Fall Out Boy - So Much (for) Stardust ALBUM REVIEW 

"only a smidge better than mania" is a psychotic take but ok

“So on the nose the nose is broken and we need to go to the ER” sounds like a Fall Out Boy lyric

This is easily the best that FOB has been since before their hiatus. Fake Out is such a slept-on track too

This aint no peggy

Art is subjective.. but rating this album a 3/10 is one of the wildest takes I've heard in a long time.

It's a very solid Fall Out Boy release. People who like Fall Out Boy are happy to hear it but I don't think it's gonna win over anyone who had doubts.

I respect your opinion overall but how the hell could you not hear the vocals on “I Am My Own Muse” they’re pretty damn clear to me. It’s a banger.

You can't just say "More like fall OFF boy" and then laugh hysterically for the rest of the video Anthony

Nah this is a wild take. This is such a clear and obvious step up from their last 3 albums.

“Hold me like a grudge” is such an on brand song name from them

Sorry Fantano you took too long and I formed an opinion without you, 7/10 project

This album is easily one of their strongest in a long time. I Am My Own Muse is so grand it should have been a single. Also, Anthony, are you smoking? 3/10? Nah. Most of these songs could fit on Infinity On High.

What a time to be alive feels like an extension of Patrick's solo album which I loved so I was happy to get another song that brought that same kind of energy

Yeah, I disagree. This is their best record since Folie, and its a much better album than Save Rock N Roll, AB/AS, and Mania. At the very least, this album is a 6/10.

I would say it's their best album since Folie a Deux. It has it's issues but I feel like it's more representative of who they were and why people loved them 20 years ago. Fake out is my favourite track.

Would've been a 10/10 if it was called To Pimp a Stardust

Although i do respect your opinion and i love watching your reviews i feel a 3/10 is a bit harsh. This album is amazing and it's some of the best work we've had from fall out boy in a long time

Ngl I feel like 3 was undeserved. This album has problems but its still solid and has super high peaks. Easily 8/10 for me, I feel like fantano has such a bias against Fall Out Boy and anything that was ever associated with punk/pop-punk

“Sounds like Michael Jackson” well, sounds like a compliment to me.

not shocked by the red flannel, but goddamn the cliches are what make FOB a fun band to listen to how do y’all not get that

And they said I was harsh, god damn Fantano. It’s definitely got some major problems but the Imagine Dragons comparison was just dirty lol

Insane takes honestly, this album easily fits inside FOBs discography, the instrument, vocals and mixing are all on point, honestly one of their best albums, easily at least top 5

"MANIA was actually a 7/10" damn, wasn't expecting that

I feel like anyone who goes into a FOB record trying to take it super seriously is gonna have a bad time 😆 that is NOT WHAT WE GO TO THE BOYS FOR. 3/10 is an INSANE TAKE, my dude!!

Bad take. This album is phenomenal and has a gigantic sound that tickled my brain in all the right ways.

I didn't expect such a low album rating.I thought it was a decent/good album.I respect your opinion regardless.

Melon hates most pop punk / emo adjacent bands so this rating isn't shocking whatsoever 🤣🤣

I’ve come back to this review having really lived with this album over the last couple months. My initial reaction wasn’t very good for it. I felt that the first half was much stronger than the second, and while I do think this is still somewhat true, this album is rock solid front to back. It’s the best FoB have been in years and I think FoB fans will have this album high up when rating their discography. I know I do. This is their third best Album for me behind their magnum opus, Folie A Deux, and the forever amazing From Under the Cork Tree. Thanks for keeping emo/pop-punk music in the rotation though 🫡

So I’m supposed to be dissuaded by “80s hair metal” and “Danny Elfman”?

Nah you're so wrong on this one. It's solid and has some of their highest highs yet.

I'm not a massive FOB fan but I just checked out that symphonic assault as you put it. Are you using 20 dollar headphones ? Sounds perfectly balanced to me.

man, I've been thinking about it since I watched and I have to come back just to comment - Anthony saying "star crossed lovers" in reference to Heaven, Iowa when it's clearly "scar crossed lovers" really shows you how much he listens to these things before he reviews them

What a Time is not only a nod to September, but also a reference to what you yourself bring up in regards to what they attempted. Patrick put out an entire album of soul/funk/pop after the hiatus started. Contextually, it makes perfect sense.

I never relate to your music opinions at all but I at least appreciate you talking about Fall Out Boy with some positivity. You and I are 1000% not on the same sonic wavelength, so it's nice to see that you had some nice things.

glad to see the fellow fall out boy fans pull thru. i personally enjoyed it, it’s not on their higher echelon, but it’s a nice collection of tracks. but i knew it would never be your thing.

I can't believe he actually gave it a 10/10

If only this album was called So Much For (Death) Grips

Didn’t expect the tangent halfway through about how Stardust Dragon is your favorite Yu-Gi-Oh card but you do you

This is the weirdest review, Melon gave a really low rating but throughout the video he kept complimenting several aspects of the album. I think he might be still traumatized by MANIA and of course there's his bias against anything that can be labeled as pop-punk.

As a pretty big Fall Out Boy fan, this is a solid 7/10 for me. Pretty enjoyable album for me.

This is like their best album in more than a decade, c'mon Melon.

Anthony seems like the type of dude who would suuuuuck going to a concert with

Too late Melon. I've already decided that I like this album.

Fantano try to like anything emo that isn’t my chemical romance challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)

Damn I saw the red flannel and can’t even watch this. I was genuinely blown away by this album after shitting on FOB’s last few projects.

I’m an old school fan and I’m really happy with this one. Saying it’s a smidge better than Mania just sounds insane because I hated that album and it turned me off the band for a while.

82/100 on Metacritic. Most critics disagree with this opinion.

Ain't no way he rated it a 3/10

I think if they released half the songs as an EP, it would've been more impressive. Feels like it's half-filler. But What A Time To Be Alive is a banger. I don't care.

If anyone wants a more open-minded, less biased opinion, the album is a solid 7. It's good.

i feel like this is the first time i really disagree with a take of yours as much as i do, this is definitely their best since folie and it deserves a higher rating

Really love FOB's older stuff. Feels like a return to form with a slightly more modern spin on it. Admittedly, it doesn't really go beyond that, but I think it delivers for fans. Probably a light to decent 7/10 in my book.

me want peggy review NOW fanny. im gonna cry if you no give me review NOW

Predictable Fantano L

3/10??? This album was really good! In concept 21 and Offset don’t sound like they would work together but Metro’s production really pulls them into the same world. Without Warning might be all of their best work yet!!!!

I've not enjoyed any of their albums since Folie À Deux and this one felt completely different to their most recent stuff... I think it's a pretty good release and have been loving it even though there are a couple songs that are not too memorable.

Anthony it's not fair to praise the album for 8 minutes straight and then give it a 3 "because there's no Yeat feature"

While this album isn’t exactly going to change the game (honestly could a Fall Out Boy album is 2023 really ever?) this pretty much feels like the follow up to Folie à Duex I wanted them to make like ten years ago. Not suddenly turning back into a super fan but the fact I can still enjoy a new Fall Out Boy album all this time on is impressive enough for me.

i appreciate the critical lense on this record but fob will always be my #1 band, 10/10 for me

This album I felt was actually pretty good, with some dips in it. There are parts of the album that can feel overproduced, and or boring. However I think the unique orchestration in this is really something special and beautiful. Fav tracks: So much (for) Stardust, Love from the other side, Heaven, Iowa, I am my own muse Least fav Tracks: So good right now, Flu game

Its such a good album. 10/10 from me. All the songs are so good

As someone who skipped all the mediocre stuff from them, this album made it fun to come back to FOB. The singles got tired fast but I still found this to be a decent project. Like 6/10 imo.

I am my own muse was the highlight for me, I can see why melon thinks it’s over done but I Fuckin love the way it blasts

Thought this was an excellent return of Fall Out Boy. They’ve gone back to that sound that made them fun and energetic!

Best FOB album since Folie. It’s odd that you didn’t rate it higher. Critically and user-wise it’s in the 8’s.

This album was solid.

Recently saw an interview with Andy Hurley where he said that back in the day Patrick tried writing pop songs around hardcore parts and I feel like they really should go back to that. I mean, sure, please do what you want to do and write the music that makes you happy. But for me as an old school fan, I would enjoy that way more.

big fob fan here and I'm really impressed by the album overall! Their best since SRAR

A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN MANIA? NAH. This album is soo good, I have been waiting for FoB to come back with a good record and this exceeded all my expectations. Folie a Deux was the last album from them that I enjoy. I agree with the interludes though, they're kind of ?? but the rest is everything I wanted from a new album from them.

I thought this album was excellent! Fall Out Boy made an album that was both a return to form but with new ideas.

Damn a three? I really enjoy this album. I had it on repeat all day.

fall out boy didn’t go on hiatus, they broke up after folie a deux (i am in denial)

Look I'm just gonna say this. The fact you gave this an actual review as opposed to a "Not Good" means that they are at least doing better now than whatever the fuck they were doing with that Mania shit.

Man I'd love him to talk about folie edoux tho. That's one of my favorite albums of all time

Anthony talks about the mix on this album like his stereo is broken. How is he struggling to hear the vocals? They’re clear as day

I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS ALBUM, IT IS BEAUTIFUL, THEATRICAL, DEEP AND MUSICALY POWERFUL

Mmmm... I didn't think it was THAT bad, Anthony.

I think your take is a bit harsh, but totally agree that the production is rough on this album. The last track on the album deserves more praise.

So underrating Swimming by Mac Miller taught him nothing cause here he is again stepping on the same rake expecting it not to hit him in the forehead…

Interesting review. Personally I think there are more good tracks than bad on this album. As a long time fan of FOB I was really looking forward to this and for the most part I'm happy with it. I do agree that some of the tracks are weapons grade cringe (So Good Right Now and What a Time to be Alive in particular), but some of the others are absolute belters, with The Kintsugi Kid, Fake Out, Heaven, Iowa, Love from the Other Side and Heartbreak Feels So Good all standing out for me. Thanks for your review as ever, always enjoy hearing others' opinions.

Opening stretch of songs is good, the middle DRAGS, then theres some decent songs in the end. It's got some bangers, but some real dull stuff

JPEG and Danny pls??

I fairly enjoyed this album. Definitely not their best, nor is it on the level of any of their pre-hiatus albums, but it’s easily the best thing they’ve released since they reformed. I’d give it a strong 6-light 7.

Fantano reviewing aging rock bands: These bands really need to change their sound! Fantano when an aging rock band changes their sound: 3/10

Gonna be honest, I liked this album! After Folie a deux I largely skipped the 3 that followed but this to me felt like what could have been a natural progression in sound following folie

NGL, I thought this album dated itself with some genre pastiches that felt like watching something nostalgic and realising it wasn't actually as good as you remember, but I was NOT expecting a 3 on this album damn.

Eh. Can't always be right, I guess. It's a really, really solid comeback record - whatever that means. Perfectly produced and mixed, with greatly performed vocals. Their best album in a very very long time.

Funny how FOB and Lana dropped albums last week and they both named a track Kintsugi

That ranking is crazy

Folie a Duex is Fallout Boy’s Pinkerton imo. An album where the band has some of their most personal songwriting and most fully realized songwriting up to that point. That just didn’t get the recognition it deserved. And we’ve seen fallout boy doing their middle era Weezer impression for the past few years. This album at least is going back to a style the band can do well. Even if this album in particular I agree is pretty boring. Hopefully their White Album is coming down the pipe next few years

Title track was by far my favorite. As an OG fan, this one does have an older FOB feel, but new at the same time. I LOVED Save Rock and Roll and didn't like Mania. I disagree with you on basically everything else. As a FOB record, I give it a solid 6.5/10.

I'm so glad FOB is steering back to their punk pop roots BUT it's not nearly as good as people were making it out to be and not the "return to form" I was hearing about. While the band is actually playing their instruments again its still missing that catchy punch rock that they pulled off so well in the early albums. On top of that I'm not to crazy about the random chit-chat in some of the songs along with the overbearing strings and choirs. But Worst of all the lyrics are terrible, like good lord please tell me someone is ghost writing this album. Pats singing style is so damn iconic and when he gets in the groove with some of these songs I see glimpses of what could have been. Cork tree, Infinity, and Deux all had dope lyrics that felt like they actually said something personal. This on the other hand feels like a rush job and a mad grasp for something "catchy". Hell, look at their recent cover of "We didn't start the fire", now THAT absolutely feels like the real Fall Out Boy. The music rules, the lyrics flow, and Pat nails it. All-n-all I hope they don't get blind sighted by all the praise for this album, and work on giving us something that's actually a good and proper return to form next time around. I know they can do it.

You didn’t even talk about the song Fake Out which might be the best one on the album!

Strange didnt mention fake out, best song on the record

I feel crazy that I like Mania. I listened to it constantly when it came out and still could at the drop of a hat.

I agreed with a lot of your assessments of the tracks, Fantano, but I think an overall 3 is a bit much. I'm erring on the side of an incredibly light 5.

Oh come on this is not that bad. These are some enjoyable, catchy songs with some decent hooks and a good amount of sonic variety. Not anything great, but it’s way better than a lot of us were expecting and a nice return to form.

Why is everyone hating on So Good Right Now that's one of my favorites on the album😭

i enjoy a good chunk of this record, the chorus on heaven iowa is insane

"love from the other side" sounds a lot like "time to waste" by Alkaline Trio to me. a way more glamorized version, but I feel like the influence is there.