Fall Out Boy 'PAX AM Days' Review: A Disappointing Companion To 'Save Rock And Roll,' This EP Is Not Worth Your Money

Fall Out Boy released their bonus EP, PAX AM Days, as an addition to their fifth studio album Save Rock and Roll re-release. PAX AM Days was recorded over a two day span with friend and producer Ryan Adams and we can see the effects in their marathon recording session in the rushed quality of the music. PAX AM Days is a different musical feel from Fall Out Boy’s pervious recordings – in their hopes to save rock and roll they might have just done the opposite.

I never thought there would be a day when Fall Out Boy makes an album I didn’t love, but that day has come. Qualities I love about Fall Out Boy; Patrick Stump’s clear and soulful voice, the meaningful lyrics full of puns and similes and the constant beat is lost and nowhere to be found in this EP. Replaced with heavy drums and screeching of the guitars, we hear every sound – from the feedback of the microphones to the static of amps. Patrick’s singing seems forced and more like screams. And the lyrics and music don’t agree with his voice. Instead it is a battle between Patrick’s voice and the songs.

In addition to the EP, Fall Out Boy also released a music video for the song “Love, Sex, Death.” The video consists of a montage of clips from their concerts, recording sessions and behind the scenes footage laced with bad filters and shaky camera movements. The music video gives the feel of 1980’s rock music video and typical rock star lifestyle – the music video complements the song perfectly.

In Fall Out Boy’s efforts to recapture rock and roll and pay homage to their rock roots, they have completely missed the mark. This EP does nothing to complement the Save Rock and Roll album, which is punk rock, sounding more like screamo then punk. Although, Fall Out Boy has done screamo before and succeeded, they fail at this attempt because it’s the wrong person is screaming. Their success in this genre before was due to Pete Wentz. In past songs like “Carpal Tunnel of Love” the screams work because instead of Patrick screaming Pete screams under the lyrics as backup and an accent to Patrick’s voice.

For $4.99 the EP is not worth my money, a better decision for this EP will be releasing it as a free mixtape. Each song is about a minute long and no song is longer than a minute thirty (or even comes close to becoming a full length song). After listening to this EP, my head is spinning and I have a headache from the screaming and screeching. PAX Am Days is a complete U-turn from Fall Out Boy’s usual sound, and, sadly, it’s a turn for the worse.