Unpopular(?) fannish opinions ahead!
If you love Patrick Stump and think he can do no wrong, and really loved the new solo stuff he posted today, you probably shouldn't read this post.
I was trying to decide what to post about, and then Patrick made this post with two versions of a song that's going to be on his album, and the question was answered for me.
So, my verdict: I kind of hate both versions. No, I apologize; hate is too strong a word. I think my reaction to both of them was basically an overwhelming feeling of 'meh'. Patrick's voice sounds great, but the lyrics are weak, and I'm not a fan of the instrumentation on either version. The "Oh Nostalgia" version is slightly more palatable, but still not great. I'm not really looking forward to this album at all, unfortunately, but I hope he changes my mind with future tracks. Despite the terrible title (seriously, Soul Punk, dude?), I want to like your solo project, Patrick! I really do. I like you (when you're not being a douche, that is), I like your voice, and I want to enjoy the stuff you put out. I tried really hard to like this, but I just couldn't. And the terrible lyrics that he posted on the website last week were not masked by Patrick's enunciation problems; they were ridiculously obvious and sounded just as dumb as I expected them to do when I saw them written out. :\
I'm not knocking this song because I'm butthurt over the FOB hiatus or something; I genuinely like The Damned Things (the new song they leaked today is awesome!) and Black Cards stuff I've heard (well, minus 'Baby Blackout', but 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Fame' is awesome enough to make up for its lacklusterness). I guess I just expected the music to be better, that's all. I have no illusions as to Patrick's lyrical prowess or lack thereof (I have listened to all of Evening Out With Your Girlfriend, after all), but his musical skills are generally pretty great. Maybe it's his (very obvious) desire to distance himself from FOB that's doing it, IDK. But I'm not impressed.
I was trying to decide what to post about, and then Patrick made this post with two versions of a song that's going to be on his album, and the question was answered for me.
So, my verdict: I kind of hate both versions. No, I apologize; hate is too strong a word. I think my reaction to both of them was basically an overwhelming feeling of 'meh'. Patrick's voice sounds great, but the lyrics are weak, and I'm not a fan of the instrumentation on either version. The "Oh Nostalgia" version is slightly more palatable, but still not great. I'm not really looking forward to this album at all, unfortunately, but I hope he changes my mind with future tracks. Despite the terrible title (seriously, Soul Punk, dude?), I want to like your solo project, Patrick! I really do. I like you (when you're not being a douche, that is), I like your voice, and I want to enjoy the stuff you put out. I tried really hard to like this, but I just couldn't. And the terrible lyrics that he posted on the website last week were not masked by Patrick's enunciation problems; they were ridiculously obvious and sounded just as dumb as I expected them to do when I saw them written out. :\
I'm not knocking this song because I'm butthurt over the FOB hiatus or something; I genuinely like The Damned Things (the new song they leaked today is awesome!) and Black Cards stuff I've heard (well, minus 'Baby Blackout', but 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Fame' is awesome enough to make up for its lacklusterness). I guess I just expected the music to be better, that's all. I have no illusions as to Patrick's lyrical prowess or lack thereof (I have listened to all of Evening Out With Your Girlfriend, after all), but his musical skills are generally pretty great. Maybe it's his (very obvious) desire to distance himself from FOB that's doing it, IDK. But I'm not impressed.