KEY POINTS:
Herald rating: * * * *
Fall Out Boy are officially superstars because not just anyone can get rap mogul Jay-Z to big-up them at the beginning of their fourth album.
He introduces Thriller with "we dedicate this album to anybody who said we couldn't make it" and then, with an eruption of metal riffs, FOB proclaim that they're not buying into the brouhaha created by the success of their last album, From Under the Cork Tree.
Fair enough, but did you really have to spell it out? Just get on with it. And they do. It's just that apart from a guttural roar on The Carpal Tunnel Of Love, those first riffs are as heavy as it gets and Infinity On High is the poppiest FOB offering yet.
Apart from the song titles being (on average) shorter than From Under the Cork Tree, the main difference between the albums is the influence of classic rock this time around. As a result, singer Patrick Stump sounds more blue-eyed soul than emo spokesman (think Hall and Oates meet Green Day perhaps) on The Take Over, The Breaks Over and I'm Like a Lawyer ... (a song with a 17-word title which is far too long to write down here).
From Under the Cork Tree was a challenging piece of punk-pop that had an intrigue to it. So although Infinity On High's more straightforward approach isn't as interesting, it makes up for it with effortlessly sharp pop songs. Fans won't be disappointed, because if there's one thing Fall Out Boy do well it's write catchy songs, as you'll know from first single This Ain't a Scene, It's An Arms Race.
Times are good for the Los Angeles-based quartet who debuted at number one in the album charts in New Zealand this week. And because of popular demand, their first show here, on March 5, has been moved to a bigger venue. If anything, their increasingly classic take will be more inviting for those other than the kids, and ensure that the venue will be jammed and jumping.
Verdict: Hold the punk rock, music's latest stars are going pure pop with emo sentiment
Label: Island Def Jam
