I’m putting a lot of faith in the reunion of Fall Out Boy.
When the band was at its peak, I never truly appreciated what they were doing for the music scene. I was far too obsessed with 80s hair metal at the time and it really closed my mind to anything new. However, this time around, my mind is an open notebook and it is ready to be filled.
This could become a revival. The music scene has become stale and repetitive, which isn’t bad if it’s Friday night and you’re nine drinks deep, but when you’re scanning the radio, songs about only living once and staying up until 3 a.m. don’t quite speak to you.
Introduce a little change. Upset the established order, as the Joker would say. Bring bands to front of the airwaves from Sunday to Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and you will see a rise in identification with modern music.
"And when it rains, Will you always find an escape? Just running away, From all of the ones who love you, From everything."
When Fall Out Boy started blowing up Fuse and MTV, I didn’t understand the appeal, but now I see what they did. They gave a voice to the generation that felt misunderstood, screwed over or just bored. Their clever hooks and upbeat melodies brought optimism and the music videos gave a narrative that could told a real story and could be followed.
Now, I would like to state that I enjoy the music of today. There’s a time and place for the songs that play constantly on the airwaves, though. Every day and anywhere is not proper for many of the acts. As a musician, I try to find appreciation in every style of music, and I have. Lil Wayne is clever. Skrillex is creative. Lady Gaga puts on one hell of a show.
"These words are all I have, so I'll write them."
What’s missing? Someone who embodies all of these at once.
While in high school, there were bands. Not boy bands. Not rap groups, but actual bands. Avenged Sevenfold, Paramore, A Day to Remember, Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance, Green Day … the list goes on and on, but one thing is for certain, these acts will stand the test of time. One may call them angsty, but I call them personal and I’m not saying that modern acts will be forgotten and aren’t memorable, but they will certainly be labeled as “throwbacks” and obsolete very soon after their heavy rotation by weekend DJs is up.
The bands mentioned previously embody something much more. They’re personal. They are situational and speak to an individual. Favorite songs by an artist aren’t always the singles! They’re the songs that you listen to when you can’t sleep because you’re thinking about someone or that song that hit you just right and came into your life at the perfect time. Those songs stick with you on a daily basis. Songs about only having tonight are fundamentally flawed because we have more than tonight. Any sober mind can see that.
Most of the time, bands aren’t on major record labels and they can create a sound that is unique and experimental. Today’s Top 40 songs can be sung by different artists and it won’t mean anything different. The lyrical content of bands, like Fall Out Boy, is timeless because they can resonate with someone on any given day.
Most importantly , to me, these artists offer live shows that you want to attend while sober. One would want to embrace the sounds and personalities of the band, not just get lost in the lights.
"This band will stand the test of time."
There’s a chance. There’s hope. The optimism for modern music to have meaning once again rides on the shoulders of those who also have a guitar strapped around them or drum sticks in their hands.
I’m so excited for the release of Fall Out Boy’s “Save Rock n’ Roll.” I pray that it will do just that … Save rock n’ roll. Time to bring back long hair, lyrics in notebooks and songs that mean something.
It’s time for a takeover, because the break is over and there is once again hope in the music industry.