Sunday, October 16, 2011

Patrick Stump on for Solo Career with "Soul Punk"

Soul Punk is the upcoming solo debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist, guitarist and composer of Fall Out Boy. Stump's solo project was officially announced in January 2010 and he later revealed his first album's title to be Soul Punk. It is the first major musical project undertaken by Stump since Fall Out Boy's hiatus in late 2009. The album is scheduled for release on October 18, 2011 through Island Records, with Stump officially announcing the release date on July 25 via Twitter and the internet. The album features no guest artists (besides a bonus remix track with guest vocals from Lupe Fiasco) or outside help and is the ultimate solo effort as Stump is doing everything entirely by himself: performing, composing the music, writing the lyrics, playing over ten instruments and producing the album. Stump has been often compared to Michael Jackson, whom he has cited as a major influence. He has commented on the album being "90% metaphors."



To promote Soul Punk, Stump has toured the U.S. twice and played dates in Europe, opened for Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae, played at Chicago and Japan music festivals, and is supporting Panic! at the Disco on their month-long U.S. fall tour. He is also doing extensive radio tours to support his record. Rolling Stone included Soul Punk in their "Fall Music Preview: The Season's Hottest Albums" and Spin listed it in their "30 Must-Hear Albums of 2011."

The album has so far received extremely positive reviews from music critics. Annie Zaleski, writing for Alternative Press, in a positive four-star out of five review, called the album a "brave, bold statement" and said the album's "pop sensibilities, clever phrasing and tight grooves will please fans." Alter The Press! described it as a "beautiful blend of 80s inspired electro R'n'B with a refreshing moral undercurrent." Chris Droney of Glasswerk was also positive of the album, writing that Soul Punk "hit every expectation with a deafening wallop" and that it deserves "more recognition than most" of the chart music present today.

Soul Punk has had tentative release dates delayed and unconfirmed dates on the internet. Stump originally completed the album in 2010 and had a tentative February 2011 release date but re-did the finished album after he came up with a song called "This City". For the album's delay, in place of it is a digital EP, Truant Wave, containing six songs, three of which he collaborated with other artists, released on February 22, 2011 on iTunes.



On May 9, 2011 Stump uploaded "Explode", a track from the upcoming record to YouTube. A song remix of a Soul Punk track titled "This City" featuring Lupe Fiasco was uploaded to YouTube and was later released to iTunes and other online outlets on July 26 as the album's first single. Its music video was premiered on Vevo on September 20. Stump revealed the album cover art on September 7, again done by Aakash Nihalani, whom previously did the art for Truant Wave. Soul Punk will also be available as a deluxe edition with additional tracks. The remix of "This City" is included as a bonus track on both album versions. iTunes' album preorders started on September 27 as well as physical CD preorders from Stump's webstore. With preorders from Stump's online store, a package with a lithograph by Roland Tamayo is available.



TRACK LISTING:

1. Explode 3:24
2. This City 3:40
3. Dance Miserable 3:33
4. Spotlight (New Regrets) 3:19
5. The "I" in Lie 4:26
6. Run Dry (X Heart X Fingers) 8:25
7. Greed 4:11
8. Everybody Wants Somebody 4:21
9. Allie 3:37
10. Coast (It's Gonna Get Better) 3:37
11. This City [Remix] (featuring Lupe Fiasco, bonus track) 3:32

DELUXE VERSION

12. Bad Side of 25 5:24
13. People Never Done a Good Thing 3:07
14. When I Made You Cry 3:49
15. Mad At Nothing 3:50
16. Saturday Night Again (bonus track) 3:49

LINKS:
Management: http://crushmm.com/
Website: http://www.patrickstump.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/patrickstump
Twitter: @partickstump
Tumblr: http://nervousbreakdance.com/
MySpace: http://myspace.com/patrickstump
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/patrickstump
YouTube Vevo: http://www.youtube.com/user/PatrickStumpVEVO
Merch: http://gomerch.com/patrickstump

Friday, October 14, 2011

@Alesana: A Place Where The Sun Is Silent

The sonically exhilarating North Carolina melodic hard rock band Alesana continue to expand their horizons with the undeniably ambitious and powerful new concept album A Place Where The Sun Is Silent due out October 18th on Epitaph Records. You can currently pre-order the new album by going to the Epitaph Store.



Alesana are renowned for merging unforgettable choruses, virtuosic guitar driven rock and thunderous breakdowns in support of their captivating lyrical narrative detailing love, loss and undying perseverance. The group will be touring North America, headlining the third annual Motel 6 “Rock Yourself To Sleep” tour, joined by California outfit A Skylit Drive, Florida’s Sleeping With Sirens, Attila and Memphis May Fire. Tickets are on sale on Friday, August 26th and VIP tickets for the tour are available at: http://alesanaofficial.com/events



In anticipation of the release of A Place Where The Sun Is Silent, Alesana will be premiering a track from their new album, the energetic anthem, "A Gilded Masquerade." You can listen to the song by going to Altpress.com.



TRACKLIST:

Act One: The Gate
1.The Dark Wood Of Error (2:13)
2.A Forbidden Dance (3:53)
3.Hand In Hand With The Damned (4:36)
4.Beyond The Sacred Glass (6:03)
5.The Temptress (4:21)
6.Circle VII: Sins Of The Lion (4:09)
7.Vestige (2:58)
8.Lullaby Of The Crucified (4:48)

Act Two: The Immortal Sill
1.Before Him All Shall Scatter (0:54)
2.Labyrinth (4:04)
3.The Fiend (3:57)
4.Welcome To The Vanity Faire (4:37)
5.The Wanderer (1:37)
6.A Gilded Masquerade (4:35)
7.The Best Laid Plans Of Mice And Marionettes (5:35)
8.And Now For The Final Illusion (3:43)

LINKS:
Website: http://alesanaofficial.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alesana
Twitter: @Alesana
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/alesana