Fall Out Boy's emopunk enjoyed great popularity in the early 1990s. With So Much (For) Stardust, they are on their eighth album, standing with one leg in the present and the other in the past. Fragments of the old sound trickle through in lush rock and pop songs, where the emphasis is really not on guitars at all. The solid opener rocks along nicely, but is also graced by a jaunty piano arrangement
… and strings. While the two go together quite well, the album ultimately proves to be somewhat unbalanced. The band literally shoots in all sorts of directions in terms of tempo and moods. Although the nostalgic edge makes up for a lot, Fall Out Boy has also lost some of its power by now. For fans, So Much (For) Stardust offers a fun and varied record, but also one that overflows with itself. (YvQ)more
