Soul Punk-Patrick Stump

Fall Out Boy were good, weren't they? I mean, when all is said and done, they were the quintessential emo-pop-punk band that plagued the years between 2004 and 2008. They penned some of the most recognisable tunes of the 21st century, opened the worlds eyes to the powers of the once great MySpace, and retaining a fanbase as diverse as they were annoying. I know what you're thinking; "Willoughby, you glorious stallion, why are you speaking as if they've finished for good? They're only on a break!" Well, I reply, if front man Patrick Stump's debut solo effort id anything to go by, there is literally no point in a reformation. Soul Punk is damn good.

Right off the bat, Stump dispells any fears that this is just Fall Out Boy-lite. While alot of front men who release a debut solo album tend to stick with what they know (here's looking at YOU, Brandon Flowers), Stump veers off into new territory, opting for a more electronic/dance sound/RnB sound, one that Micheal Jackson would be proud of.

At it's core, Soul Punk is a love letter to anyone who's ever loved 1980's RnB. The lyrics are soulful, the lyrics worm their way inside your head until you can't think of anything else, and there's synth. A whole lotta synth. It strings together in a way nobody could've expected, leading to incredibly mature album from the guy who used to give his songs names longer than the width of the back of the album in which they were on.

And it all starts with Explode. Right from the off you know what you're in for. It's a beat that's amazingly frantic, on that'll feel instantly familiar despite being incredibly original. Followed up by personal favourite This City, which takes a much more personal route, despite keeping up with the trend set by explode, and the album's off to a flier.

And it's plain sailing from there, to be honest. Run Dry clocks in at about 9 minutes, and feels like two songs were smashed together at points, but it keeps with the overall charm the album's brought along.

It's worth noting that every single instrument heard on the album was played by Stump himself. Every single noise on the album was made by one man, and that is truly a feat to be commended.

Also, at times, the vocals tend to get lost in the instrumentals, leading to a lack of understanding in what Stump's actually saying.

On the whole, however, Soul Punk is a stellar debut. It largely sounds brilliant, it brings a host of infectious tracks to the table, and it feels incredibly natural. If you weren't aware of his musical past, you'd assume he's been making music like this for years. And that is a testament to his versatility and passion for his own tastes. Whether this spells the end for Fall Out Boy remains to be seen. It it did, however, this is a superb reason why.

Essential Downloads:

• This City
• Dance Miserable
• Spotlight (New Regrets)
• Everybody Wants Somebody
• Coast (It's Gonna Get Better)

All Things Bright and Beautiful- Owl City

Adam Young is charming. Don't deny it; you heard Fireflies last year, and you were instantly struck by the sincerity in his voice. He released an album last year; Ocean Eyes, which cemented his Owl City project as synth-pop's brightest light. Owl City's back about a year later. Can the sophomore effort build on the solid foundations of the debut?

Well, yes and no.

ATBaB feels much more experimental than Ocean Eyes, on every aspect. Young tries to mix up the sound this time around; it feels bigger than what can be accomplished by this specific project. Each track, but more apparent in Dreams Don't Turn To Dust, does feel ambitious in grandeur, yet a little flat lyrically.

There's much more focus on a solid guitar sound this time around. Honey and the Bee and Angels does have a very audible guitar line, which is a welcome break from the sheer velocity of electro-pop thrown at you during this experience.

But fans of the project will want more of the same, surely? Young's catered for those fans also. Deer in the Headlights and Alligator Sky may as well be Ocean Eyes tracks. But that's the sound that drew us to Owl City in the first place. While it is, essentially, more of the same, they are songs that you will feel a warmth listening to.

Strangely enough Young feels the need to reference the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster, with two track slots taken up by songs around the events (January 28th, 1986 and Galaxies).

In all, ATBAB is a solid effort from Owl City. While in no way an entire revamp of the Owl City project, it does have its charms. For some it's more of the same from Adam Young, but it does shake it up enough to justify a release. If you liked Owl City before hand, you won't not like it now.

Essential Downloads:

• Angels
• Deer in the Headlights
• Alligator Sky

Goodnight Moon EP- Heyhihello

As with The Joy Formidable, I knew literally nothing about Heyhihello prior to the download of this piece. However, where The Joy Formidable had some acclaimed work prior to my first play through, Heyhihello have nothing in the public attention. In fact, I only found out about the band through watching a YouTube video that had some of their music in the background. It did make an impression, though.

Heyhihello can best be described as Owl City crossed with Maroon 5 if Brendon Urie was the songwriter. And seeing as I'm a fan of most of those listed, we're onto a potential winner.

The Goodnight Moon EP consists of 6 tracks showcasing the bands talents. And it's clear that the band are at their best when writing about young love to a summery tune. Goodnight Moon is what one would describe as "Happy Pop". This is what plays in the minds of people as they skip through meadows and roll through lush green fields.

Lyrically it's on par with that found in Vices and Virtues. It's simply strung about falling in love and that. Though where Panic! at the Disco struggled to pull it off, mainly due to their previous two albums being some of the most poetic albums I've heard this side of American Idiot, Heyhihello pull it off somehow. The soft-poppy sound intertwine with the bouncy instrumentals to create something that's really quite nice to listen to.

Even though it only lasts 6 tracks, it almost feels too long, however. As with Owl City's Ocean Eyes, it sticks to one formula for the entirety. It does start to become tedious. And this really really affects it as a package. However, if you're looking or something that can lead you into the summer, make you smile, or just something that's easy on the ears, for £4.74, you can't go too far wrong.

Essential Downloads:

• Right Here
• Movie Song
• Eleven Eleven

Hellogoodbye, Would It Kill You?

It's been four years since the power-synth-pop quintet hit the world stage with relatively successful debut “Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!”. After various legal battles with their former label, Drive-Thru Records, the band are back with their sophomore effort “Would it Kill You?”. The question is, was it worth the wait?

In short; yes, and then some. The album superbly well crafted, retaining the quirk that popularized the band originally, yet still manages to be completely different to anything you’ve heard by them, or anyone previous. You’re thrown into the thick of things straight from the off. Opening track Finding Something To Do sets the pace of the album, and the themes to be explored; love...well, just love, but that’s what made us like them in the first place. The pace slows for Getting Old, combining ukuleles and the acoustic guitar to compliment the now matured lyrics from lead singer Forrest Kline. Hellogoodbye spent their time off well. They’ve grown as musicians. So far, I love it.

When We First Met follows a pair of young lovers as they reminisce about bygone days, strangely citing the growth of hair, and various styles as the passing of time. What follows bucks the trend of the album so far; a song about breaking up. Betrayed By Bones tells a tale; a tale of a young man who knows his relationship is over. And he has to end it. It really is beautiful. I’m not afraid to say it; it’s by and large my favourite track on the album. Kline could’ve taken the album down a darker route following that. He doesn’t. The album has a break out moment. You Sleep Alone is the culmination of anger and despair. A wail of voices and electric surrounds the track, a mess of keys bridge it. It’s the track with the most appeal, let’s put it that way.

When We First Kissed is definitely the most forgettable of the tracks on show. It’s far too slow, considering what preceded it. The Thoughts That Give Me The Creeps pulls us back into the groove that betrayed set; fascinating, with hints of a break out following. And the albums does just that. I Never Can Relax takes us to the more indie aspect of the album, and I welcome it. Coppertone has a very “late night down by the lake” feel, and it’s great to hear. Would It Kill You? follows Coppertone naturally, and is just what you want after the slow dance track of the album. Something You Misplaced rounds off the effort in stunning form, begging to be played as ambience. It’s gorgeous, and that truly is that.

Hellogoodbye provide a more organic sound with this album, and, as a result, I see it as a contender for Album of the Year. Fair play to them, I guess.

My Chemical Romance: Game changers for Rock and Roll?

I don't think it's any secret that I am a huge fan of My Chemical Romance. 2006's The Black Parade was not only a critical and commercial success, it also helped open my eyes to a new world of music in a way that only Green Day's American Idiot had done prior. The album used everything in the rock and roll arsenal; loose concept, tight solos, powerful and emotive lyrics, and, possibly most important of all, it used classic rock as a base, and pushed off from there. You cannot deny that Welcome to the Black Parade sounds remarkably similar to, well, anything by Queen ever!

In fact, it could be said that both MCR albums previous to The Black Parade were in the same vein, that's at least what front man Gerard Way would have us believe. The Black Parade was a finest hour moment, something that they could never best. Until now.

Fast forward three years, and the world is a very different place. New leader of the free world, new technologies unheard of in 2006, and new England manager Fabio Capello is drawing all the plaudits. The film Watchmen is released, and My Chemical Romance are releasing the lead single for the soundtrack. The song? Bob Dylan classic Desolation Row. The version is a huge departure from anything on The Black Parade. More Punk, less Theatrical. it worked.

Over a year later, the follow up album to the 2006 smash, is announced. Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys is to be released on the 22nd of November, and I can't wait.

Why? Well, apart from being a massive fan, as mentioned earlier, I can't wait to see what's next for the boys.

On their website, www.mychemicalromance.com, you can watch the video for their new single; Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na). Ludicrous title, yes, but it's a really, really good song. It's very difficult to describe, but it's the most accessible MCR song, well, certainly since Welcome to the Black Parade, possible in their history.

Two weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to see the band live. They were superb, and they played a few songs off the new album; Planetary (GO!), The Only Hope For Me Is You, and The Kids From Yesterday. They were... different.

Each song reminded me of someone else. The first; not dissimilar to something that Gorillaz would put out. The second; very, very much like Closer to the Edge by 30 Seconds to Mars. And the third; anything by The Big Pink. The problem was, I didn't really like any of them.

I found myself searching YouTube, hoping the atmosphere in the theatre had taken something away from the tracks, but all the recordings were of such poor quality, I won't find out until release day at the very earliest.

But why am I excited? If I'm not a fan of the new sound, why do I still hold out so much hope for this album? I'll tell you why; progress.

If this is the natural progression of the MCR sound, then the very least I can do is listen to it four or five times before I judge. I've only heard each song once, and in the situation, and the spirit of the moment, a lot of it was lost on me, it all fell on deaf ears as it were.

The next reason is two other band I love; The Killers and Hellogoodbye. The Killers released Day and Age in 2008, and I hated it. It was sloppy, it was dancey, it was nothing like the killers I loved. I gave it time, several playthroughs, and something clicked. It seemed to work for me, and i'm hoping the same will happen here. With Hellogoodbye, their (original) sound was very synth pop. They've evolved to a more light rock sound now, but synth pop was their forte. I'm hoping my love for their original sound will get me to love the dancier tracks on the album, and i know there will be some.

My Chemical Romance are possibly changing the face of rock and roll with this record, defying what you can and cannot do on a rock record. If, on the 22nd of November, you have an hour or so free, pick up this album and check it out for yourself, especially if you're a rock fan. It could change your outlook on life.