Fall Out Boy, American Beauty/American Psycho (DCD2/Island): At a time when few alternative bands—especially ones that could plausibly be called alternative rock—crossed into the mainstream, FOB knocked three huge singles (“Immortals,” “Centuries” and “Uma Thurman”) out of the park. The source of those smashes is a madly energetic, stylistically restless collection (the band’s sixth, as it happens) that lives up to the edgy aesthetics of its title. Its arena dynamics should be a wake-up call for rockers who’ve allowed their ambition to go slack—we’re talking enormo-dome hooks, blazing guitars and window-rattling beats delivered with unflagging urgency. Pete Wentz and mates borrow from EDM, hip-hop and even surf-rock to bolster their rock assault, and it somehow all comes out Fall Out Boy. It’s hard to imagine Beauty not stomping its way to a Rock Album trophy, but it surely merits consideration for the overall prize.
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