Save Rock and Roll
by Fall Out Boy
  • Record Label: Island
  • Release Date: Apr 16, 2013
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 18
  3. Negative: 1 out of 18
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  1. The A.V. Club
    Apr 17, 2013
    83
    Save Rock And Roll is the band’s most personal album yet, a tribute to being passionate and young when time makes the former difficult and the latter impossible.
  2. Kerrang!
    Apr 30, 2013
    80
    Save Rock And Roll is bonkers, brilliant and it's Fall Out Boy like you've never heard them. [13 Apr 2013, p.58]
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  3. The Guardian
    Apr 18, 2013
    80
    It's business as usual, with slightly appeal-broadening knobs on. Quiet bits, then loud bits, and words about alienation wrapped up in catchy choruses to unite thousands.
  5. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Apr 8, 2013
    80
    The result is the most actualized version of Fall Out Boy we've ever heard, an undeniable portrait of who Fall Out Boy is today, in 2013
  6. Alternative Press
    Apr 8, 2013
    80
    Admittedly, it takes a few listens for Save Rock And Roll to click, and some songs (“Alone Together,” “Miss Missing You”) are notably weaker than others. But overall, Save Rock And Roll is a blast of an album.
  7. Billboard.com
    Apr 16, 2013
    77
    Save Rock and Roll contains some head-scratching collaborations, including link-ups with Big Sean and Courtney Love, but even those that fall relatively flat are still positive indicators that Fall Out Boy are back to having fun, stretching their legs and taking risks.
  8. Entertainment Weekly
    Apr 10, 2013
    75
    There's not much psychological processing on Save Rock and Roll, but it does advance FOB's vision of an über-inclusive guitar-pop utopia.
  9. Consequence
    May 14, 2013
    70
    Singer Nate Ruess’ sincerity and youth anthems fuel Save Rock And Roll.
  10. New Musical Express (NME)
    Apr 22, 2013
    70
    That's not to say this is a bad record, just one that's clearly in love with pop music, and one that'll require another leap of faith from the band's hardcore fanbase.
  11. PopMatters
    Apr 18, 2013
    70
    With the emphasis--ironically--more on “Pop” than “Rocky” it’s not as dynamic with contrast as the more accomplished Folie à Deux yet it’s a charming, convincing and much welcome comeback.
  12. AllMusic
    Apr 15, 2013
    70
    They're ambitious, admirable, and sometimes thrilling, particularly because the group never fears to tread into treacherous waters, happy to blur the distinctions between pop and rock, mainstream and underground.
  13. Drowned In Sound
    Apr 15, 2013
    70
    Save Rock and Roll isn't life or game changing but it's probably the album FOB needed to make--if only for themselves--and as an honest portrait of the roller-coaster ride that is FOB's career, it finds them on a high.
  14. Rolling Stone
    Apr 8, 2013
    70
    If their comeback suggests delusions of grandeur, they're only picking up where they left off. This is excellent news for Fall Out Boy fans, who will find that time has done little to tame their heroes' over-the-top ambitions.
  15. Exclaim
    Apr 15, 2013
    60
    The star power of the record's guests overshadows the album's best moments.
  16. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    Apr 15, 2013
    60
    Save Rock and Roll features unexpected excursions into rave-pop, and numerous celebrity cameos, but enough airbrushed pop-punk to prove they haven't forgotten which side their bread's buttered.
  17. Slant Magazine
    May 9, 2013
    50
    Save Rock and Roll pools an assortment of trademark hooks to lure you in, but its commercially formulaic spine will leave you feeling like you should have known better.
  18. musicOMH.com
    Apr 15, 2013
    50
    Save Rock And Roll is not only Fall Out Boy’s softest album yet, it is also their least memorable.
  19. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Jun 4, 2013
    30
    I can only assume the title Save Rock and Roll is intentionally ironic on their part because even they should know it's quite a stretch to call this rock and roll.

Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Most Discussed Album of 2013

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 210 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 178 out of 210
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 210
  3. Negative: 11 out of 210
  1. kidcodiwise
    Apr 16, 2013
    10
    They did a very honorable, risky thing and streamed their album days before the release date via soundcloud. I listened to it at least 10They did a very honorable, risky thing and streamed their album days before the release date via soundcloud. I listened to it at least 10 times and am going to get the physical copy ASAP. I recommend this album to anyone. The genre and moods range song to song and has something for everybody… Full Review »
  2. DrBedSheets
    Apr 16, 2013
    9
    Great album there are very few problems with this album. People will argue that it doesn't sound Fall out boy enough. But after taking a breakGreat album there are very few problems with this album. People will argue that it doesn't sound Fall out boy enough. But after taking a break and watching what the band did while not doing fall out boy the direction they took with the comeback makes sense. Every track either captures what makes fall out boy great or shows growth of the band. All the guests are great the only down is Courtney Loves bits seem to be unnecessary for the song. The weakest song on the album is Miss Missing You the stronger tracks are Save rock and roll, where did the party go?, and The Phoenix… Full Review »
  3. Darthstar
    Apr 16, 2013
    8
    A mixed bag that grows on you, this album is nothing if not a triumphant return to what these four were in the beginning: four guys makingA mixed bag that grows on you, this album is nothing if not a triumphant return to what these four were in the beginning: four guys making music they would jam out to themselves and could be proud of. The album has definite high points like the up-beat, instant radio jam "Young Volcanoes" and the classic fall out boy lines such as "The Phoenix's" Wearing our vintage misery/No, i think i looked a little better on me. There are also a few stumbles like the clunky and unsure "Death Valley" which washes out Stump's vocals and the unimpressive "The Mighty Fall" which proudly boasts unimaginative hooks and an ill-advised guest appearance from Big Sean which will probably not win over a lot of fall out boy's pop-punk fan base. Overall the album is both a bold experiment and a return to form for Fall Out Boy, that's sure to have Fall Out Boy fans hitting repeat and those looking for a unique sound checking them out.… Full Review »
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