Poposaurus REX: Falling into Fall Out Boy

You know, Fall Out Boy gets a bad rap these days. Bad for this, bad for that, we'll I don't buy it...

Add 100 points to your score if you get that The State reference. But no, seriously. People hear the words "Fall Out Boy" and immediately think of emo-punks, eyeliner, and whiny high school girls. And while those associations may be valid to some extent, I fear that this characterization precludes from Fall Out Boy a wider, more appreciative audience. You see, Fall Out Boy is more than "Sugar, We're Going Down," "Dance Dance," and "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs." Underneath the man-makeup, jet black hair, and ridiculously long and convoluted song titles (see below), therein lies some highly impressive vocals, heart-pumping instrumentations, and some of the most interesting and creative lyrics of recent memory. Sure, perhaps the songs speak to themes that many of us have now left behind. But that does not take away from the entrancing and head-nod inducing quality of many of the band's lesser known tracks.

So, I have done what I always do. Below you will find my picks of the best five tracks from each of Fall Out Boy's most recent three albums: From Under the Cork Tree, Infinity on High, and Folie a Deux. I have left off the obvious picks, such as the radio hits I mentioned above. Together, these fifteen songs act as not only a fantastic Fall Out Boy mix, but also function as a nice introduction for people who are turned off by some of the band's less desirable associations. Download, shuffle vigorously, plug in, and slip into pop-punk heaven.