Well it was never going to sound like ‘Take This To Your Grave’ was it? Hell, this doesn’t even sound like ‘From Under The Cork Tree’. You could even go as far as saying this record makes ‘Infinity On High’ sound like a punk album. Yep, this is a pure pop record. It’s sugar-coated in the same production values as an r&b album and Patrick’s vocals as overblown as they’ve ever been. And FOB are proud of that fact; there’s no subversive meaning, nothing hidden. This is as poppy as the band have ever been and they love it.
‘Folie A Deux’ is a good record. It’s not FOB’s best and it doesn’t contain their best songs, but it’s really good fun. There’s the stomp of ‘I Don’t Care’, the catchy future-hit-in-waiting of ‘America’s Suitehearts’ and the very catchy ‘The (Shipped) Gold Standard’. There are many things to note on this record that standout from previous FOB albums. On the whole this record is much slower. Whereas previous albums have got catchier and more melodic as the band have got older, there’s always been a ‘Dance, Dance’ or similar track to get the blood pumping. ‘Folie…’ doesn’t really get going in the same way. Pete’s lyrics also seem to take a backseat this time round as Patrick’s delivery is even more bold and brash, the boy certainly has a set of pipes on him.
It means that tracks like ‘Coffee’s For Closers’ and ‘Watch A Catch Donnie’ are almost solely driven by the vocals rather than the lyrics, or any other instrument for that matter. Neal Avron also seems to have picked up a few new tricks on the production desk as the finished article seems very, very full and well rounded. There are layers and layers of guitars, handclaps, piano, strings…the works. It’s how would imagine a Jay-Z record to sound. And that’s what sets this album apart from the others – the songs are cleverly worked to make them sound bigger and better and, well, different. You couldn’t have this type of production on ‘TTTYG’ or even on the tracks on ‘FUTCT’. It just wouldn’t work. Can you imagine a track like ‘Tiffany Blews’ on any other album, with the 80s style synth and the choppy vocal delivery?
FOB are a different band entirely to the band which started out. They’ve matured, they’re still great fun and as songwriters they’re clearly in a different league to the band that broke through five or so years ago. ‘Folie A Deux’ won’t be for everyone, but it’s a great record like it or not.