Even though it’s only January, there’s a good chance ‘Infinity On High’ will be THE most talked about – and anticipated – album of 2007. Shooting up to ‘biggest band on the planet’ status and counting Jay Z as a friend, the Chicago pop-punkers have gone from zeros to heroes in the space of three years and this new record will probably take them to infinity – and beyond.
‘Infinity On High’ is a perfect pop record. Let’s make no bones about it; it’s not punk, it’s barely rock and in places it sounds like The Backstreet Boys. It’s over-produced, slick and full of singalongs – and I fucking love it. It’s no ‘Take It To Your Grave’ and it’s even slicker and melodic than ‘From Under The Cork Tree’ – so when the band said they were working with Babyface the ‘fears’ of a pop record have been realised. That said, this is still an excellent record for what it is and if you can look past the fact it will appeal to pre-teens as well as those of us who are 27, it’s pretty safe to say the band will cement their place among the chart-toppers. ‘Infinity On High’ will go Platinum many times over, believe you me.
So what do we have? From the spoken word intro of ‘Thriller’, courtesy of Jay Z himself, the band launch into a number of anthems. ‘Thks Fr Th Mmrs’ is a real stomper, first single ‘This Aint A Scene It’s An Arms Race’ arguably the catchiest song you’ll hear all year. ‘Bang The Doldrums’ is the FOB we’ve come to love and cherish, a rousing blast of poppy guitars, while ‘Fame < Infamy' shows the band haven't forgotten where they have come from. There's enough in Pete's lyrics to keep the fans happy and Patrick's vocals really do sound better than ever. But of course this album has got a lot of early publicity for not sounding like the last couple of records. The piano-led, sombre ‘Golden’ is on first listen a bit of a letdown, but could end up being a grower. ‘Hum Hallelujah’ is a bit of a mixed bag, insanely catchy with the sample in the middle, but I’m not convinced yet it fits the album, while ‘Carpal Tunnel of Love’ has a chorus to die for but is pretty much forgettable before that.
Fall Out Boy were always going to split their fans right down the middle and so ‘Infinity On High’ isn’t really that much of a surprise. It’s a good pop record, so if you’re expecting some kind of melodic punk thrash you will be disappointed. The rest of us? Well we can look forward to a long hot summer choc-full of singalongs and sizzling tunes. Crank the stereo up loud and sing along – I guarantee there will be no escape whether you like it or not…