Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this alt rock album contains some mild sexual references such as "conjugal visits" and "one night stand." There's also some very soft profanity ("goddamed" and "hell") as well as a couple of references to taking pills and passing out.
Families can talk about the pros and cons of fame and success -- a recurring theme throughout the album. Would you be grateful or resentful of the positive and negative attention that goes hand-in-hand with becoming a sudden celebrity? How can you hold on to some sort of normalcy when you're famous? Families can also discuss how this band plays with language to create interesting and clever song titles such as "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" and "Bang the Doldrums."
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Conny Coon
Fall Out Boy has gleaned the best from their pop-punk roots and emo influences to become more of a traditional rock band.
In the two years since their last album much of the focus has been on bassist Pete Wentz, whose celebrity-dom has often eclipsed the band's accomplishments. INFINITY ON HIGH, however, shines the spotlight back on Fall Out Boy's music -- a pleasing mix of pop, punk, and even a little bit of hip-hop (Jay-Z makes an appearance on "Thriller"). Full of lush melodies, danceable drum tracks, and catchy choruses, Infinity on High shows off lead singer Patrick Stump's strong and soulful vocals; while the band's sound continues to get bigger and bolder.
Coming to grips with both fame and notoriety, the band's lyrics repeatedly expose their take-it-or-leave-it attitude. In "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," they blatantly dismiss those who don't embrace Fall Out Boy's music with "This bandwagon's full/please catch another." And in "Thriller," they fix their attention on their faithful fans: "crowds are won and lost and won again/but our hearts beat for the diehards."
Never the types to stick with quick and catchy song titles, the band often says more in a title than some bands say in entire songs ("You're Crashing But You're No Wave" and "I've Got All This Ringing in my Ears and None on my Fingers," for example). The lyrics don't quite live up to the cleverness of their titles, but they cover some sweeping themes such as love, loneliness, and goodbyes with intelligence and solid beats.
Fall Out Boy fans may also enjoy Panic! At the Disco and The Ataris.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentSome sexual innuendo ("getting you out of clothes, if I woke up next to you") but nothing overtly explicit. |
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ViolenceMetaphoric references to weapons and arms. Mention of "death in a double bed." |
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LanguageRepetitive use of "goddamned" in one song. One mention of hell in another. |
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Social BehaviorBroad themes center on coping with love and lost love, but there's also some self-deprecating insight into living in the limelight ("I'm boring but I overcompensate with headlines and flash photography"). |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoReferences to taking pills (Blood cells pixelate/and eyes dilate/and the full moon pills got me out on the street at night) and one mention of being "passed out." |
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