My Chemical Romance

[kramwest1]

I'm sticking my neck out here, but I have completely fallen for this band. Too many people hate them because they are just some Emo band. But, I have been listening to their latest album seems like nonstop, Danger Days.

I've liked them since Helena and I'm Not Okay, and I thought The Black Parade was a great themed album with far more highs than lows.

Danger Days also is a themed album, but loosely so. The theme is some sort of post-apocalyptic existence on deserted highways (kind of). Many of the songs are awesome:
SING obviously has gotten good exposure
Planetary (GO!) should be on most people's gym iPods. It's a great energy song.
Summertime is a wonderfully mature longing but engaging song. I absolutely love it. "You can run away with me... any time you like."

Sure, there's not much profound here, but the theme creeps up and holds you. There are so few albums that I like to play all of the way through, but this is one of them. It's a great driving album, too (maybe obviously).

There, FWIW.
(Oh, and they were incredible live in April at First Ave.)

 

[LemonMelon]

I would like them a lot more if it weren't for Gerard Way, who has this weird twang that makes him sound like some kind of screamo hillbilly.

Dead! is a great straightforward rock song with strong hooks. I also like Helena a great deal. Do not like the new album though; too slick and monotonous. Definitely the wrong direction for them IMO, especially Sing.

 

[kramwest1]

I would like them a lot more if it weren't for Gerard Way, who has this weird twang that makes him sound like some kind of screamo hillbilly.

Dead! is a great straightforward rock song with strong hooks. I also like Helena a great deal. Do not like the new album though; too slick and monotonous. Definitely the wrong direction for them IMO, especially Sing.

Well no doubt that someone on their label said they needed a nice, radio-friendly song, hence SING (and I assume Summertime, but I really don't listen to the radio).

I think they needed a change in direction because as the band they were, where do you go after The Black Parade? That was kind of an angry, emo summit. Now, after Danger Days, they could go back and make a slightly more raw, angry album, and it would work, but I think anything short of a fairly big change after TBP would have sounded hollow.

It took me many listens to like the album all the way through. I got it when it came out last Oct. (?), listened to it all and then just chose a few tracks to keep playing. Slowly I started listening to the whole thing again, and it clicked with me. Certainly Vampire Money could have been left off to make it a complete concept from start to end.

Anyway, I'm seeing them again in September as part of the Honda Civic Tour, so we'll see how a crowd of 15,000 respond versus the rabid (and really fun) 1,500 at First Ave.

 

[bono_212]

I hateeeed Danger Days, but like them in general. Especially live, they brought it down the one show I saw.

 

[kramwest1]

I've seen them twice now. Once several years back at a large-ish club. They were fine, but nothing great. It was before Black Parade.

The First Avenue show was amazing. Band and crowd were totally connected. It's in my top 10 concerts ever--possibly the best First Ave. show I've ever seen, and that is a fucking tough category (Soul Coughing, Arcade Fire, Snow Patrol... great shows).

 

[the tourist]

I love The Black Parade. One of the stronger high energy rock albums of recent memory.

 

[kramwest1]

I love The Black Parade. One of the stronger high energy rock albums of recent memory.

I'm bummed I missed the Black Parade Tour, but I was seeing U2 in Vegas and Pasadena, so I don't lose a lot of sleep.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

In case there are some other MCR fans around here...

My Chemical Romance is now releasing some of the songs they recorded between The Black Parade and Danger Days. The compilation is called Conventional Weapons, and they're releasing two songs a month from now til February. Apparently these were songs meant to be the follow-up to The Black Parade, but they ended up shelving them and going on to record Danger Days. Frank Iero's statement on the band's website is a worthwhile read, explaining how the songs came to be shelved in the first place and then how they came to be released now. The first two, Boy Division and Tomorrow's Money, are blistering, nasty little songs.

The vinyl box set was already sold out by the time I heard about all this, but I am picking up each colored vinyl separately. You can also get the pairs of songs as they're released on iTunes.

Here's Boy Division:
My Chemical Romance - Boy Division