Fall Out Boy’s sixth studio album American Beauty/American Psycho was released on January 20, 2015. The album shows off the bands musical diversity beautifully and features some songs that would have never been expected from Fall Out Boy. The music on this album covers such a broad spectrum that cannot just be labeled as ‘pop-punk’ anymore. This album was a roller coaster that took you up, down and through some of Fall Out Boy’s most contrasted work yet.

The album kicks off with the opening track titled Irresistible. This song is an energizing punch and a great way to start off the album. The intro is a blast of a brass instrumental with the sounds of blazing trumpets. Then lead front man, Patrick Stump, swoops in with vocals and sings about being attracted to a woman that is nothing but trouble. Throughout the song Patrick’s voice fluctuates between aggressive and stern to a slightly softer tone, and after the softness the band brings back the hype with a catchy chorus.

Following up behind Irresistible is the albums title track, American Beauty/American Psycho. This song reverses the scenario heard in Irresistible, and is an electric, disco bass tune with a creepy intro and outro. Although the chorus was a bit repetitive on the lyrics, the song had a beat that could keep your toes tapping for as long as you listened to it.

Centuries, the album’s leading single is a song that can, and most likely will, get stuck in your head whether you like the song or not. Centuries is the top 40 single that everyone has heard on the radio recently. From the beginning to the end this song has different aspects that are highlighted and complement the song as whole, lion roars and all. With its millions of views on YouTube and a catchy snip it from Tom’s Diner by Suzanne Vega, Centuries is the third track down the line of eleven songs off this album.

The fourth song on the tracklist is a song entitled The Kids Aren’t Alright. This is one of the album’s slower jams, and that is exactly what it was: slow. This song was a feeble attempt at a power-ballad and extinguished the energy that the songs prior to this had created.

Next up is the song that not only paid tribute to the Kill Bill actress, but also had a familiar tune that came from nowhere other than straight from the theme song of The Munsters. This song, titled Uma Thurman, was a definite standout on the album. Throughout the song it is the bassline that carries the melody through the track with ease. And how could we forget the sound of some blaring pianos with the addition of pounding drums and Patrick’s vocals. It is all of these aspects combined that make this song the earworm that it is. Definitely one of the most unique tracks heard from Fall Out Boy, but also definitely one of the best.

For the next song we are forced to shift gears back to slow, but with this song it is not exactly a bad thing. Jet Pack Blues is a song with an upbeat chorus that is a nice contrast to the rest of the songs slow melodic feel. The song starts off with the sound of bells and Patrick singing about trying to find his piece of mind, and it is a wonderful combination. Afterwards the chorus swoops in and you are taken for a loop as the song picks up its pace incredibly fast, and Patrick sings from the perspective of a girl that misses him incredibly. The vocals show the girls emotion very well. Raw emotion presented in this song was shown beautifully and handled with tremendous grace.

Fireworks were sparked with the song Fourth Of July. This is a song that highlights the evolution of Fall Out Boy’s musical sound perfectly. However you personally feel about the rest of the album is completely up to you, but you cannot deny the top-notch songwriting talent displayed or the dance inducing rhythm that is featured in this song. Definitely a song that even your grandparents would sing along to.

Immortals was another single off of the album that was a contribution to the Disney film Big Hero 6. The exotic beats in the intro of the song were a delightfully unexpected twist from the pop rock kings of Chicago, but the overly simple chorus was a huge turn off. Not to mention that the powerful vocals of Patrick Stump were not put to good use. It all just seemed a bit bland, but hey, at least the intro was pretty cool.

Twin Skeleton’s (Hotel in NYC) was chosen to be the closing track of the album. Talk about going out with a bang. This song from beginning to end had a great sound that showcased the remarkable ability of all the members of Fall Out Boy. The eerie sounding song was a great way to end the album, and what a better way to end it then vocal solo from none other than Patrick Stump.

All in all this album had some ups and downs, but to say the least it was not a terrible album. There were some great songs and then there were some not-so-great songs. The ever-maturing Fall Out Boy scored a three and a-half stars in my book, and I await to hear the sound of the bands work in the future.