becomes more obvious then ever. I guess whether or not you enjoy this track all depends on your perspective. The heart throb lead singer will do much for a lot of people, but suffice it to say not for this reviewer.
There Can Only Be One!
This week, I'm leaning more towards Fall Out Boy. In all honesty neither track really jumped out at me as deserving recognition this week, but at the end of the day, Fall Out Boy are going to get across the line on the back of a strong film clip and, for the most part, continuing a strong run of music in their own little niche.
