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Fall Out Boy's 5th studio album Folie a Deux has a dual personality that is echoed in the title's meaning of a madness shared by two. Littered with allusions to past classic, and sometimes not so classic, rock and pop, the music is among the most impersonal the band has constructed. At the same time, the lyrics frequently read as intimately personal self deconstruction. Most of the time Folie a Deux pulls off this balancing act leaving listeners singing along to glitzy, faintly familiar pop songs with more than a hint of disconcerting angst behind the words.

Allusions and Cameos Tossed Around Like Candy at a Parade

Known earlier this year as the band who dared to cover Michael Jackson's "Beat It" with a straight face, Fall Out Boy litter their new album with allusions to music all over the pop-rock history map. In addition, cameo appearances from other singers are in abundance. When Elvis Costello sings his line on "What a Catch, Donnie," it's suddenly clear the debt vocalist Patrick Stump owes to this living legend. Elsewhere Lil Wayne has a brief walk-on role and Blondie's Debbie Harry shows up in the mix.

Intimate Introspection Amid Distraction

Such musical fireworks would seem to distract from any concern about lyrics. However, as with albums in the past, Fall Out Boy lyrics are far from throwaways. "Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes" takes us on a spin through the band's experience of celebrity. "I Don't Care" swaggers through interpersonal politics anchoring the chorus with "The best of us can find happiness in misery." The base of "What a Catch, Donnie" is self-deprecation in the face of fame.

Lyrically, these songs have an intimacy that resonates through all of the musical flash and verbal wordplay.

Top Tracks on Folie a Deux

• "Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes"
• "I Don't Care"
• "America's Suitehearts"
• "Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet"
• "What a Catch, Donnie"

The Next Chapter in the Fall Out Boy Journey

Fall Out Boy have executed the meteoric rise from local band struggling in small venues to celebrity status filled with glitz and glam in impressive fashion. Folie a Deux does not deny the band's place in the world of MTV flash, but the battles with emo-style self-esteem issues and romantic angst are still abundant. This next chapter in the band's journey, while lacking the sense of "perfect" that fueled Infinity on High is well worth hearing and presents Fall Out Boy as a band that does matter.

Released by Decaydance / Island / Fueled By Ramen December 2008.