In the vein of artists like The Rocket Summer and The Almost, Stranded Conqueror is a one-man band, created by Patrick Weymann (with a little help from a couple of his friends on drums). His first outing is a short EP simply titled Stranded Conqueror. Of the six songs on the EP, four of them have a very big pop punk sound. Not so much a Stellar Kart kind of pop punk - more like Relient K's approach, yet not as refined. That's not to say that the music is bad; it just desperately needs better production. EP opener "Out of Here" is a great example: well-played guitar lines (with matching piano), an outspoken (but not overbearing) bass and lively drums, yet it still sounds like a demo version of the song. The guitar at the very beginning of the song changes tempo a couple of times, and the sound is a little muffled. Poor song placement is another issue here, with the upbeat "Out of Here" oddly leading into "Guide," a slower ballad like something you would hear from The Beatles. The next three songs are faster-paced, with the acoustic "Stars" ending the EP. It makes for almost an awkward journey. However, to Weymann's credit, "Guide" turns out to be a song that has much better music for his vocals. His singing voice resembles John Lennon (and also James Mercer of The Shins, though only slightly), and his particular sound really works better on the slower songs Stranded Conqueror has to offer, but doesn't quite fit the upbeat, rockier stuff. It's quite sad actually, as, musically, he really does seem to know what he's doing when it comes to that style. If Weymann wants any future releases to be at all successful, better production is a must, and he needs to either write music that better complements his vocals, or maybe find someone else to fill in on lead vocals.

- Review date: 12/22/09, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com