#in this house we appreciate how vocal he is. pun fully fucking intended

[bakasara]

something something David Bowie

(I think over the course of a year I've said I'll sketch jemaine like 500 times before actually doing it 💀)

[niksemosmusic]

MANIA Album Review 🌊

I have been waiting for this album since they announced it last April, so of course I had to write a critique of the album. 😅

Let me start by saying this: Song order matters. When I got the digital download, I thought the songs were out of order (which I now know they weren't), so that's how I listened to them. Being in the proper order, I feel like the tracks are grouped in pairs (the next one complementing the previous, showing a different POV from each other). It gave me a sense of the back and forth thoughts and feelings a person has on a day-to-day basis (at least I feel that way most of the time). Later, when I listen to the album in the order on Spotify, I had a different view on the album. The correct order gave me a sense of tentative hopefulness, and the other made me feel like I was floating in despair. The musical styles on this album jump around, and the lyrics seem autobiographical, so they have to be arranged properly to convey this story. Period. Also, I feel like I must add that I LOVE the hip hop and soul influence on this album. It is what I grew up listening to, and they used it properly, not trying to fit into the hip hop/R&B mold but mix it into what they do naturally. BRAVO! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Now, let's move on to the actual breakdown of tracks (in order).

Stay Frosty ❄️ is a powerful song to open with. The fact that the kick/low tom and guitar follow that same, accented beat pattern is incredible. (The distortion and reverb really help bc that musical idea has been used before & can get hokey if you aren't careful). Lyrically? Bitch! It's dope!  The opening line "I think I got too many memories getting in the way of me" is the best way to start an album entitled MANIA. When you have bipolar disorder (or are just an overly self-critical person), you hold onto the past way too much. (Honestly, there's little things from YEARS ago that still bother me that I should let go, esp. since most of them are super petty.) The lyric "You only get what you grieve" really expresses that feeling honestly. Anyway, back to the critique haha  So yeah, lyrically, this song really shows the anger & frustration you have w/ the world, esp. when you're trying to grow & aren't in the way you hoped. And musically, it's powerful yet danceable (I really want to vogue to it  And if you think voguing can't be powerful, go watch Paris Is Burning or videos of The Haus of Ninja on YT. You'll take those words back).

Moving on to Real Ones 🔮. An openly hopeful song. You recognize how painfully lonely and hopeless you were, and then you found true love (or at least you think it's true). I say that bc the lyrics hint that the protagonist doesn't completely believes it. "You were too good to be true/Gold plated/But what's inside you?" (They're slightly questionable of this love, mostly bc they've been wrong before, but they took time to get to know the person so most of their suspicions are gone.) The lyric "I'm done with having dreams/The thing that I believe/You drain the fear from me" touches on that. Now musically, it is amazing. The way the piano feels like it's floating front and center is incredible! The bass line drives most of the song (as bass should). The music feels upbeat and skeptical (yes, it is possible to feel them simultaneously; I do most of the time). Overall, great. 👍🏽

Okay, moving on HOLD ME TIGHT 💀. It is not my favorite, but I don't hate it. I actually made a thread for it back when it was released, so I'm just gonna attach the link to it (my feelings about it are mostly unchanged): https://niksemosmusic.tumblr.com/post/167519897006/niksemosmusic-okay-now-that-i-got-some-sleep **Okay, I thought I had broken down the lyrics but no. 😑So this song is about loving someone more when you're away from them. The lyric "The distance between us/It sharpens me like a knife" in the bridge is a clear representation of this. Verse 2 is very telling: "I got too high again/Realized I can't not be with you/Or be just your friend/I love you to death/But I just can't, I just can't pretend/We weren't lovers first/Confidants but never friends/Were we ever friends?". They love the other person, but they are too afraid of love (or of loving the other person too much and it ending) that they do not want to be constantly be there with them. (If they stay away, their love won't change and won't risk destruction.) 😐

Going to Wilson (Expensive Mistakes) 🏐, this track wasn't released that long about before the album, and I have a previous critique of it as well so I'll attach the link (again, my view is mostly unchanged): https://niksemosmusic.tumblr.com/post/169580442026/falloutboy-get-your-wallets-ready-youre-about **In my previous critique of Wilson, I said the lyrics seemed a little stream-of-consciousness. That is kinda accurate of mania. Your thoughts race back and forth, either between joy and sadness,between different points of happiness, or between different points of sadness.

That takes me to Church ⛪️ (pun not intended lol) The new video? GORGEOUS! (Though in a few of the band scenes, Trick's words seem out of sync ) & I love they included an interracial couple (which they've done before). & Patrick's corpse makeup is to die for (pun intended ). **(Going back to the inclusion of an interracial couple, I am glad they weren't pandering for diversity. A lot of the time, POC are added just so the creative party can say "Look! We have Black people! See! We're good people." FOB didn't do that. They are a couple, a pair of human beings living their lives like other human beings. They aren't at odds with a world that says they shouldn't be together bc of their race. That troupe is overused and lazy, and as a person of color, I really appreciate they didn't do that. Also, the fact that the couple is a black female/white male pairing is good. Most of the time, an interracial couple is portrayed as a black male with a white female. Generally speaking, I wish black-and-white-people-together wasn't the only view of interracial relationships in media. And can we have more queer couples in general? And not have their queerness be a us-against-the-world troupe? Again, that's overused & lazy.)** Now, as for the music, it’s wonderful! They really made sure it felt like going to church (that pipe organ was amazing. I kinda doubt they used an actual pipe organ instead of a plugin, but they could have. It just sounds too clean to be real). Let me move on to lyrics, and frankly, I really don’t see how so many people are hearing this as a very sexual song. "If you were church, I'd get on my knees"? Yeah, that does sound sexual, but when you listen to the rest of the song, it's obviously not the case. This is another unconventional love song, filled w/ anger and hopefulness. "Take the pain/Make it billboard big and swallow it for me/Time capsule for the future/Trust me, that's what I will be". The antagonist is trying to let go of the past & their new love is helping. And this lyric also suggests if anything goes wrong with this love relationship, they will get that old anger and pain back (they know how this has worked in the past for them).

Heaven's Gate 👼🏾 It is the most hopeful and happiest of any of the tracks. "I got dreams of my own/But I want to make yours come true" The protagonist is giving up their selfishness to fully commit themselves to the one they love. (Though giving up your dreams for someone else seems like the other person is selfish, but hey, love is often selfish. And if the "dreams" equal "fantasies", then those could be abandoned. Fantasies tend to hold a person back.) "If there were any more left of me/I'd give it to you/And I'll tell you that I am fine/But I'm a missile that's guided to you" They are fully committed. Their life is nothing without the other in it. (Again, their selfishness is gone.) Musically, it's amazing. I grew up listening to doo-wop and early soul w/ my mom, so this hits very close to my heart. (And Patrick can do no wrong vocally, so the fact that he let lose & put that range of his on full display deserves plenty of accolades 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾) And this song ticks all of the doo-wop/early soul boxes: Minor key (which may just be a major key in disguise)✔️ Lyrics that show how desperately in love you are✔️ Vocal runs and leaps that put the heart in a panic✔️ The whole song is just incredible! 😍

Moving on to Champion 🏆 When you are questioning everything in your life, this is the song to listen to. It is telling you that you will get through whatever your situation is. It's not telling you that everything will be amazing, but it's not gonna be as bad as it is now. I don't really need to dive deeper into the lyrics. Their meaning is kinda given to you at face value; they don't take much deciphering. Musically, it's a fight song. It is meant to pump you up. Period. There's nothing else to say. It's just good.

Sunshine Riptide ☀️🌊 It is lyrically genius. The beginning talks about being isolated and lovelorn ("She said I love you till I don't/I'm just playing house/No idea what I'm doing now"). But after a new love comes in ("The sunshine riptide/You came in like a wave when I was feeling alright"), they're happy once again ("You are my truest feeling yet/I love you so much/It's just like oxygen"). Or the affects of the drugs are giving them a false sense of happiness ("Driving down the coast again/The pills are kicking in"; "Smoking in my fucking ride...Feel like I'm bulletproof, bulletproof, baby"). You could argue for both. I love how they went full calypso/dancehall/afrobeat on this track. It works perfectly for the lyrical content. It's like a peaceful daze (another argument for the drug scenario). Overall, amazing! **(I'd also like to add how much I appreciate the reversed lyric at the beginning. It reminds me so much of "Work It" by Missy Elliott. Missy is one of my favorite rappers, so that really hits close to my heart. 💜)**

Young & Menace 😈 The 1st single from this album, & it holds a close place to my heart. It lyrically & musically describes true mania the most accurately. I can't put it into words, so I'm attaching a link to an interview Pete did when Y&M was released: https://niksemosmusic.tumblr.com/post/160090326586/rocksound-interview-fall-out-boys-pete-wentz

That leads us to the last track: Bishops Knife Trick 🔪 Some people think it is a breakup song, and in a way it is. It's a I-love-you-so-much-that-if-we-break-up-I-don't-know-what-I'll-do-with-myself song ("I got a feeling inside that I can't domesticate/It doesn't wanna live in a cage/A feeling that I can't housebreak/And I'm yours/'Til the earth starts to crumble and the heavens roll away/I'm struggling to exist with you and without you, yeah"). This is some Mary J. Blige-type emotion they’re on right here. This song will break you in half. (I can barely listen to it without tearing up 😭). ("I'm sifting through the sand, sand, sand/Looking through pieces of broken hourglass/Trying to get it all back/Put it back together/As if the time had never passed/I know I should walk away, know I should walk away/But I just want to let you break my brain/And I can't seem to get a grip/No matter how I live with it") This is some deep stuff. 😶 The protagonist is debating whether they should stay in this relationship: "I love you, but do I really love you? Do I just love the way you make me feel? Is this really happiness or a trick? Maybe I'm holding onto the past too much". And the way the music is arranged rips my heart to shreds!  There is nothing like a simple bass line that pads the keyboard. The drum pattern is not overly complicated. The electric guitar moves the whole song along, just picking & strumming. The vocal melody doesn't have lots of embellishments, only at the start of the last chorus. And Patrick's singing sounds broken and contemplative. BKT is just... 🔪💜

So that concludes my review of MANIA. I am officially calling it my favorite album (Folie now takes the number two spot) I am so appreciative of this album, Fall Out Boy. Thank you for this album. Thank you for pushing it back. Thank you for making art on your terms. 🙏🏽