Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz unveils new reggae direction

With Fall Out Boy having, er, fallen out , Pete Wentz has announced that he is leaving behind the rainy shores of emo for the sunny sands of reggae. Despite the bleak name of his new project, Black Cards, their music is apparently inspired by Jamaican dancehall. "I know this won't be for everyone," Wentz admitted on the band's website . He's right. Whereas Fall Out Boy provided a stricken soundtrack for 10 million depressed teenagers, Black Cards sound more like Fun Lovin' Criminals. On tracks such as Club Called Heaven and Beating in My Chest , there's hardly any angst – just perky pop beats and an as yet unnamed female vocalist. "When [Fall Out Boy] went on hiatus, I wasn't really sure what to do with myself," Wentz wrote. Seemingly at a loose end, Wentz decided to visit Jamaica. "I spent a lot of time hanging around beaches and I started to get inspired again by songs like [Culture's] Two Sevens Clash and [the Gladiators'] Warriors . I'd never heard any of these songs before but could imagine them having an everlasting imprint – like people would dance to this stuff forever." While for some, the discovery of roots reggae would provoke years of musical exploration, self-discovery and joint-rolling, Wentz didn't waste time learning. Instead, he quickly recorded some songs with producer Sam Hollander and that mystery singer, who may or may not be Wentz's wife Ashlee Simpson. As Fall Out Boy have sold more than eight million albums worldwide, including two top 15 records in the UK, Black Cards are not likely to disappear soon. Even Fun Lovin' Criminals released six albums (including one this year, amazingly). Perhaps Wentz will decide to reunite with Fall Out Boy. We can live in hope ...