Patrick Stump Debut EP "Truant Wave"

The last time we heard from Fall Out Boy, they were playing their last ever show at Madison Square Garden in support of Blink-182, and Pete Wentz was getting his ridiculous emo hairdo whacked off by Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus. Since then, Joe Trohman (guitar) and Andy Hurley (drums) have teamed up with members of Anthrax and Every Time I Die to form the metal supergroup The Damned Things (who recently appeared on Hoppus on Music on FUSE-TV). Pete Wentz formed a band of his own called Black Cards, an electropop/experimental band that features a female vocalist.

And then there's lead singer Patrick Stump. The man has been involved in numerous hardcore and punk bands, but is known for his vocal range and style that distinguishes him from many in the genre. On his solo effort, he ditched the long hair and goofy trucker hat and slimmed down to complete his metamorphosis. Those who liked Fall Out Boy might not even recognize the new, suave Stump with a new hairstyle and new style. To further give fans an idea of what he was going for in his post-Fall Out Boy career, Stump posted videos of himself singing Grammy song medlys and Michael Jackson songs dressed in a tuxedo and done up for the cameras in a way you wouldn't have pictured.

The result is good. This project Stump has taken on is centered around his voice, so fans of Fall Out Boy like myself may not immediately find the music to be within our style. Despite that, Patrick Stump's voice is really good. The music mixes elements of techno/electronica and indie pop which fits well with Stump's vocal range as the highs and lows intermingle elegantly from song to song.

From the moment the first song begins the music will sound unfamiliar to the punk roots of Stump's past. "Porcelain" could easily be heard in a dance club with strobe lights and people dancing left and right and even features a rap verse from Alph-A-Bit.

The EP features a couple really strong numbers, most notably "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia). Stump released two versions of this song, and this was definitely my favorite as it struck closer to his roots and vocally Stump nails ever aspect of this song. The tune contains an indie element to it and the chorus of "you could be your own spotlight, (a-yo a-yo!)" is sure to get stuck in your head after just one listen. When Stump sings with just the piano backing him, the song excels.

Look no further than "Cute Girls" to see how drastically Stump's voice has improved. His voice mirrors a young Michael Jackson, which took me off guard the first time I heard the song). To imagine Stump writing a Jackson-esque song is almost unbelievable, but at times the voice reverberations tend to trip up what is an otherwise solid track.

Coming in with six tracks, Truant Wave is sure to separate Stump from his Fall Out Boy days as he prepares for his first big musical project, Soul Punk. If nothing else, this EP will raise more interest in him, as people will have a better idea of what to expect. If you don't like Fall Out Boy, don't worry, although if you don't like electro-pop then this won't be your style either.Even though this CD isn't the type of thing I would normally listen to, I can get behind Stump's wonderful vocals. If you are willing to give this EP a try, you may be pleasantly surprised.